Richard Drayton
Encyclopedia
Richard Drayton FRHistS (born 1964) is a Guyana
-born historian
and Rhodes Professor of Imperial History
at Kings College London. He went to school at Harrison College
in Barbados
, from which he left as a Barbados Scholar to Harvard University
. He was a graduate student at Balliol College, Oxford
as the Commonwealth Caribbean
Rhodes Scholar, and at Yale University
, where he wrote his doctoral dissertation under the direction of Paul Kennedy
. From 1992, he was a Research Fellow of St Catharine's College, Cambridge
, returning to Oxford in 1994 to be Darby Fellow and Tutor in Modern History at Lincoln College, Oxford
. After 1998, he was Associate Professor of British History at the University of Virginia
. From 2001 to 2009, he was University Senior Lecturer in Imperial and extra-European History since 1500, and Director of Graduate Training of the Faculty of History at the University of Cambridge
and Fellow
, Tutor
, and Director of Studies in History at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
. In 2009, he was Visiting Professor of History at Harvard University
.
Drayton is author of Nature’s Government: Science, Imperial Britain, and the ‘Improvement’ of the World (Yale University Press, 2000), which received the Forkosch Prize of the American Historical Association
in 2001 as the best book in British and British Imperial History (1999-2001). In 2002 he was awarded the Philip Leverhulme Prize
for Modern History. He is co-editor, with Megan Vaughan, of the scholarly book series Cambridge Imperial and Post-Colonial Studies and sits on the editorial board of the Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History.
In 2010, he spoke on "Economic lies and cuts" at a student "occupation" at Cambridge University.
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
-born historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and Rhodes Professor of Imperial History
Rhodes Professor of Imperial History
The Rhodes Professorship of Imperial History is one of the senior professorships in History at King's College London and was endowed by the Rhodes Trust in 1919. After the Beit Professorship of Colonial History at Oxford , it is the second oldest chair in its subject in the world.-List of...
at Kings College London. He went to school at Harrison College
Harrison College (Barbados)
Harrison College is a co-educational grammar school in Bridgetown, Barbados. Founded in 1733, the school takes its name from Thomas Harrison, a Bridgetown merchant, who intended it to serve as "A Public and Free School for the poor and indigent boys of the parish".It thereafter has evolved into...
in Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
, from which he left as a Barbados Scholar to Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He was a graduate student at Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
as the Commonwealth Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
Rhodes Scholar, and at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, where he wrote his doctoral dissertation under the direction of Paul Kennedy
Paul Kennedy
Paul Michael Kennedy CBE, FBA , is a British historian at Yale University specialising in the history of international relations, economic power and grand strategy. He has published prominent books on the history of British foreign policy and Great Power struggles...
. From 1992, he was a Research Fellow of St Catharine's College, Cambridge
St Catharine's College, Cambridge
St. Catharine’s College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1473, the college is often referred to informally by the nickname "Catz".-History:...
, returning to Oxford in 1994 to be Darby Fellow and Tutor in Modern History at Lincoln College, Oxford
Lincoln College, Oxford
Lincoln College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is situated on Turl Street in central Oxford, backing onto Brasenose College and adjacent to Exeter College...
. After 1998, he was Associate Professor of British History at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
. From 2001 to 2009, he was University Senior Lecturer in Imperial and extra-European History since 1500, and Director of Graduate Training of the Faculty of History at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
and Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
, Tutor
Tutor
A tutor is a person employed in the education of others, either individually or in groups. To tutor is to perform the functions of a tutor.-Teaching assistance:...
, and Director of Studies in History at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Corpus Christi College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It is notable as the only college founded by Cambridge townspeople: it was established in 1352 by the Guilds of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary...
. In 2009, he was Visiting Professor of History at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
Drayton is author of Nature’s Government: Science, Imperial Britain, and the ‘Improvement’ of the World (Yale University Press, 2000), which received the Forkosch Prize of the American Historical Association
American Historical Association
The American Historical Association is the oldest and largest society of historians and professors of history in the United States. Founded in 1884, the association promotes historical studies, the teaching of history, and the preservation of and access to historical materials...
in 2001 as the best book in British and British Imperial History (1999-2001). In 2002 he was awarded the Philip Leverhulme Prize
Philip Leverhulme Prize
The Philip Leverhulme Prize, awarded by the Leverhulme Trust, is to recognise outstanding young scholars who have made a substantial and recognised contribution to their particular field of study, recognised at an international level, and where the expectation is that their greatest achievement is...
for Modern History. He is co-editor, with Megan Vaughan, of the scholarly book series Cambridge Imperial and Post-Colonial Studies and sits on the editorial board of the Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History.
In 2010, he spoke on "Economic lies and cuts" at a student "occupation" at Cambridge University.
See also
- British EmpireBritish EmpireThe British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
- World HistoryWorld HistoryWorld History, Global History or Transnational history is a field of historical study that emerged as a distinct academic field in the 1980s. It examines history from a global perspective...
- Paul KennedyPaul KennedyPaul Michael Kennedy CBE, FBA , is a British historian at Yale University specialising in the history of international relations, economic power and grand strategy. He has published prominent books on the history of British foreign policy and Great Power struggles...
- Christopher Bayly
- William Roger LouisWilliam Roger LouisWilliam Roger Louis, CBE FBA , also known as Wm. Roger Louis, or Roger Louis, informally, is a distinguished historian at the University of Texas at Austin...
- Peter James Marshall
External links
- Professor Richard Drayton, Faculty web page, Kings College London (retrieved 28 August 2011)
- Works by or about Richard Drayton, WorldCat.org