Christopher Dawson in context : a study in British intellectual history between the World Wars
Christopher Dawson (1889-1970) was a British historian of culture and a pioneer during the 1920s in linking history with the social sciences. Much existent writing on him today simply tries to summarize his views on the historical process or on specific time-periods. There is a fundamental lack of real historical perspective on Dawson, linking him to his own intellectual environment. This thesis attempts to remedy that lack. It demonstrates that the most important years in which to understand Dawsonâs development were roughly those of the interwar period (1918-1939). During those years he wrote scholarly books as well as social and political commentaries. This thesis uses Dawsonâs life and writings as a window into his worldâhence it is a âstudy in British intellectual history between the world wars.â A number of contexts will be examined through relevant archival and published source material: textual, social, cultural, and biographical, all in order to account for the numerous ideas and events that raised questions in Dawsonâs mind to which he then responded in his writings. Chapter one studies Dawsonâs reputation from the interwar years up until today in order to highlight his broad visibility,
Stuart, Joseph T.
Dawson ; Christopher ; 1889-1970 ; culture ; progress ; sociology ; totalitarianism ; British historiography
Christopher Dawson in context : a study in British intellectual history between the World Wars. Christopher Dawson (1889-1970) was a British historian of culture and a pioneer during the 1920s in linking history with the social sciences. Much existent writing on him today simply tries to summarize his views on the historical process or on specific time-periods. There is a fundamental lack of real historical perspective on Dawson, linking him to his own intellectual environment. This thesis attempts to remedy that lack. It demonstrates that the most important years in which to understand Dawsonâs development were roughly those of the interwar period (1918-1939). During those years he wrote scholarly books as well as social and political commentaries. This thesis uses Dawsonâs life and writings as a window into his worldâhence it is a âstudy in British intellectual history between the world wars.â A number of contexts will be examined through relevant archival and published source material: textual, social, cultural, and biographical, all in order to account for the numerous ideas and events that raised questions in Dawsonâs mind to which he then responded in his writings. Chapter one studies Dawsonâs reputation from the interwar years up until today in order to highlight his broad visibility,
context study british intellectual_history world_wars british historian culture pioneer link history social_science much existent write today simply try summarize view historical_process specific time periods fundamental lack real historical_perspective link intellectual environment attempt_remedy lack demonstrates important year development roughly interwar_period year write scholarly book well social_political commentary life_writing window world hence study british intellectual_history world_war number context examine relevant archival publish_source material textual social_cultural biographical order account numerous idea event raise_question mind respond writing study reputation interwar_year today order_highlight broad visibility