Shepperson, George

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George Shepperson was born in Peterborough, England in 1922. After studying history and English at Cambridge University, he was seconded as an officer to the King's African Rifles during the Second World War. Serving alongside African soldiers in Burma, he became interested in examining how war and slavery forged the African Diaspora. While stationed in East Africa, he became interested in how African communities were incorporated into the British Empire. These experiences bolstered his lifelong commitment to the study of Africa and its Diaspora. Upon his return to the United Kingdom in 1948, Shepperson was appointed Lecturer in Imperial and American History at Edinburgh University. He was later awarded the position of William Robertson Professor of Commonwealth and American History (1963-1986). Throughout his career he focused specifically on British Central Africa (1891-1907) and Nyasaland (which became the independent state of Malawi in 1964), and on nineteenth century African-American life.

Shepperson has held Visiting Professorships, Fellowships and Scholarships on both sides of the Atlantic and in Africa itself. Shepperson is a noted authority on Dr. David Livingstone, John Chilembwe, and Frederick Douglass. His key works include Independent African: John Chilembwe (1958), detailing an important anti-colonial uprising in Nyasaland, and David Livingstone and the Rovuma (1964), an account of Livingstone's troubled exploration of this tributary of the Zambezi River. These monographs, alongside his many contributions to edited volumes and journals, are regarded as seminal. In an edited volume entitled The Emergence of African History at British Universities: An Autobiographical Approach (1995, edited by Anthony Kirk-Greene), Shepperson provides an account of his life as an Africanist historian.

From the description of George Shepperson Collection, 1852-1989 (bulk 1940-1986). (University of Florida). WorldCat record id: 86082865

George Shepperson was born in Peterborough, England in 1922. After studying history and English at Cambridge University, he was seconded as an officer to the King's African Rifles during the Second World War. Serving alongside African soldiers in Burma, he became interested in examining how war and slavery forged the African Diaspora. While stationed in East Africa, he became interested in how African communities were incorporated into the British Empire. These experiences bolstered his lifelong commitment to the study of Africa and its Diaspora.

Upon his return to the United Kingdom in 1948, Shepperson was appointed Lecturer in Imperial and American History at Edinburgh University. He was later awarded the position of William Robertson Professor of Commonwealth and American History (1963-1986). Throughout his career he focused specifically on British Central Africa (1891-1907) and Nyasaland (which became the independent state of Malawi in 1964), and on nineteenth century African-American life.

Shepperson is recognized as one of the founders of African, African Diaspora, and African American studies in Britain. He conducted pioneering studies of the relationships created among North America, Great Britain, and Africa through evangelism, war, and imperialism. Apart from training a new cohort of scholars who would become experts on these topics, he also secured the preservation of a number of important archival sources for future generations of historians.

Shepperson has held Visiting Professorships, Fellowships and Scholarships on both sides of the Atlantic and in Africa itself. Shepperson is a noted authority on Dr. David Livingstone, John Chilembwe, and Frederick Douglass. His key works include Independent African: John Chilembwe (1958), detailing an important anti-colonial uprising in Nyasaland, and David Livingstone and the Rovuma (1964), an account of Livingstone's troubled exploration of this tributary of the Zambezi River. These monographs, alongside his many contributions to edited volumes and journals, are regarded as seminal. In an edited volume entitled The Emergence of African History at British Universities: An Autobiographical Approach (1995, edited by Anthony Kirk-Greene), Shepperson provides an account of his life as an Africanist historian.

From the guide to the George Shepperson Collection, 1852-1989, 1931-1989, (Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf George Shepperson Collection, 1852-1989, 1931-1989 Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida
referencedIn H. K. Banda Archive, 1924-2005, bulk 1950-1997 IU Libraries African Studies Collection
creatorOf Anne Spencer Memorial Foundation, Inc. Anne Spencer Memorial Foundation, Inc. papers 1986-1992 1986-1992. Lynchburg Public Library
referencedIn Horace Mann Bond Papers, 1830-1979, 1926-1972 Special Collections and University Archives, UMass Amherst Libraries
referencedIn Cockerill, Walter B. Papers, 1902, 1911-1915, 1950-1964. Wisconsin Historical Society, Newspaper Project
referencedIn Wendell Holmes Stephenson Papers, 1820-1968 David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library
creatorOf Shepperson, George. George Shepperson Collection, 1852-1989 (bulk 1940-1986). University of Florida
referencedIn Autograph File, D, 1586-1975. Houghton Library
referencedIn Lorenzo Johnston Greene Papers, 1680-1988, (bulk 1933-1972) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn Lorenzo Johnston Greene papers, 1680-1988 Library of Congress. American Folklife Center
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Anne Spencer Memorial Foundation, Inc. corporateBody
associatedWith Bond, Horace Mann, 1904-1972 person
associatedWith Brody, Donald A. person
associatedWith Brody, Paula Rae person
associatedWith Cockerill, Walter B. person
correspondedWith Greene, Lorenzo J. (Lorenzo Johnston), 1899-1988. person
associatedWith Livingstone, David, 1813-1873. person
correspondedWith Stephenson, Wendell Holmes, 1899-1970 person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Africa, Southern
Subject
Africa, Southern
Occupation
Activity

Person

Birth 1922-01-07

Britons

English

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