John Iliffe (historian)
John Iliffe | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1 May 1939 Luton, Bedfordshire, England |
| Died | 20 August 2026 (aged 87) Cambridge, England |
| Education | Peterhouse, Cambridge |
| Known for | Historian of Africa |
| Notable work | The African Poor: A History |
| Awards | Herskovits Prize (1988) |
John Iliffe (1 May 1939 – 20 August 2026) was a British historian, who specialised in the history of Africa and especially of Tanzania.
Life and career
[edit]Iliffe was born in Luton, Bedfordshire, on 1 May 1939.[1] He was educated at Framlingham College and Peterhouse, Cambridge, where he completed his BA and PhD. After teaching at the University of Dar es Salaam for several years he was appointed Assistant Director of Research in History at the University of Cambridge and a fellow of St John's College. In 1980 he became a Reader in African History at Cambridge, and 10 years later was made Professor of African History, remaining in place until his retirement in 2006.[2] He was awarded the 1988 Herskovits Prize for The African Poor: A History.[1][3]
He was a fellow of the British Academy from 1989 to 2006.[4] Iliffe died in Cambridge, England on 20 August 2026, aged 87.[5][6]
Notable works
[edit]- Tanganyika Under German Rule, 1905-1912 (1969)
- Modern Tanzanians (editor, 1973)
- A Modern History of Tanganyika (1979)
- The Emergence of African Capitalism (1983)
- The African Poor: A History (1987)
- Famine in Zimbabwe, 1890–1960 (1990)
- Africans: The History of a Continent (1995; 2nd ed. 2007; 3rd ed. 2017)
- East African Doctors: A History of the Modern Profession (1998)
- Honour in African History (2005)
- The African AIDS Epidemic: A History (2006)
- Obasanjo, Nigeria and the World (2011)
References
[edit]- 1 2 Chan, Stephen (2 October 2026). "John Iliffe obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
- ↑ "ILIFFE, Prof. John". Who's Who. Vol. 2026 (online ed.). A & C Black. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ↑ "ASA Best Book Prize". African Studies Association. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
- ↑ "The academic who transformed understanding of African history". St John's College, University of Cambridge. 24 August 2026. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
- ↑ Nossiter, Adam (6 October 2026). "How a Painstaking Scholar Reinterpreted African History". The New York Times.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|aaccess-date=ignored (help) - ↑ "Afrika war nie geschichtslos". Faz. 23 August 2026. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
External links
[edit]- Page at St John's College, Cambridge
- Biography by the Society of Old Framlinghamians Archived 8 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- Africans: The History of a Continent (second edition)
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- 1939 births
- 2026 deaths
- Academic staff of the University of Dar es Salaam
- British Africanists
- 21st-century British historians
- Alumni of Peterhouse, Cambridge
- Fellows of St John's College, Cambridge
- Fellows of the British Academy
- ASA Best Book Prize winners
- Historians of Nigeria
- Historians of Tanzania
- Historians of Zimbabwe
- Professors of the University of Cambridge
- 20th-century British historians
- British historian stubs
- Africanist stubs