Professor David Maxwell | |
---|---|
Dixie Professor of Ecclesiastical History University of Cambridge | |
Assumed office 2011 | |
Preceded by | Jonathan Riley-Smith |
Personal details | |
Born | David James Maxwell 8 December 1963 Bushey, Hertfordshire, England |
Citizenship | United Kingdom |
Alma mater |
University of Manchester St Antony's College, Oxford |
David James Maxwell (born 8 December 1963) is a British historian and academic, specialising in the missionary movement and Christianity in Africa. [1] He is the Dixie Professor of Ecclesiastical History at the University of Cambridge and professorial fellow of Emmanuel College.
Maxwell was born on 8 December 1963 in Bushey, Hertfordshire, England. [2] He studied history at the University of Manchester, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1986. [2] [3] He went on to undertake postgraduate research in African History at St Antony's College, Oxford, and graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) degree in 1994. His doctoral thesis was titled "A social and conceptual history of North-East Zimbabwe, 1890–1990". [4] [5] [6]
Maxwell began his academic career not as a lecturer but as a teacher. Between his bachelor's degree and doctorate, he taught for three years in a rural secondary school in Manicaland, Zimbabwe. [4]
While completing his doctorate, Maxwell was a fellow of the Social Anthropology Department, University of Manchester. [4] In 1994, he joined Keele University as a lecturer in international history. [3] In 2007, he was promoted to professor of African history. [4] He was an elected member of the Senate of Keele University for the 2009 to 2010 academic year. [7] In 2011, he left Keele to join the University of Cambridge. [8] At Cambridge, he is the Dixie Professor of Ecclesiastical History and is a professorial fellow of Emmanuel College. [4]
Maxwell was editor of the Journal of Religion in Africa from 1998 to 2005. [2] He was vice-president of the African Studies Association of the UK from 2012 to 2014 and president from 2014 to 2016. [2] [9] He is a member of the editorial board of The Journal of Ecclesiastical History. [10]
In 1996, Maxwell was the recipient of the Audrey Richards prize for the best doctoral thesis in African Studies. [5]