Victor Kiernan
Encyclopedia
Professor Victor Gordon Kiernan (born 4 September 1913, Lancashire
, England, UK – died 17 February 2009, Stow, Borders, Scotland
) was a British Marxist
historian and a former member of the Communist Party Historians Group
with a particular focus on the history of imperialism
..
Kiernan was born in Ashton upon Mersey
, Sale
to Congregationalist
lower-middle class parents. He studied at Manchester Grammar School
, then at Trinity College, Cambridge
from 1931–38, when, as a junior fellow, he went to India to teach at a Sikh school and at Aitchison College
in Lahore
. He returned to Trinity as a fellow in 1946. After two years there, he moved to the University of Edinburgh
to take up a lectureship in 1948. He was appointed Professor of Modern History at Edinburgh in 1970; a position he held until his retirement in 1977.
Kiernan starred in the University of Edinburgh's Department of History film about the Spanish Civil War
, which included reminiscences of Scots in the International Brigade such as Councillor Don Renton, John Dunlop and George Watters were preserved on tape and film.
He joined the Communist Party in 1934 and left in 1959, chiefly in disgust at the suppression of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, after which, he said: "I waited in hopes the party might improve. It didn't."
At the age of 80, he produced Shakespeare: Poet and Citizen. A second volume, Eight Tragedies of Shakespeare, followed in 1996.
from 1938–46. He married, secondly, the Canadian scholar Heather Massey in 1984; they remained married until his death.
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England, UK – died 17 February 2009, Stow, Borders, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
) was a British Marxist
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
historian and a former member of the Communist Party Historians Group
Communist Party Historians Group
A subdivision of the Communist Party of Great Britain , from 1946-1956 the Communist Party Historians Group formed a highly influential cluster of British Marxist historians, who contributed to "history from below." Famous members included such leading lights of 20th-century British history as...
with a particular focus on the history of imperialism
Imperialism
Imperialism, as defined by Dictionary of Human Geography, is "the creation and/or maintenance of an unequal economic, cultural, and territorial relationships, usually between states and often in the form of an empire, based on domination and subordination." The imperialism of the last 500 years,...
..
Kiernan was born in Ashton upon Mersey
Ashton upon Mersey
Ashton upon Mersey is an area of Sale in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the south bank of the River Mersey, in the northwestern part of Sale, and is situated about south of Manchester city centre....
, Sale
Sale, Greater Manchester
Sale is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. Historically part of Cheshire, the town lies on flat ground on the south bank of the River Mersey, south of Stretford, northeast of Altrincham, and southwest of the city of Manchester...
to Congregationalist
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
lower-middle class parents. He studied at Manchester Grammar School
Manchester Grammar School
The Manchester Grammar School is the largest independent day school for boys in the UK . It is based in Manchester, England...
, then at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
from 1931–38, when, as a junior fellow, he went to India to teach at a Sikh school and at Aitchison College
Aitchison College
Aitchison College, Lahore, is one of the most prestigious educational institutions of its kind in South Asia. Established in 1886, it has retained its character over the years, maintaining the public school tradition of providing an education that uses academics, sports and co-curricular activities...
in Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
. He returned to Trinity as a fellow in 1946. After two years there, he moved to the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
to take up a lectureship in 1948. He was appointed Professor of Modern History at Edinburgh in 1970; a position he held until his retirement in 1977.
Kiernan starred in the University of Edinburgh's Department of History film about the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, which included reminiscences of Scots in the International Brigade such as Councillor Don Renton, John Dunlop and George Watters were preserved on tape and film.
He joined the Communist Party in 1934 and left in 1959, chiefly in disgust at the suppression of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, after which, he said: "I waited in hopes the party might improve. It didn't."
At the age of 80, he produced Shakespeare: Poet and Citizen. A second volume, Eight Tragedies of Shakespeare, followed in 1996.
Marriages
He was married twice. He was first married to the Indian dancer Shanta GandhiShanta Gandhi
Shanta Gandhi was an Indian theatre director, dancer and playwright. She was a founder-member of the central ballet troupe of the Indian People's Theatre Association , and toured the country widely through the 1950s...
from 1938–46. He married, secondly, the Canadian scholar Heather Massey in 1984; they remained married until his death.
Selected works/articles
- The Dragon and St. George: Anglo-Chinese relations 1880-1885 (1939)
- British diplomacy in China, 1880 to 1885 (1939)
- Poems from Iqbal, Translation (1955)
- The revolution of 1854 in Spanish history (1966)
- The lords of human kind. European attitudes towards the outside world in the Imperial Age (1969)
- Marxism and imperialism: studies (1974)
- America, the new imperialism: from white settlement to world hegemony (1978)
- State & society in Europe, 1550-1650 (1980)
- European empires from conquest to collapse, 1815-1960 (1982)
- The duel in European history: honour and the reign of aristocracy (1988)
- History, classes and nation-states (edited and introduced by Harvey J. KayeHarvey J. KayeHarvey J Kaye is an American historian and sociologist.He is currently the Director of the Center for History and Social Change at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay.-Bibliography:* Thomas Paine and the Promise of America...
(1988) - Shakespeare, poet and citizen (1993)
- Imperialism and its contradictions (edited & introduced by Harvey J. Kaye; 1995)
- Eight tragedies of Shakespeare: a Marxist study (1996)
- Colonial empires and armies 1815-1960 (1982, 1998)
- Horace: poetics and politics (1999)
See also
- History & humanism: essays in honour of V.G. Kiernan (edited by Owen Dudley Edwards; 1977)
- Across time and continents: a tribute to Victor G. Kiernan (edited by Prakash KaratPrakash KaratPrakash Karat , born on February 7, 1948 in Letpadan, Burma is a communist politician in India and the current General Secretary of the Communist Party of India since 2005.-Education and early career:...
; 2003). ISBN 8187496347.
External links
- Obituary by Eric Hobsbawm
- Obituary in The Hindu
- Obituary in The Scotsman
- Review of America, the new imperialism
- Obituary by James Dunkerley, History Workshop JournalHistory Workshop JournalThe History Workshop is a movement founded by Raphael Samuel. Its main role was to promote the historiographical tradition known variously as History from below, the history of everyday life, or simply the people's history...
, 69, (Spring, 2010). - Obituary in The Times, 14 May 2009