Stephen Ellis (historian) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Stephen Ellis
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Stephen Ellis as he took up the Desmond Tutu Chair at the Vrije Universiteit in 2010
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Stephen Ellis
13 June 1953 Nottingham, England
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| Died | 29 July 2015 (aged 62) Amsterdam, Netherlands
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| Nationality | British |
| Education | Ph.D., University of Oxford (1981) |
| Occupation | Historian |
Stephen Ellis (born June 13, 1953 – died July 29, 2015) was a British historian. He studied Africa and its history. His work mainly focused on countries in West Africa and South Africa after they gained independence.
Stephen Ellis was also an editor for important magazines like Africa Confidential and African Affairs. He worked as a senior researcher at the African Studies Centre Leiden and was a professor at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
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Stephen Ellis's Life and Work
Stephen Ellis was born in Nottingham, England, on June 13, 1953. When he was 18, he volunteered as a secondary school teacher. He taught in Douala, a city in Cameroon, Africa.
After returning to England, he studied modern history at the University of Oxford. He earned his highest degree, a doctorate, in 1981. In 1979 and 1980, he taught at the University of Madagascar. He also did research there for his doctoral paper.
Parts of his paper became his first book, Rising of the Red Shawls (1985). This book was about a rebellion in colonial Madagascar. From 1982 to 1986, he worked for Amnesty International in London. This group works to protect human rights around the world.
After that, Stephen Ellis was the editor of the Africa Confidential newsletter. He held this job for five years, from 1986 to 1991.
Work in the Netherlands and South Africa
From 1991 to 1994, Ellis was the General Secretary and then Director of the African Studies Centre Leiden. This center is in the Netherlands. He continued to be a senior researcher there until he passed away.
After 1994, he worked for the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This led to his next book, Africa Now (1996). From 1997 to 1998, he was a researcher for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa. This commission helped the country heal after the time of Apartheid.
In 1998, he became the editor of African Affairs. This is a journal from the British Royal African Society. He stayed in this role until 2006. In 1999, he wrote a book with others called The Criminalization of the State in Africa. This book looked at how private businesses and old ways of giving out favors mixed in Africa after colonial rule.
Later Career and Achievements
From 2003 to 2004, Stephen Ellis directed the Africa program for the International Crisis Group. This group works to prevent conflicts around the world. He helped them report more on Nigeria and South Africa.
In 2008, he was asked to be an expert witness in the trial of Liberian President Charles Taylor. This trial happened at the Special Court for Sierra Leone in The Hague. He also gave expert information to the Sierra Leonean Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
In the same year, he became the Desmond Tutu Professor at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. He worked there until his death. In 2013, Ellis won the Recht Malan Prize. He received it for his book External Mission: The ANC in Exile (2012). This book was about the African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa. The ANC is a political party that fought against Apartheid.
Stephen Ellis was married to Gerrie ter Haar, who also studied Africa. He passed away on July 29, 2015, at his home in Amsterdam. He had been diagnosed with Leukemia three years earlier. His last book, This Present Darkness (2016), was published after he died. It explored the history of groups involved in illegal activities in Nigeria. In 2019, his professional papers were given to the African Studies Centre in Leiden.
Selected Publications
- The Rising of the Red Shawls: A Revolt in Madagascar, 1895–1899. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985. ISBN: 0-521-26287-9.
- Un complot colonial à Madagascar: l'affaire Rainandriamampandry (in French). Karthala Editions. 1990. ISBN: 978-2-86537-160-0.
- Comrades Against Apartheid: The ANC and the South African Communist Party in Exile (with Tsepo Sechaba). London: James Currey. 1992. ISBN: 0-253-31838-6.
- Africa Now: People, Policies and Institutions. The Hague: Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 1996. ISBN: 0-435-08987-0.
- The Criminalization of the State in Africa (with Jean-François Bayart and Béatrice Hibou). London: James Currey. 1999. ISBN: 978-0-253-21286-3.
- The Mask of Anarchy: The Destruction of Liberia and the Religious Dimension of an African Civil War. London: Hurst & Company. 2001. ISBN: 978-0-8147-2238-1.
- Worlds of Power: Religious Thought and Political Practice in Africa (with Gerrie ter Haar). New York: Oxford University Press. 2004. ISBN: 0-19-522016-1.
- "West Africa's International ...". African Affairs. 108 (431): 171–196. 2009. ISSN 0001-9909.
- Season of Rains: Africa in the World (2012). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN: 978-1-84904-180-5.
- External Mission: The ANC in Exile, 1960–1990. London: Hurst & Company. 2012. ISBN: 978 1 84904 262 8.
- This Present Darkness: A History of Nigerian Organised Crime. London: Hurst & Company. 2016. ISBN: 978-1-84904-630-5.
- Charlatans, Spirits and Rebels in Africa: The Stephen Ellis Reader. London: Hurst & Company. 2020. ISBN: 978-1-78738-853-6.
See also
