Eric Van Young facts for kids
Eric Van Young is a well-known American historian. He is a top professor of history at the University of California, San Diego. Professor Van Young studies the history of Mexico, especially its colonial period and the 1800s. He writes a lot about how society, economy, and politics worked back then.
One of his most famous books is The Other Rebellion. It came out in 2001. This book talks about the Mexican fight for independence from 1810 to 1821. It won a big award from the Conference on Latin American History. He also won an award in 1989 for his article "The Islands in the Storm." This article looked at how different parts of Mexico reacted during the independence era. Eric Van Young has also studied large farms called haciendas and the history of country life.
Early Life and Education
Eric Van Young was born in the United States. He went to the University of Chicago and earned his first degree in 1967. Later, he continued his studies at the University of California, Berkeley. He finished his doctorate degree in 1978. His main teacher and guide there was Woodrow Borah.
Teaching Career and Research
Eric Van Young taught at a few universities early in his career. These included the University of Minnesota and the University of Texas at Austin. In 1982, he joined the University of California, San Diego. He has been there ever since.
At UC San Diego, he led the History Department for a time. He also served as the interim Dean for the Arts and Humanities Division. In 2011, he received a special award called a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship. This award helped him work on a project about Lucas Alamán. Alamán was an important figure who helped start Mexico's conservative political party after the country gained independence in 1821.
Awards and Recognition
Eric Van Young has received several important awards for his work:
- In 2017, he received the Distinguished Service Award from the Conference on Latin American History.
- He served as the President of the Conference on Latin American History in 1992.
- His book, The Other Rebellion, won the Bolton/Johnson Prize in 2002. This prize is given by the Conference on Latin American History for the best book in English.
