Sir James Chadwick Dunkerley (born 15 August 1953) OBE is Professor of Politics at

Queen Mary, University of London , mottoeng = With united powers , established = 1785 – The London Hospital Medical College1843 – St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College1882 – Westfield College1887 – East London College/Queen Mary College , type = Public researc ...

, and the former Director of the

Institute for the Study of the Americas The Institute for the Study of the Americas (ISA) was established in 2004 following a merger of the Institute of Latin American Studies and the Institute of United States Studies. ISA formed part of the University of London’s School of Advanced ...

and the

Institute of Latin American Studies The Institute of Latin American Studies (ILAS) was one of nine research institutes that comprised the School of Advanced Study at the University of London. It was located in the landmarked Senate House building in Bloomsbury, central London. F ...

of the University of London. He has written extensively on

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

, and elsewhere in

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

and was the editor of the

Journal of Latin American Studies The ''Journal of Latin American Studies'', established in 1969, is a Peer review, peer-reviewed academic journal published by Cambridge University Press. The Institute of Latin American Studies of the University of London houses the journal's edit ...

. Further, he has been on the editorial boards of

Government and Opposition ''Government and Opposition'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal on politics. It was published by Wiley-Blackwell until 2013, when it switched to Cambridge University Press. The journal was established in 1965 and the editors-in-chief ...

and ''Norteamérica''. He has served as

Andrés Bello Andrés de Jesús María y José Bello López (; November 29, 1781 – October 15, 1865) was a Venezuelan- Chilean humanist, diplomat, poet, legislator, philosopher, educator and philologist, whose political and literary works constitute an ...

Professor of Latin American Culture and Civilization at New York University and is a Fellow of the Academy Social Sciences and the

Royal Historical Society The Royal Historical Society, founded in 1868, is a learned society of the United Kingdom which advances scholarly studies of history. Origins The society was founded and received its royal charter in 1868. Until 1872 it was known as the Histori ...

. Dunkerley was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) in the 2010 Birthday Honours.

Early life and education

James Dunkerley was born in

Wokingham Wokingham is a market town in Berkshire, England, west of London, southeast of Reading, north of Camberley and west of Bracknell. History Wokingham means 'Wocca's people's home'. Wocca was apparently a Saxon chieftain who may als ...

and spent his early education at

Abingdon School Abingdon School is a day and boarding independent school for boys in Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England. The twentieth oldest independent British school, it celebrated its 750th anniversary in 2006. The school was described as "highly ...

, a boarding school outside of

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. He then went on to study Modern History at the

University of York , mottoeng = On the threshold of wisdom , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £8.0 million , budget = £403.6 million , chancellor = Heather Melville , vice_chancellor = Charlie Jeffery , students ...

between 1971 and 1974. Upon counseling by his professor and mentor Gwyn Alf Williams, Dunkerley pursued an

MPhil The Master of Philosophy (MPhil; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. In the United States, an MPhil typically includes a taught portion and a significant research portion, during which a thesis project is conducted under supervision. An MPhil m ...

in Latin American Studies and a

DPhil A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

at the University of Oxford's

Hertford Hertford ( ) is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. The parish had a population of 26,783 at the 2011 census. The town grew around a ford on the River Lea, ne ...

and Nuffield

colleges A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offerin ...

, citing then-professors

Isaiah Berlin Sir Isaiah Berlin (6 June 1909 – 5 November 1997) was a Russian-British social and political theorist, philosopher, and historian of ideas. Although he became increasingly averse to writing for publication, his improvised lectures and talks ...

Leszek Kolakowski Leszek () is a Slavic Polish male given name, originally ''Lestko'', ''Leszko'' or ''Lestek'', related to ''Lech'', ''Lechosław'' and Czech ''Lstimir''. Individuals named Leszek celebrate their name day on June 3. Notable people * Lestko * Le ...

, and Charles Taylor as pivotal influences.

Publications

* ''The Long War. Dictatorship and Revolution in El Salvador''. London: Junction Books, 1982. * ''Rebellion in the Veins. Political Struggle in Bolivia, 1952-1982''. London: Verso, 1984. * ''Orígenes del Poder Militar en Bolivia. Historia del Ejército, 1879-1935''. La Paz: Quipus Editores/Plural, 1987/2003. * ''Power in the Isthmus. A Political History of Modern Central America''. London: Verso, 1988. * ''Political Suicide in Latin America and Other Essays''. London: Verso, 1992. * ''The Pacification of Central America. Political Change in the Isthmus, 1987-93''. London: Verso, 1994. * * (co-edited with

Victor Bulmer-Thomas Victor Bulmer-Thomas CMG OBE is a British academic who has specialised in Latin America and the Caribbean. Born in London, his first experience of the Americas was as a V.S.O. in Belize (1966/7), where he taught several of the future leaders of ...

) ''The United States and Latin America. The New Agenda''. ILAS, The

David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies Founded in 1994 by then-President Neil L. Rudenstine and alumnus David Rockefeller, the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS) is an inter-faculty initiative of Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy Lea ...

, and Harvard UP, 1999. * ''Americana: The Americas in the World, around 1850''. London: Verso, 2000. * ''Warriors and Scribes: Essays on the History and Politics of Latin America''. London: Verso, 2000. * ''Studies in the Formation of the Nation-State in Latin America''. London: ILAS, 2002. * (co-edited with Maria D'Alva Kinzo) ''Brazil since 1985: Economics, Politics and Society''. London: ILAS, 2003. * ''Bolivia: Revolution and the Power of History in the Present''. London: ISA, 2007. * ''Crusoe and his Consequences''. New York: OR Books, 2019.

Footnotes

External links

Profile in Queen Mary, University of London

Latin Americanists Historians of Latin America Academics of Queen Mary University of London Living people Officers of the Order of the British Empire 1953 births {{UK-academic-bio-stub