Krishan Kumar
Encyclopedia
Krishan Kumar is an Indian sociologist
who is currently Chair of the Department of Sociology at the University of Virginia
, where he holds the titles University Professor and William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of Sociology.
Kumar was educated at William Ellis School
in London and studied as an undergraduate at St John's College, Cambridge
and for a master's degree
at the London School of Economics
. He then worked as a lecturer at the University of Kent
from 1967, where he also studied for a PhD
, and had a spell as a producer
for the talks and documentaries department of the BBC
. He remained at Kent, attaining the position of Professor of Social and Political Thought, until his appointment at Virginia in 1996.
Kumar has held several visiting professorships, including at the University of Bristol
, the Central European University
and the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
, and has been a visiting scholar at Harvard University
and a member of the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton. His research interests include nationalism
and European
and global history
.
Kumar's publications include Prophecy and Progress: The Sociology of Industrial and Post-Industrial Society (Allen Lane, 1978), Utopia and Anti-Utopia in Modern Times (Basil Blackwell, 1987), The Rise of Modern Society: Aspects of the Social and Political Development of the West (Basil Blackwell, 1988), Utopianism (Open University Press, 1991), 1989: Revolutionary Ideas and Ideals (University of Minnesota Press, 2001) and The Making of English National Identity (Cambridge University Press, 2003). The latter was described by Bernard Crick
as a "scholarly masterpiece" and "the deepest and best reflection so far by a fine sociologist and an intellectual historian". His work on utopianism, meanwhile, "should...find an admired place in contemporary sociology", according to Frank Webster
. Kumar has also published articles in academic journal
s, including Sociology
, the European Journal of Political Research
, the European Journal of Sociology, Theory and Society, Political Studies
, the British Journal of Sociology
, the European Journal of Social Theory and Nations and Nationalism
.
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
who is currently Chair of the Department of Sociology 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...
, where he holds the titles University Professor and William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of Sociology.
Kumar was educated at William Ellis School
William Ellis School
William Ellis School is a United Kingdom secondary comprehensive school for boys in Highgate, London.-Admissions:It is a specialist Language College. The School's motto is 'Rather Use Than Fame'. The school is over-subscribed, usually an indicator of a popular school. It is situated just west of...
in London and studied as an undergraduate at St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
and for a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
at the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
. He then worked as a lecturer at the University of Kent
University of Kent
The University of Kent, previously the University of Kent at Canterbury, is a public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom...
from 1967, where he also studied for a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
, and had a spell as a producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
for the talks and documentaries department of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. He remained at Kent, attaining the position of Professor of Social and Political Thought, until his appointment at Virginia in 1996.
Kumar has held several visiting professorships, including at the University of Bristol
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
, the Central European University
Central European University
For other uses, see European University Central European University is a graduate-level, English-language university offering degrees in the social sciences, humanities, law, public policy, business management, environmental science, and mathematics...
and the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
The École des hautes études en sciences sociales is a leading French institution for research and higher education, a Grand Établissement. Its mission is research and research training in the social sciences, including the relationship these latter maintain with the natural and life sciences...
, and has been a visiting scholar 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...
and a member of the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton. His research interests include nationalism
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
and European
History of Europe
History of Europe describes the history of humans inhabiting the European continent since it was first populated in prehistoric times to present, with the first human settlement between 45,000 and 25,000 BC.-Overview:...
and global history
History of the world
The history of the world or human history is the history of humanity from the earliest times to the present, in all places on Earth, beginning with the Paleolithic Era. It excludes non-human natural history and geological history, except insofar as the natural world substantially affects human lives...
.
Kumar's publications include Prophecy and Progress: The Sociology of Industrial and Post-Industrial Society (Allen Lane, 1978), Utopia and Anti-Utopia in Modern Times (Basil Blackwell, 1987), The Rise of Modern Society: Aspects of the Social and Political Development of the West (Basil Blackwell, 1988), Utopianism (Open University Press, 1991), 1989: Revolutionary Ideas and Ideals (University of Minnesota Press, 2001) and The Making of English National Identity (Cambridge University Press, 2003). The latter was described by Bernard Crick
Bernard Crick
Sir Bernard Rowland Crick was a British political theorist and democratic socialist whose views were often summarised as "politics is ethics done in public"...
as a "scholarly masterpiece" and "the deepest and best reflection so far by a fine sociologist and an intellectual historian". His work on utopianism, meanwhile, "should...find an admired place in contemporary sociology", according to Frank Webster
Frank Webster
Frank Webster is a British sociologist. His critical writing on the "information society" has been translated into many languages. In his book Theories of the Information Society, he examined six analytically separable conceptions of the information society, arguing that all are suspect to some...
. Kumar has also published articles in academic journal
Academic journal
An academic journal is a peer-reviewed periodical in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research...
s, including Sociology
Sociology (journal)
Sociology is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by SAGE Publications on behalf of the British Sociological Association. The journal's editors-in-chief are Amanda Jane Coffey, Sally Power , Tom Hall , and Amanda Robinson...
, the European Journal of Political Research
European Journal of Political Research
The European Journal of Political Research is a major journal of European political science sponsored by the European Consortium for Political Research. In 2008 it was ranked by the Institute for Scientific Information 2nd out of 99 political science journals for its Impact Factor of 2.514It is...
, the European Journal of Sociology, Theory and Society, Political Studies
Political Studies (journal)
Political Studies is a peer-reviewed academic journal of political science established in 1953 and published quarterly by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Political Studies Association. The journal's approach is, according to its editors, not dominated by a particular methodological or theoretical...
, the British Journal of Sociology
British Journal of Sociology
The British Journal of Sociology is an academic journal, founded in 1950 at the London School of Economics. The main founders were the sociologists Morris Ginsberg and Thomas Humphrey Marshall. Their intended title, "The London Journal of Sociology", seems to have been changed by the publisher...
, the European Journal of Social Theory and Nations and Nationalism
Nations and Nationalism
Nations and Nationalism is an interdisciplinary academic journal covering nationalism and related issues. It is published quarterly on behalf of the Association for the Study of Ethnicity and Nationalism by Wiley-Blackwell. The journal is edited by Anthony D. Smith.- Aim :The first issue of Nations...
.
External links
- Krishan Kumar's homepage at the University of Virginia