Stuart Woolf (1936–2021)

ABTSRACT

Born in London in 1936, Stuart completed his university studies at Oxford, where he graduated in History in 1956 and obtained his PhD in 1961. From 1961 to 1965 he was a Fellow of Pembroke College in Cambridge, and from 1964 to 1974 was first Reader in Italian History and then Director of the Centre for Advanced Study of Italian Society at the University of Reading. In 1975 he became founding Professor of History at the University of Essex, a position he held until 1996. From 1983 to 1992 he also taught at the European University Institute in San Domenico di Fiesole. His teaching activity took him to numerous universities in France, Spain, Portugal, the United States and Australia. From 1996 until his retirement, he was Professor of Contemporary History at the “Ca ‘Foscari” University in Venice.

Riassunto

Nato a Londra nel 1936, Stuart Woolf completò gli studi universitari a Oxford, dove si laureò in Storia nel 1956 e ottenne il dottorato di ricerca nel 1961. Dal 1961 al 1965 è stato Fellow del Pembroke College di Cambridge, e dal 1964 al 1974 è stato prima Lettore di Storia Italiana e poi Direttore del Centre for Advanced Study of Italian Society presso l’Università di Reading. Nel 1975 divenne professore fondatore di Storia all’Università dell’Essex, posizione che mantenne fino al 1996. Dal 1983 al 1992 ha insegnato anche presso l’Istituto Universitario Europeo (San Domenico di Fiesole). La sua attività didattica lo ha portato in numerose università in Francia, Spagna, Portogallo, Stati Uniti e Australia. Dal 1996 fino al pensionamento è stato Professore Ordinario di Storia Contemporanea presso l’Università “Ca’ Foscari” di Venezia.

KEYWORDS:

• Modern Italy
• Napoleon
• Primo Levi
• history
• politics
• society
• historiography

PAROLE CHIAVE:

• Italia moderna
• contemporanea
• Napoleone
• Primo Levi
• storia
• storiografia
• politica
• società

Acknowledgements

My thanks to Paul Corner and Axel Körner for their comments on an earlier draft of this essay and to Simonetta Soldani for permission to cite from her tribute ‘Il Risorgimento di Stuart Woolf’ (Venice, 14 February 2022).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflicts of interest are reported by the authors(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

John A. Davis

John A Davis is Editor in Chief of the JMIS, Professor Emeritus, University of Connecticut and author of many publications on modern Italy. From 1984 to 1985 he was a Jean Monet Fellow at the E.U.I.