George Shepperson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
George Shepperson
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| Born |
George Albert Shepperson
7 January 1922 Peterborough, United Kingdom
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| Died | 2 April 2020 (aged 98) Peterborough, United Kingdom
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| Alma mater | St John's College, Cambridge |
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Notable work
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Independent African: John Chilembwe and the Origins, Setting and Significance of the Nyasaland Native Rising 1915 (1958) |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | University of Edinburgh |
George "Sam" Albert Shepperson (born January 7, 1922 – died April 2, 2020) was an important British historian. He was especially known for his work on the history of Malawi and African Americans. He was a professor of history at the University of Edinburgh from 1963 to 1986. In 1989, he was given the CBE award for his contributions.
Early Life and Studies
George "Sam" Shepperson was born in Peterborough, England, in 1922. His father worked as a fitter. George went to the King’s School, Peterborough. Later, he studied History and English at St John's College, Cambridge.
After his studies, he joined the army in 1943. He served in the King's African Rifles in places like Kenya, Tanganyika, Ceylon, India, and Burma. During his time in East Africa, he became very interested in the history of the British Empire and Africa.
Teaching and Research
In 1948, Shepperson began teaching history at the University of Edinburgh. He became a full professor there in 1963 and retired in 1986. He also taught as a visiting professor at several universities around the world. These included Roosevelt University and the University of Chicago in the United States, and Makerere University in Africa.
Shepperson was a pioneer in studying the African Diaspora. This term refers to the history of African people and how they spread across the world. In 2007, he received an award for being a "Distinguished Africanist." This award recognized his important work in African studies.
His main area of research was the history of Malawi. However, he also wrote a lot about African-American history. He even chaired the British Association for American Studies for a few years. He also studied the history of black people in Scotland.
Many of his writings are considered very important. For example, his work on John Chilembwe and the Chilembwe uprising helped people understand these events better. His book, Independent African: John Chilembwe and the Origins, Setting and Significance of the Nyasaland Native Rising 1915 (published in 1958), was one of the first detailed books on African history. It was widely read by people who supported African nationalism (the idea of African countries governing themselves).
In 1989, he was awarded the CBE. This was for his role as chairman of the Scottish Committee of the Commonwealth Institute.
