Stanley Wolpert

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Stanley Albert Wolpert
Born (1927-12-23) December 23, 1927
Brooklyn, New York
Alma mater City College (B.A.)
University of Pennsylvania (A.M.) (Ph.D.)
Occupation Indologist

Stanley Wolpert (born December 23, 1927) is an American academic, Indologist, and author considered one of the world's foremost authorities[1] on the political and intellectual history of modern India and Pakistan[2] and has written fiction and nonfiction books on the topics. He taught at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) from 1959-2002.[3]

Biography

Early life

Stanley Albert Wolpert was born on December 23, 1927 in Brooklyn, New York[3] to Russian Jewish parents. While serving as an engineer aboard a U.S. Merchant Marine ship[1] he arrived in Bombay, India for the first time on February 12, 1948. Upon arriving, he was both fascinated and overwhelmed by the extraordinary outpouring of grief over the death of Mahatma Gandhi—who he then knew very little about—just two weeks earlier.[4] Atop a hill, he witnessed numerous mourning Indians who were rushing to touch the ashes of Gandhi as the ship on which the urn was placed weighed anchor to scatter a portion of his ashes into the water below.[4] On returning home, he abandoned his career in marine engineering for the study of Indian history.[4][5][6][7] He received a B.A. from City College in 1953,[3] and an A.M. and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1955 and 1959.[2][3] with a dissertation (published as Tilak and Gokhale)[6] on the revolutionary and reform wings of the Indian National Congress.[4]

Career

Wolpert began his academic career in 1959, when he took a job as an instructor in the Department of History at UCLA. He was promoted in 1960-63 to assistant professor;[3] 1963-66 associate professor;[3] 1967 full professor.[3] In 1968 he was appointed department chair.[3] He is now an emeritus professor.

Recognition

In 1975 Wolpert was awarded UCLA's Distinguished Teaching Award.[3]

Wolpert was a guest on Connie Martinson Talks Books in 2011, promoting his his 2010 book, India and Pakistan: Continued Conflict or Cooperation."[8][9]

Personal life

He has been married to Dorothy Wolpert (née Guberman) since June 12, 1953. They met in an American government class at UCLA, where Dorothy studied law. She went on to become a senior partner in a Century City law firm, and has made several visits to India with her husband. They have two sons—Daniel and Adam, and three grandchildren—Sam, Max, and Sabine.[7]His book Nine Hours to Rama was adapted to a feature film in 1963.

Publications

Non-fiction

  • Tilak and Gokhale : Revolution and Reform in the Making of Modern India (1962)
  • Morley and India, 1906-1910 (1967)
  • A New History of India (1977, 1982, 1989, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2004, 2008)
  • Roots of Confrontation in South Asia : Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and the Superpowers (1982)
  • Jinnah of Pakistan (1984)
  • Congress and Indian Nationalism : The Pre-Independence Phase (co-edited with Richard Sisson) (1988)
  • India (1991)
  • Zulfi Bhutto of Pakistan : His Life and Times (1993)
  • Nehru : A Tryst With Destiny (1996)
  • Gandhi's Passion : The Life and the Legacy of Mahatma Gandhi (2001)
  • Encyclopedia of India (editor) (2005)
  • Shameful Flight:The Last Years of British Empire in India (2006)
  • India and Pakistan: Continued Conflict or Cooperation (2010)

Fiction

  • Aboard the Flying Swan (1954)
  • Nine Hours to Rama (1962)
  • The Expedition: A Novel (1967)
  • An Error of Judgment (1970)

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 2005 UCLA International Institute blog reporting on the publication of Wolpert's 2002 book, Gandhi's Passion: The Life and Legacy of Mahatma Gandhi http://www.international.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=30808
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Dr. Stanley Wolpert's UCLA Faculty homepage http://www.history.ucla.edu/people/faculty?lid=393
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Professor Stanley Wolpert's academic career and short biography http://www.oac.cdlib.org/data/13030/vz/kt400005vz/files/kt400005vz.pdf
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 1997 UCLA Today article on Wolpert's academic background http://www.today.ucla.edu/portal/ut/970328DeathOf.aspx
  5. ↑ Wolpert, Stanley (2001). Gandhi's Passion: The Life and Legacy of Mahatma Gandhi. Oxford University Press. pp. vii
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 1997 interview with Stanley Wolpert http://www.rediff.com/news/mar/01nehru.htm
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Long, Roger D. (editor) (2004).Charisma and Commitment in South Asian History: Essays presented to Stanley Wolpert. pp. 6-35.
  8. ↑ Stanley Wolpert appears on "Connie Martinson Talks Books" (part I) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq9vgYE_A2M
  9. ↑ Part II http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ5YtX8wjt4

External links

Authority control
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