CURRICULUM VITAE
William Richard Nasson (Bill Nasson)
Date and Place of Birth 28 May 1952,Cape Town,South Africa
Nationality South African
Present Position Professor of History, University of Stellenbosch
Contact Details
Department of History, Room 319, Wilcocks Building, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Postal address Private Bag X1 Matieland 7602
Tel. 021 808 2889 (direct line) 021 808 2177 (History Office) Fax. 021 808 2389
Education
South Africa:LivingstoneHigh School, Claremont, Cape Town 1966-70; South African Committee for Higher Education (SACHED), Mowbray, Cape Town 1971-73 (University of London Overseas GCE A Levels)
United Kingdom: University of Hull 1973-76; University of York 1976-77; Gonville and CaiusCollege, University of Cambridge 1978-82.
University Qualifications
BA Hons (Joint First Class Honours in English and History) Hull 1976
MA (Southern African Studies) York 1978
PhD in History (Cantab, 1983)
Undergraduate Academic Prizes
University of Hull Kingsley Prize for History 2nd Year and Kingsley Prize for History 3rd Year (1975-76); University of Hull Pollard Prize for English Literature 3rd Year (1976)
Scholarships, Study and Research Awards
SACHED Trust A-Levels Bursary 1971-72; Hull University Union Southern African Scholarship 1973-76; Postgraduate Scholarship, Africa Educational Trust, London 1976-77; Sundry Grant, ErnestOppenheimer Memorial Trust, Johannesburg, 1976-77; Gonville Research Studentship, Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge 1978-81; Research Travel Grant, Smuts Memorial Fund for Commonwealth Studies, University of Cambridge 1979; Various University of Cape Town Research Committee grants, Mellon Foundation staff awards, Merit Awards, and HSRC or CSD research awards, Ford Foundation Research Grant, as individual grants or in collaborative enterprise (e.g., UCT Western Cape Oral History Project, Centre for Popular Memory 1990-2002; UNESCO/Encyclopaedia of Life Support Systems Research Support Grant 2000-2002, NRF Rated Researcher Incentive Grant 2007-, etc.
National Research Rating
National Research Foundation (Historical Studies) 2006: A
University of Cape Town Academic Staff Honours
University Book Award 1993 (Abraham Esau’s War)
Distinguished Teacher Award 1999
University Fellowship 2000
University Book Award 2007 (Britannia’s Empire)
Fellowships and Visiting Appointments
Visiting Fellow, Southern African Research Program and Department of History, Yale University 1984; History Fellow, October Humanities Seminar, Aspen Institute, University of Maryland 1989; South African Faculty Fellow and Visiting Associate Professor in African History, University of Illinois 1990-91; Visiting Lecturer in African Studies, Stanford University 1991; Smuts Visitor, University of Cambridge and Visiting Fellow, Clare Hall, Cambridge 1994; Life Member, Clare Hall, Cambridge 1995; Visiting Fellow, Australian National University 1994; Oppenheimer Research Visitor, Queen Elizabeth House, University of Oxford, 1996; Principal’s International Visitor, Queen’s University, Canada 2002; STIAS Research Fellowship, Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (August 2008; January 2009); Awarded Leverhulme VisitingProfessorship, University of Kent at Canterbury 2009.
Employment Record
Non-Academic:
Factory worker, Cape Town 1972-73; seasonal agricultural worker, Norway 1974-76; refugee scholarships administrator and student welfare counsellor, World University Service, London 1977.
Academic:
1. Research Assistant, Faculty of History, University of Cambridge 1980-81. Duties: Archivist on First World War Demography Project; Research Assistant on J.M. Winter, The Great War and the British People (Macmillan, London, 1986)
2. Ford Foundation Research Assistant, Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU), School of Economics, UCT 1982-84. Duties: Education researcher on Second Carnegie Inquiry into Poverty and Development in Southern Africa; Secretary and Member of Carnegie Working Party on Education and Poverty; editing and production of SALDRU Policy Papers; conference organisation and administration
3. Teaching Assistant, Department of History, UCT 1984. Duties: Undergraduate lecturing and tutoring
4. Research Officer, Western CapeOral History Project, Department of History, UCT 1985-86. Duties: oral history life stories research and project administration; occasional history course teaching; extra-mural lectures/presentations on oral history
5. Lecturer and Senior Lecturer, Department of Economic History, UCT 1986-91. Duties: Undergraduate course convening, lecturing, tutoring and seminar teaching; Honours level teaching; supervision of Hons. dissertations and MA dissertations
6. Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor and Professor, Department of History/Historical Studies, UCT 1992 to 2009 Past duties: Undergraduate course convening, lecturing and tutoring in both History and Economic History Degree Majors; research project supervision; Honours/MA seminar course teaching; MPhil History and Education seminar teaching and dissertation supervision; supervision of sundry Hons. dissertations, MA and PhD dissertations. No. of completed PhDs: 10
7. King George V Professor of History, University of Cape Town, 2008-2009
8. Professor, Department of History, University of Stellenbosch, 2009 –
Other teaching and supervision
SACHED, Cape Town 1982-85 Adult education history tutor; Department of History, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 1990-91 - undergraduate course convenor and lecturer, South African and African history; Center for African Studies, Stanford University 1991 - seminar teaching of Southern African
politics and history classes. External PhD student field research supervision - Universities of Leiden, Yale, Stanford, Cambridge, London, Wisconsin, Western Australia, 1985 - 2007
External Examiner Appointments
Department of Political Studies, University of the Witwatersrand 1988-92 and 2001-2002
Department of History and Faculty of Education, University of the Western Cape1987-90 and 1992-94
Department of Economic History, University of Zimbabwe 1996-2002
Faculty of Social Studies and Humanities, University of Mauritius 2003-2005
Faculty of Military Science, University of Stellenbosch 2007
Faculty of Social Studies and Humanities, University of Mauritius 2009 (History & Political Science), 2010-11 (History)
External MA and PhD dissertation examining:University of South Africa, University of the Western Cape, University of the Witwatersrand, University of Natal, Rhodes University, University of Zimbabwe,
University of Swaziland, University of Zambia, University of Cambridge, University of Stellenbosch
External professional evaluation
Tenure assessments: Amherst College, Massachusetts 1992; Dalhousie University 2004; staff promotion assessment: University of Swaziland 1999; University of Zimbabwe 2000; University of Zambia 2002; University of Durban-Westville 2003; Fellowship evaluation: La Trobe University 2006; Quality Review
assessor, History Program, Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University 1995; HSRC/CSD research grant proposals 1980s - 2000s; NRF history research ratings 2002, 2007, 2009; Member, NRF Assessment Panel for Historical Studies 2003-2005; staff promotion assessments, University of York 2008; University of Maine 2009
University administrative experience since 1980
Member, Working Group on 1983 White Paper on South African Education 1984
Board Member, Centre for African Studies 1986-93
Member, Africa Seminar Committee, Centre for African Studies 1986-90
Member, African Studies Library Collections Committee 1986-93
Member and Deputy Chair, Editorial Board/Publications Support Committee 1987-93
Member, Inter-Faculty Academic Disciplines Committee 1989-90
Visiting Committee Member, Center for African Studies, University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign 1990-91
Member, Publications Committee, Centre for African Studies 1991-94
Acting Head, Department of Economic History (several short stints 1988-91)
Member, Faculty of Arts Higher Degrees and Research Committee 1992-98
Acting Project Director, Western Cape Oral History Project (several cycles, 1990s - 2000)
Member, Academic Management Committee, Centre for Popular Memory 2000
Head, Department of History 1994-96
Head, Department of Historical Studies 1999-2001, 2005
Member, Senate Naming of Buildings Committee 2000 -
Member, Publications Award Committee 2005 -
Member, Research Fellowships Award Committee 2007
Member, Masters’ dissertation Examination Committee, GraduateSchool in Humanities 2005 -
Member, Dean’s Advisory Committee, Arts Faculty and Humanities Faculty, and
service on various other Faculty and University committees and sub-committees, such as Staffing Committee, Postgraduate Programmes, Committees of Review, Selection Committees, Academic Board of Graduate School of Humanities, Humanities Faculty Merit and Ad Hominem Promotions Committee, URC Conference Travel Committee, URC Stimulation Grant Funding Committee, External Panellist, Academic Review of Department of Political Studies (2004), officiating at Disciplinary Hearings, other humdrum committee chores, past and present.
