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I was sad to hear of the death of the historian Eric Hobsbawm today. I have read a great deal of Hobsbawm's historical writing both as an undergraduate and in my research for my PhD. Hobsbawm lived a remarkable and long life. He was active in opposition to Hitler in the early 1930s and was influential in commenting upon latest political developments until the present day.
Hobsbawm's writings on the period since the French Revolution was hugely influential in the study of the period. I was always interested in his thoughts on identity and nationalism. His idea about the 'invention of tradition' certainly made its way into my thesis. In my article of St Patrick's Day in nineteenth-century Dundee I talked about the invention of a national identity in the context of an immigrant community an idea which is largely developed from Hobsbawm's work. On my way back from a meeting in Edinburgh this evening I listened to a really interesting programme on Radio 4 about him, the programme was made earlier this year and is well-worth listening to.
Hobsbawm was a life-long communist and this influenced his work and he was clearly influenced by the age in which he lived in. Whilst I don't share Hobsbawm's politics I did admire his commitment to social justice. At the end of his autobiography, which is a fascinating read, he states, 'Social injustice still needs to be denounced and fought. The world will not get better on its own.' I can certainly agree with these words.
Hobsbawm's writings on the period since the French Revolution was hugely influential in the study of the period. I was always interested in his thoughts on identity and nationalism. His idea about the 'invention of tradition' certainly made its way into my thesis. In my article of St Patrick's Day in nineteenth-century Dundee I talked about the invention of a national identity in the context of an immigrant community an idea which is largely developed from Hobsbawm's work. On my way back from a meeting in Edinburgh this evening I listened to a really interesting programme on Radio 4 about him, the programme was made earlier this year and is well-worth listening to.
Hobsbawm was a life-long communist and this influenced his work and he was clearly influenced by the age in which he lived in. Whilst I don't share Hobsbawm's politics I did admire his commitment to social justice. At the end of his autobiography, which is a fascinating read, he states, 'Social injustice still needs to be denounced and fought. The world will not get better on its own.' I can certainly agree with these words.
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