John Tosh
Encyclopedia
John Tosh is a British
historian
and Professor of History at Roehampton University
. He gained his BA at the University of Oxford
and his MA at the University of Cambridge
. Tosh was awarded his PhD by the University of London
in 1973; his thesis topic being Political authority among the Langi of northern Uganda, circa 1800-1939 . He is a Fellow
of the Royal Historical Society
. In 1987-88 he held a visiting appointment at the University of California, Davis
. At Roehampton University he teaches History, specifically "Reading and Writing History." He was appointed Vice-President of the Royal Historical Society from 1999 - 2002. He has also published several works on the history of masculinity in nineteenth-century Britain. He is currently preparing a critical analysis of the social applications of historical perspective in contemporary Britain.
Tosh's claim to originality and notability rests largely on his work as a historian and historiographer. He has taken a leading role as a public historian over the past fifteen years or so in developing the history of masculinity and ensuring it has become an important dimension of social and cultural history. He has shown how domesticity, previously regarded as an aspect women's history, also conditioned and influenced the lives of men and society. As an historiographer he has updated the way we look at the study of history and how we construct our knowledge of the past, as well as providing insight into the works of other historians and their impact on the study of the subject.
He is the father of philosopher Nick Tosh.
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
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 Professor of History at Roehampton University
Roehampton University
The University of Roehampton is a campus university in the United Kingdom, situated on three major sites in Roehampton, south-west London.-History:...
. He gained his BA at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
and his MA 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...
. Tosh was awarded his PhD by the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
in 1973; his thesis topic being Political authority among the Langi of northern Uganda, circa 1800-1939 . He is a 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...
of the Royal Historical Society
Royal Historical Society
The Royal Historical Society was founded in 1868. The premier society in the United Kingdom which promotes and defends the scholarly study of the past, it is based at University College London...
. In 1987-88 he held a visiting appointment at the University of California, Davis
University of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...
. At Roehampton University he teaches History, specifically "Reading and Writing History." He was appointed Vice-President of the Royal Historical Society from 1999 - 2002. He has also published several works on the history of masculinity in nineteenth-century Britain. He is currently preparing a critical analysis of the social applications of historical perspective in contemporary Britain.
Tosh's claim to originality and notability rests largely on his work as a historian and historiographer. He has taken a leading role as a public historian over the past fifteen years or so in developing the history of masculinity and ensuring it has become an important dimension of social and cultural history. He has shown how domesticity, previously regarded as an aspect women's history, also conditioned and influenced the lives of men and society. As an historiographer he has updated the way we look at the study of history and how we construct our knowledge of the past, as well as providing insight into the works of other historians and their impact on the study of the subject.
He is the father of philosopher Nick Tosh.
Works
- Clan leaders and colonial chiefs in Lango: the political history of an East African stateless society, c1800-1939 (Clarendon Press, 1978)
- Manful assertions:masculinities in Britain since 1800; joint editor with Michael Toper (Routledge, 1991)
- A Man's Place: Masculinity and the Middle-Class Home in Victorian England (Yale University Press, 1999)
- Historians on History: An Anthology (Pearson Education, 2000)
- Masculinities in Politics and War: gendering modern history; joint editor with Stefan Dudink & Karen Hagenamm (Manchester University Press, 2004)
- Manliness and masculinities in nineteenth-century Britain: essays on gender, family and empire (Pearson Longman, 2005)
- The Pursuit of History: Aims, Methods and New Directions in the Study of Modern History (Longman, 4th edn, 2006)
- Why History Matters, (Palgrave, 2008)
External links
- http://www.roehampton.ac.uk/staff/JohnTosh/ Staff profile at Roehampton University website
- http://www.royalhistoricalsociety.org/ website of the Royal Historical Society
- http://www.oslo2000.uio.no/program/papers/s11/s11-tosh.pdf Two page introductory paper on masculinity
- http://www.historyandpolicy.org/papers/policy-paper-37.html In defence of applied history, paper for the History and Policy website
- http://www.threemonkeysonline.com/als/why_history_matters_john_tosh_interview.html An interview with John Tosh in November 2008 about history, why it matters, the Iraq War and history and the making of public policy