Hugh Kearney
Encyclopedia
Hugh F. Kearney is a British
historian, and Amundson Professor Emeritus of the University of Pittsburgh
. He is the author of several articles on early modern economic history, a biography on Thomas Wentworth
, and the acclaimed book British Isles: A History of Four Nations which advocated a multi-national, "Britannic" approach, rather than an Anglo-centric approach to their history, historiography and sociology. His daughter is The World at One
presenter Martha Kearney
.
, in 1962 Kearney became one of the first academics (a lecturer of history) at the still-under-construction 'plate glass university
', University of Sussex
, where he taught at a temporary Nissen hut
before the arts faculty buildings were completed. Kearney went on to teach courses on contemporary Britain; poetry, science and religion in seventeenth century England; religion and literature in the age of Pascal, and the politics and literature of Yeats and Joyce. Kearney made modern Irish history his major research interest, especially focusing on Ireland's relationship with the United Kingdom, and the British nations.
While at Sussex, Kearney spent three months at the Folger Library in Washington D.C., where he wrote an article Puritanism, Capitalism and the Scientific Revolution (published in Past and Present, 1964). During his time at Sussex, he also took a sabbatical in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
In 1970 Kearney left Sussex to become Richard Pares Professor of history at the University of Edinburgh, and in 1975 moved on to the University of Pittsburgh
, where he was Amundson Professor of British History until 1999. His is now Amundson Professor Emeritus.
While at Sussex, Kearney edited Problems and Perspectives in History (a series published by Longmans) in which he contributed the volume Origins of the Scientific Revolution. As result of this, he came to contribute a volume in the new World University Library (Science and Change 1500-1700, Weidenfeld, 1970) that was translated into German, Spanish and Japanese.
In 1969 Kearney contributed three chapters on the 17th century in John Cruikshank's Sussex-based series French Literature and its Background. Kearney further published his work on 17th century universities in Scholars and Gentlemen: Universities and Society in Pre-Industrial Britain (Faber 1970).
A gap of almost 20 years followed before the publication of his later works, The British Isles: A History of Four Nations (1989, 2006) and the collection of essays, Ireland: Contested Ideas of Nationalism and History (2007).
as a general reader book with plate sections in hardback and paperback, and the Canto edition of 1995, which had an extended bibliography, was reprinted twice. A second edition was published by Cambridge in 2006, which included a new chapter on the nineties and post-devolution Britain.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
historian, and Amundson Professor Emeritus of the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
. He is the author of several articles on early modern economic history, a biography on Thomas Wentworth
Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford
Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford was an English statesman and a major figure in the period leading up to the English Civil War. He served in Parliament and was a supporter of King Charles I. From 1632 to 1639 he instituted a harsh rule as Lord Deputy of Ireland...
, and the acclaimed book British Isles: A History of Four Nations which advocated a multi-national, "Britannic" approach, rather than an Anglo-centric approach to their history, historiography and sociology. His daughter is The World at One
The World At One
The World at One, or WATO for short, is BBC Radio 4's long-running lunchtime news and current affairs programme, which is broadcast from 1pm to 1:30pm from Monday to Friday. The programme describes itself as "Britain's leading political programme. With a reputation for rigorous and original...
presenter Martha Kearney
Martha Kearney
Martha Catherine Kearney is an Irish-born British broadcaster and journalist. She is the main presenter of BBC Radio 4's lunchtime news programme The World at One.-Early life:...
.
Career
After a period teaching at University College DublinUniversity College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...
, in 1962 Kearney became one of the first academics (a lecturer of history) at the still-under-construction 'plate glass university
Plate glass university
The term plate glass university has come into use by some to refer to one of the several universities founded in the United Kingdom in the 1960s in the era of the Robbins Report on higher education. In some cases these were older schools with new Royal Charters, now making them universities...
', University of Sussex
University of Sussex
The University of Sussex is an English public research university situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, within the city of Brighton and Hove. The University received its Royal Charter in August 1961....
, where he taught at a temporary Nissen hut
Nissen hut
A Nissen hut is a prefabricated steel structure made from a half-cylindrical skin of corrugated steel, a variant of which was used extensively during World War II.-Description:...
before the arts faculty buildings were completed. Kearney went on to teach courses on contemporary Britain; poetry, science and religion in seventeenth century England; religion and literature in the age of Pascal, and the politics and literature of Yeats and Joyce. Kearney made modern Irish history his major research interest, especially focusing on Ireland's relationship with the United Kingdom, and the British nations.
While at Sussex, Kearney spent three months at the Folger Library in Washington D.C., where he wrote an article Puritanism, Capitalism and the Scientific Revolution (published in Past and Present, 1964). During his time at Sussex, he also took a sabbatical in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
In 1970 Kearney left Sussex to become Richard Pares Professor of history at the University of Edinburgh, and in 1975 moved on to the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
, where he was Amundson Professor of British History until 1999. His is now Amundson Professor Emeritus.
While at Sussex, Kearney edited Problems and Perspectives in History (a series published by Longmans) in which he contributed the volume Origins of the Scientific Revolution. As result of this, he came to contribute a volume in the new World University Library (Science and Change 1500-1700, Weidenfeld, 1970) that was translated into German, Spanish and Japanese.
In 1969 Kearney contributed three chapters on the 17th century in John Cruikshank's Sussex-based series French Literature and its Background. Kearney further published his work on 17th century universities in Scholars and Gentlemen: Universities and Society in Pre-Industrial Britain (Faber 1970).
A gap of almost 20 years followed before the publication of his later works, The British Isles: A History of Four Nations (1989, 2006) and the collection of essays, Ireland: Contested Ideas of Nationalism and History (2007).
The British Isles: A History of Four Nations
In 1989 Kearney published The British Isles: A History of Four Nations, to strong reviews in the Times Literary Supplement, History Today, The Spectator and the New York Review of Books. It was printed by the Cambridge University PressCambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
as a general reader book with plate sections in hardback and paperback, and the Canto edition of 1995, which had an extended bibliography, was reprinted twice. A second edition was published by Cambridge in 2006, which included a new chapter on the nineties and post-devolution Britain.
Ireland: Contested Ideas of Nationalism and History
In 2007 Kearney cast his 'Britannic' perspective on Ireland in a collection of essays published by the New York University Press currently only available in the USA, in its first hardback edition. According to the New York University Press, "Kearney contends that Ireland represents a striking example of the power of nationalism" and offers "his revisionist 'four nations' approach to Irish history."In the media
In 2006, Kearney reminisced with his daughter about life amongst the development of Sussex University, in a BBC Radio Four series charting the post-war history of higher education.Publications
- Strafford in Ireland: a Study in Absolutism - 1959, 2nd edition 1989, Cambridge University Press
- Origins of the Scientific Revolution - 1967, Longmans
- Science and Change 1500-1700 - World University Library - 1970, Weidenfeld
- Scholars and Gentlemen: Universities and Society in pre-industrial Britain - 1970, Faber, Cornell University Press
- The British Isles: A History of Four Nations - 1989, 2nd edition 2006, Cambridge University Press
- Ireland: Contested Ideas of Nationalism and History - 2007, New York University Press (forthcoming in UK)