Anthony Hamilton Millard Kirk-Greene CMG MBE (16 May 1925 – 8 July 2018) was a British

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

and

ethnographer Ethnography is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. It explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject of the study. Ethnography is also a type of social research that involves examining ...

best known for his works on

Nigerian history The history of Nigeria can be traced to the earliest inhabitants whose date remains at least 13,000 BC through the early civilizations such as the Nok culture which began around 1500 BC. Numerous ancient African civilizations settled in the regi ...

and the history of British colonial administration in Africa. After a career as a colonial official, Kirk-Greene became a fellow of

St Antony's College, Oxford St Antony's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1950 as the result of the gift of French merchant Sir Antonin Besse of Aden, St Antony's specialises in international relations, economics, politic ...

, where he was lecturer in the modern history of Africa from 1967 to 1992. He was president of the

African Studies Association of the UK The African Studies Association of the United Kingdom (ASAUK) formed in 1963 "to advance African studies, particularly in the United Kingdom, by providing facilities for the interchange of information and ideas and the co-ordination of activities ...

from 1988 to 1990 and vice-president of the

Royal African Society The Royal African Society (RAS) of the United Kingdom was founded as the African Society in 1901 to promote relations between the United Kingdom and countries in Africa. It received a royal charter in 1935, when it acquired its present name. The RA ...

Biography

Anthony Kirk-Greene was born in

Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells (formerly, until 1909, and still commonly Tunbridge Wells) is a town in Kent, England, southeast of Central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone ...

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

on 16 May 1925. He served as a captain in the

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

from 1943 to 1947 during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He later graduated from

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

in 1950 and in 1954 with Bachelor and Masters of Arts degrees. He also obtained a Master of Arts from

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

in 1967. Kirk-Greene joined the

Colonial Service The Colonial Service, also known as His/Her Majesty's Colonial Service and replaced in 1954 by Her Majesty's Overseas Civil Service (HMOCS), was the British government service that administered most of Britain's overseas possessions, under the aut ...

, serving as an administrator in

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

and eventually rising to the rank of Senior District Commissioner. During this time, he became interested in

ethnography Ethnography is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. It explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject of the study. Ethnography is also a type of social research that involves examining ...

and Hausa culture and

language Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...

. After Nigerian independence, he was a senior lecturer at

Ahmadu Bello University The Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) is a public research university located in Zaria, Nigeria, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria. It was opened in 1962 as the University of Northern Nigeria. The university has four colleges, three schools, 18 faculties, ...

Zaria Zaria is a List of Nigerian cities by population, metropolitan city in Nigeria, located at present time within four local government areas in Kaduna State. It serves as the capital of the Zazzau Emirate Council and is one of the original sev ...

Kaduna State Kaduna (, جىِهَر كَدُنا; مدينة كدونا; , ; ) is a States of Nigeria, state in the northwest geopolitical zone of Nigeria. The state capital is its namesake, the city of Kaduna (city), Kaduna, which was the List of Nigerian ...

from 1961 to 1965. From 1967 to 1981 he was professor of history at

. He was adjunct professor from 1992 to 1999 at the Stanford Program at Oxford. He wrote a number of well-received works on Nigerian history and the

Nigerian Civil War The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970), also known as the Biafran War, Nigeria-Biafra War, or Biafra War, was fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a Secession, secessionist state which had declared its independen ...

as well as the

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

of post-independence Africa more generally. He also wrote a number of important studies on the history of the Colonial Service. He was president of the

African Studies Association of the United Kingdom The African Studies Association of the United Kingdom (ASAUK) formed in 1963 "to advance African studies, particularly in the United Kingdom, by providing facilities for the interchange of information and ideas and the co-ordination of activities ...

(ASAUK) from 1998 to 1990 and was awarded ASAUK's "Distinguished Africanist" award in 2005. He died in

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

on 8 July 2018 at the age of 93.Mr Anthony Kirk-Greene (1925–2018)
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Selected works

* ''This is Northern Nigeria: Background to an Invitation'' (1956) * ''The Capitals of Northern Nigeria'' (1957) * ''Adamawa, Past and Present; An Historical Approach to the Development of a Northern Cameroons Province'' (1958) * ''Maiduguri and the Capitals of Bornu. Maiduguri da manyan biranen Barno'' (1958) * ''The Principles of Native Administration in Nigeria; Selected Documents, 1900-1947'' (1965) * ''Hausa ba dabo ba ne; A Collection of 500 Proverbs'' (1966) * ''A Modern Hausa Reader. With Yahaya Aliyu'' (1967) * ''West African Travels and Adventures; Two Autobiographical Narratives from Northern Nigeria'' (1971) * ''Crisis and Conflict in Nigeria: A Documentary Sourcebook'' (1971) * ''The Genesis of the Nigerian Civil War and the Theory of Fear'' (1975) * ''A Biographical Dictionary of the British Colonial Governor'' (1980) * ''"Stay by your Radios": Documentation for a Study of Military Government in Tropical Africa'' (1981) * ''Nigeria since 1970: A Political and Economic Outline'' (1981) * ''A Biographical Dictionary of the British Colonial Service, 1939-1966'' (1991) * ''On Crown Service: A History of HM Colonial and Overseas Civil Services, 1837-1997'' (1999) * ''Britain's Imperial Administrators, 1858-1966'' (2000) * ''Glimpses of Empire: A Corona Anthology'' (2001) * ''Symbol of Authority: The British District Officer in Africa'' (2006) * ''Aspects of Empire: A Second Corona Anthology'' (2012)

References

External links

Anthony Kirk-Greene Memorial
at the African Studies Centre (

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

) 1925 births 2018 deaths Academic staff of Ahmadu Bello University Ahmadu Bello University people Alumni of the University of Cambridge Alumni of the University of Oxford Historians of Nigeria People from Royal Tunbridge Wells British Indian Army officers Colonial Service officers Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George English Africanists Fellows of St Antony's College, Oxford Presidents of the African Studies Association of the United Kingdom {{UK-academic-bio-stub British colonial governors and administrators in Nigeria Members_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire