Quentin Skinner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Quentin Skinner
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Professor Quentin Skinner by David Cobley (2011)
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Quentin Robert Duthie Skinner
26 November 1940 Oldham, England
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| Alma mater | Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge |
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Quentin Robert Duthie Skinner (born 26 November 1940) is a famous British historian. He studies intellectual history, which means he looks at how ideas and ways of thinking have changed over time. He is known for helping to start the Cambridge School, a special way of studying political ideas.
Professor Skinner has won many awards for his work. These include the Wolfson History Prize in 1979 and the Balzan Prize in 2006. From 1996 to 2008, he was the Regius Professor of History at the University of Cambridge. He is now an Emeritus Professor at Queen Mary University of London.
Contents
Quentin Skinner's Life Story
Quentin Skinner was born on 26 November 1940 in England. He was the second son of Alexander and Winifred Skinner. He went to Bedford School from a young age.
Like his older brother, he earned a scholarship to Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. He studied history there and graduated with top honors in 1962. After college, he became a teacher at Christ's College, Cambridge. He stayed there until 2008, when he moved to the University of London. He is now an honorary member of both Christ's College and Gonville and Caius College.
In 1965, Skinner became a lecturer in history at the University of Cambridge. He spent a year studying in Princeton, USA, from 1974 to 1975. He was asked to stay there, but he returned to Cambridge in 1979. He became a Professor of Political Science. In 1996, he was given the important title of Regius Professor of History. He also served as a pro-vice-chancellor of the university in 1999.
In 1979, he married Susan James, who is also a professor of philosophy. They have a daughter and a son, and four grandchildren.
Visiting Professor Roles
Professor Skinner has taught at many universities around the world. He has been a visiting professor in Australia, the United States, France, Belgium, and China. Some of these universities include Harvard University, Princeton University, and Peking University.
He has also given many important lecture series. These include the Tanner Lectures at Harvard and the Ford Lectures at Oxford.
Awards and Honors
Quentin Skinner became a Fellow of the British Academy in 1981. This is a very high honor for scholars in the UK. He is also a member of many other important academies in different countries. These include the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society.
Many universities have given him honorary degrees. These are special awards for his achievements. Some of these universities are Harvard University, University of Oxford, and the University of Chicago.
Besides the Wolfson History Prize and Balzan Prize, he also received the Sir Isaiah Berlin Prize in 2006.
How Quentin Skinner Studies History
Understanding Ideas and Texts
Quentin Skinner is known for his special way of studying the history of political ideas. This method is called the 'Cambridge School'. He believes that to understand old texts, you need to know what the writer was trying to do when they wrote it. It's not just about what the words mean.
He thinks that when people write, they are also doing something. For example, they might be trying to support an idea, criticize someone, or make something seem right. So, historians need to figure out the original purpose of a text. They need to see it as a response to other ideas or debates happening at that time.
This means looking at the text in its original setting. It also means studying less famous writers from the past. Their writings can help us understand the bigger debates that important texts were part of. Skinner sees texts as tools or weapons used to support or challenge social and political ideas.
Main Areas of Study
Professor Skinner's historical work mostly focuses on political thinking in early modern Europe. This period includes the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation. He has written books about famous thinkers like Niccolò Machiavelli and Thomas Hobbes.
He is especially interested in how modern ideas about the state came to be. He also studies debates about what political liberty means. His book The Foundations of Modern Political Thought covers this whole period.
Other Interesting Facts
Quentin Skinner was once a member of the Cambridge Apostles. This was a secret debating society at Cambridge University. He mentioned this in an interview.
His book, Foundations of Modern Political Thought, was named one of 'The 100 Most Influential Books since World War II' by The Times Literary Supplement in 1995.
In 2009, it was reported that Professor Skinner had turned down a knighthood. A knighthood is a special honor given by the British monarch. He refused it because he believes in republicanism, which means he prefers a system without a monarch.
The "Quentin Skinner Fellowship" was created at the University of Cambridge in 2009. This fellowship allows scholars to visit and study at the university. It also includes a special lecture named after him.
Main Books by Quentin Skinner
- The Foundations of Modern Political Thought: Volume I: The Renaissance, Cambridge University Press, 1978.
- The Foundations of Modern Political Thought: Volume II: The Age of Reformation, Cambridge University Press, 1978.
- Machiavelli, Oxford University Press, 1981. (Later updated as Machiavelli: A Very Short Introduction)
- Reason and Rhetoric in the Philosophy of Hobbes, Cambridge University Press, 1996.
- Liberty before Liberalism, Cambridge University Press, 1998.
- Visions of Politics: Volume I: Regarding Method, Cambridge University Press, 2002.
- Visions of Politics: Volume II: Renaissance Virtues, Cambridge University Press, 2002.
- Visions of Politics: Volume III: Hobbes and Civil Science, Cambridge University Press, 2002.
- L’artiste en philosophie politique, Editions de Seuil, Paris, 2003.
- Hobbes and Republican Liberty, Cambridge University Press, 2008.
- La verité et l’historien, Editions EHESS, Paris, 2011.
- Die drei Körper des Staates, Wallstein, Göttingen, 2012.
- Forensic Shakespeare, Oxford University Press, 2014.
- From Humanism to Hobbes: Studies in Rhetoric and Politics, Cambridge University Press, 2018.
See also
In Spanish: Quentin Skinner para niños
