Eric Hobsbawn

Eric Hobsbawn

He was born an Egyptian in the year 1917 which was immediately after the first world war, however he never lived in Egypt and had to migrate to Germany w here he stayed with an aunt after the death of his parents , at a mere age of thirteen. He had again to migrate to Britain after Hitler’s ascension to power that is in the year 1933. It is when here that he enrolled in King’s College constituent of Cambridge University to pursue history. This saw him develop much interest of the communist party, which he joined when in college.

He proceeded to form a communist party historians group with a few of his friends that is in the year 1947, few years after the second world war. In the year 1952 together with the members of the communist’s party they authored a journal; Past and Present which mainly wrote on the history of the working class.

Through out his life he devoted his efforts in making Communism a system of choice this was despite the opposition the party faced especially after the rebellions that took place in Hungary and Schecslovakia. He believed this was the way to bring forth better nations and to demonstrate the strength of his believe he says “…in a period where mass murder and suffering are universal the chance of having a new world amid suffering was worthy to be backed” this was in response to the question whether he would justify the loss of 20 million people in the name of fighting for communism. (Eric 1996).

Benedict Anderson

He was born in China in the year 1936, but was brought up in California and Ireland. He attended Cambridge University and was at some point a student of Eric Hobsbawn, here he pursued Classics and later on pursued his PhD in Cornell University, his research based on Indonesia its around this time that then leader Suharto thwarted attempts by the communists to

Eric Hobsbawn

overthrow his government .

It is this interest in the Asian affairs that led him to write t he book Imagined Communities which was an analysis of importance political bonds to national politics. This was a theory with which he explained through several quotations that are derived from his wider research all of which is written on the book, he says the nation is imagined “…as limited… it is imagined as sovereign and finally imagined… as sovereign.”. He says it is imagined because “…even the members of the smallest of countries do not know their fellow country men yet in their minds they have the images of the communion” (Anderson, 1991).

Robert Murphy

Was a renowned anthropologist born in the year 1924 and passed on in the year 1990, a time he was anthropology professor at University of Columbia.

His research of about 30 years before his death was concentrated in the life of the Mundurucu inhabitants of the Amazon and the Tuareg who inhabit the Sahara; it is the Tuareg that prompted his writing of the book “Social Distance and the Veil” in the year 1964.

The book was mainly based on the study of the patrilocal residence patterns as well as the highly matrilineal society of the Tuaregs. The book also includes information on the conspicuous veiling behaviour of the Tuaregs and especially the men. (Alfonso 1991).

Eric Hobsbawn

References

Alfonso, A Narvez, Robert F. Murphy, 66, Professor of Anthropology and an Author New York Times. October 11 Issue 1990.

Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism Revised edition. New York, Verso 1991.

Eric Hobsbawn, Interesting Times: A Twentieth- Century Life, New York Kindle edition 1996.