Broader Academic and professional activity since 1985
Secretary, Western Cape Community Theatre and Oral History Project 1985-87
Education research consultant, Ford Foundation 1987-90
Member, SA Education Information Exchange, Institute for International Education, New York 1988-92
Member, Research Committee, Surplus People Project 1992-94
Membre Correspondant, Membre du Conseil Scientifique, Centre de Recherche,
de l’Historial de la Grande Guerre, Peronne-Somme, France 1991-96
Member, Research Committee, Project on Civil Society, University of the Witwatersrand 1993-96
Advisory Board Member, Schools History Project, OxfordUniversity Press Southern Africa 1993-94
Advisory Group Member, Schools History Curricular Project, CambridgeUniversity Press and University of the Witwatersrand History Workshop 1995-97
Trustee and Deputy Chair, Abraham Esau Memorial Trust 1992-97
Trustee, DistrictSixMuseum Foundation 1991-97
Chair, British War Graves and Burghergrafkommitee, National Monuments Council 1996-98
Chair, War Graves and Victims of Conflict Committee, NMC 1998-2000
Member, Western Cape Regional Committee and National Council Member, NMC 1996-2000
Overseas Delegate, British National Committee for the History of the Second World War 1996-98
Member, Ministerial History and Archaeology Panel, Department of Education 2000
Advisor, South African History Project, Department of Education 2001-2003
Member, International Co-ordinating Committee, British World Imperial History Conferences 2000-2005
Academic Advisor, HSRC South African History book project 2002-2004
Chair, Editorial Board, Turning Points Schools History Textbooks Project 1, Institute for Justice and Reconciliation and Department of Education 2003-2004
Exhibitions Advisor, Democracy X Project, IzikoMuseums, Cape Town 2003-2004
Chair, Editorial Board, Turning Points Schools History Project 2, Institute for Justice and Reconciliation 2005-2007
Member, Advisory Panel, Irish Research Council Thematic Project onInternational History of Concentration Camps 2007 - 2010
Board Member, Shikaya History Teaching Project 2008 -
Trustee, CastleMuseum Foundation 2009 -
Extra-mural and extension service lectures, addresses, conference/colloquium
organisation, radio, television documentary, film work etc., since 1990
Third World Forum, Illinois State University; Southern African Education Forum, Institute for International Education, New York; Gulf War Teaching Workshop, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - 1991; Abraham Esau Memorial Service, St George’s Cathedral, Cape Town - 1992; District Six Commemoration Weeks; Osibi National Africa Cultural Festival, Canberra - 1994; Co-organiser, Nuremberg 1946-96 Lecture Symposium, UCT - 1996; History lecturer, Holbrook Quaker Educational Tours USA-SA - 1995-2000; Co-contributor, Documentary history boards, Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town - 1990s; Organiser, History Department and Portuguese Consular commemorative anniversary exhibition and lecture symposium on the 1974 Portuguese Revolution - 1999; Guest speaker, various book launches and exhibition openings - 1990s - 2007; Anglo-Boer War Commemorative Lecture, University of Stellenbosch - 1999; Organiser, The British World II, international imperial history conference, Department of Historical Studies, UCT - 2002; speech-writer (history and education themes) for Minister of Education, Professor Kader Asmal - 2000-2003; organiser, Contributors’ Workshop, The Cambridge History of South Africa - 2002; History Panellist, ‘Wie Vertel my Verlede ?’, Stellenbosch Woordfees - 2007; Facilitator, Public Symposium on ‘Engaging Past Injustice Today’, Heinrich Boll Foundation/Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, Cape Town - 2007; Shikaya History Updated DVD series; 2007; UCT Summer School lecturer, 2008; SAMHS Lectures, 2008 ; Ship Society of SA, 2008; Oxford and Cambridge Society, 2008; Cape Town Historical Society, 2009
