Sir Brian Howard Harrison (born 9 July 1937) is a British historian and academic. From 1996 to 2004, he was Professor of Modern History at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

. From 2000 to 2004, he was also the

Editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, or ...

of the ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

''.

Academic career

Harrison was Professor of

Modern History The term modern period or modern era (sometimes also called modern history or modern times) is the period of history that succeeds the Middle Ages (which ended approximately 1500 AD). This terminology is a historical periodization that is appli ...

at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

from 1996 to 2004. He was additionally the editor of ''

'' from January 2000 to September 2004 (succeeded by

Lawrence Goldman Lawrence Goldman (born 17 June 1957) is an English historian and the former director of the Institute of Historical Research. A former editor of the ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', he has a PhD from the University of Cambridge. He ...

). Since 2004, he has been an emeritus fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford. Harrison has published extensively on British social and political history from the 1790s to the present. His first book was ''Drink and the Victorians. The Temperance Question England 1815–1872'' (1971, 2nd. ed. 1994), based on his doctoral thesis entitled
The temperance question in England, 1829–1869
'' His most recent publications are two volumes in the ''

New Oxford History of England The ''New Oxford History of England'' is a book series on the history of the British Isles. It was commissioned in 1992 and produced eleven volumes by 2010, but as of September 2022, no more volumes. It is the successor to the ''Oxford History of ...

'' series covering British history from 1951: ::''Seeking a Role: The United Kingdom 1951–1970'' (2009, paperback with revisions 2011)
online
:: ''Finding a Role? The United Kingdom 1970–1990'' (2010, paperback with revisions 2011)
online
For a complete list of his publications see his festschrift: 'Reform and its Complexities in Modern Britain. Essays Inspired by Sir Brian Harrison (Eds. Bruce Kinzer, Molly Kramer and Richard Trainor), Oxford University Press 2022, pp.281-5, and for a continuously updated list, his entry in 'Google Scholar' at https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?hl=en&user=UrPsiyUAAAAJ

National Life Stories National Life Stories is an independent charitable trust and limited company (registered as the ‘National Life Story Collection’) based within the British Library Oral History section, whose key focus and expertise is oral history fieldwork. S ...

conducted an oral history interview (C1149/24) with Harrison in 2012 for its Oral History of Oral History collection held by the British Library.National Life Stories, 'Harrison, Brian (1 of 25) National Life Stories Collection: Oral History of Oral History', The British Library Board, 2012
Retrieved 9 October 2017 His interview (video) with the Cambridge historian and social anthropologist Alan Macfarlane on 22 June 2012 can be found at https://sms.cam.ac.uk/media/1402073 and https://sms.cam.ac.uk/media/1291722

Honours

Harrison was appointed

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are ...

in the 2005

New Year Honours The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark this ...

for "services to scholarship". He was elected a

Fellow of the British Academy Fellowship of the British Academy (FBA) is an award granted by the British Academy to leading academics for their distinction in the humanities and social sciences. The categories are: # Fellows – scholars resident in the United Kingdom # ...

(FBA) on 30 July 2005. He is also an elected

Fellow of the Royal Historical Society A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

(FRHistS).

References

External links

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Interviewed by Alan Macfarlane 22nd June 2012 (video)
1937 births Living people Alumni of the University of Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Fellows of Corpus Christi College, Oxford Fellows of the British Academy British book editors Knights Bachelor Oxford University Press people Fellows of the Royal Historical Society {{UK-historian-stub