Radio interviews and panel discussions
National Public Radio USA; BBC World Service; Australian Broadcasting Corporation; BBC Radio Cambridgeshire; SABC Radio; Cape Talk Radio; BBC London Radio 4: historical consultant and interviewee on 1999 radio documentary history of the Anglo-Boer War; Cape Talk Radio Book Programmes; BBC World Service Anglo-Boer War Centenary history panellist; Austrian National Radio;Radio Netherlands
Television and film
Episode consultant and on-screen narrator (‘Total War’, episode 3), The Great War and the Making of the Twentieth-Century, BBC 8-part history of the First World War 1996; on-screen narrator, Nationhood and the Somme, Polish National TV 1996; Historical consultant, Channel 4/Twenty-Twenty documentary history of the Boer War 1997-99; on-screen contributor, SABC 3 South African War 1899-1902 documentary 1999; on-screen contributor, J.H. Serfontein SABC 2 documentary on South African War 1999-2000; on-screen contributor, Anthony Irving SABC 3 documentary, Empire and Eclipse: The South African War 1999; SABC 3 Newsnight on-screen contributor, The South African War 1999; on-screen contributor, Scorched Earth, M-Net South African War history documentary 2001; on-screen contributor, The South African War, Turning Points in History Series, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation 2002;
Historical consultant, script advisor and House of Commons character acting appearance, The Deal (historical comedy feature film with William H. Macy and Meg Ryan) 2007; Historical consultant, Feast of theUninvited (M-Net historical drama series on Anglo-Boer War), 2007 - 2008; Consultant, episode lecturer
and series narrator, Shikaya History Updated DVD series
Membership of learned associations
Southern African Historical Society; The Second World War Experience Centre (U.K.); Council Member, The Van Riebeeck Society for the Publication of South African Historical Documents (2005 - 2007); The Peter Cook Appreciation Society (UK); South African Military History Society; Ship Society of Southern
Africa
Academic Journal Service
Board Member and Co-Editor, Social Dynamics 1986-89
Consultant Editor, Perspectives in Education 1987-94
Editorial Board Member, South African Historical Journal, 1994-97
Editorial Board Member, Kronos: Journal of CapeHistory 1994-97
South African Contributing Co-Editor, The Journal of American History 1993-2000
Associate International Editor, Memory and Narrative 1997-2005
Editorial Board Member, The Journal of African History 1995-97
Co-Editor, The Journal of African History 1998-2003
Editorial Board Member, The Journal of African History 2004 -2009
Manuscript reader work since 1980
A. Publishers: Longman, James Currey, Cambridge University Press (Cambridge & New York), UNISA Press, Witwatersrand University Press, Natal University Press, Ravan Press, CSD Publishing, Basler Afrika Bibliographien, UCT Press, Blackwell, Routledge, David Philip, Frank Cass, Heinemann, Indiana University Press, Manchester University Press, New Africa Books, Tafelberg Books, Oxford University Press, Greenwood, HSRC Press;
B. Journals:African Affairs, Journal of African History, Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History, Journal of American History, International Journal of African Historical Studies, History of Intellectual Culture, Social History of Medicine, War and Society, Journal of Military History, Comparative Studies in
Society and History, Journal of Contemporary History, Cahiers D’Etudes Africaines, Social Dynamics, South African Historical Journal, Society in Transition, Kronos, Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies, Bulletin de la Centre du Recherche: de l’Historial de la Grande Guerre; Perspectives in Education; History Compass
Book Editorial Work
Advisory Editor, D. Johnson and P. Proddar (eds.), A Historical Companion toPostcolonial Literatures in English (EdinburghUniversity Press, Edinburgh, 2005)
Series Editor, Turning Points in History, Books 1-6, South African history education series (STE Publishing, Pretoria, 2004, 2007): recipient of the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education, 2008
Historical Advisor/Author of Foreword, Every Step of the Way: The Journey to Freedom in South Africa (HSRC Press, Cape Town, 2004)
Co-Editor, with R. Ross et. al., The Cambridge History of South Africa, 2 vols. (in progress)
Series Editor, Turning Points in History: Series II Human Rights (forthcoming 2009)
Advisory Editor, T. Jacques, Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: From Antiquity to the Twenty-First Century, 3 vols. (Greenwood, Westport CT, 2007)
Visiting Seminar presentations since 1990
Universities of Illinois, Stanford, Indiana, London, Oxford, Cambridge, Newcastle upon Tyne, Miami, Ohio, New South Wales, Witwatersrand, Pittsburgh, Hull, Zimbabwe, Australian National University, Queen’s (Ontario), McGill
VisitingUniversity lectures since 1990
Habari series, Center for African Studies, University of Illinois; History Colloquium, College of Liberal Artsand Sciences, University of Illinois; Africa Studies Lecture, Stanford University; Third World Focus Lecture, Center for International Studies, Stanford University; Clare Hall History Lecture, Cambridge, Queen’s University; University of Linz, The 2001 Turner Lecture; Saldanha Bay Military Academy, University of Stellenbosch
Academic Conferences since 1990 - by personal invitation
Conference on South African Higher Education in Transition, Institute for International Education, New York: paper contributor 1991
Conference on Political Reform and Democratization in South Africa, IndianaUniversity, Bloomington: paper contributor and panel discussant 1991
Workshop on the History of Cape Town, UCT: panel chair and discussant 1991
Colloque International, la Guerre et la Memoire de la Guerre, de l’Historial de la Grande Guerre, Peronne-Somme, France: paper contributor 1992
Project on Civil Society Workshop, University of the Witwatersrand: panel discussant 1993
Colloque International, Les Entrees en Guerre de 1914, de l’Historial de la Grande Guerre, Somme: paper contributor and round-table discussant 1994
K.S. Inglis Festschrift Symposium on Varieties of Modern History, AustralianNationalUniversity, Canberra: paper contributor 1994
Journal of American History Workshop on Comparative and International History, IndianaUniversity: round-table discussant 1996
Colloque International, la Bataille de la Somme dans la Grande Guerre, de l’Historial de la Grande Guerre, Somme: paper contributor 1996
Conference on The Commonwealth Experience in the Second World War, St Antony’s College, Oxford: South African panel organiser and paper contributor 1998
Conference on The British World: Diaspora, Culture and Identity since c.1880, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London: paper contributor 1998
Conference on Rethinking the South African War 1899-1902, University of South Africa: keynote opening address and panel chair 1998
Anglo-Boer War Exhibition Conference, National Monuments Council and McGregorMuseum, Kimberley: opening lecture 1999
Chief of Staff, Australian Army Annual History Conference on The Boer War: Army, Nation and Empire, University of New South Wales and Australian War Memorial, Canberra: keynote opening address 1999
Conference on The Boer War: Experience, Image and Direction, University of Leeds: paper contributor and panellist 1999
Historiese Studiedag op Den Anglo-Boerenoorlog vanuit Hedendags Perspectiefen, Nederlands-Zuid-Afrikaanse Vereniging, Amsterdam, plenary lecture 1999
Conference on Jews in the South African War, Kaplan Centre, UCT: lecture 1999
Post-colonial Studies Symposium on Re-interpreting the South African War, University of Luton: keynote address 2000