David Saul Landes (April 29, 1924 – August 17, 2013) was a professor of
economics
Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...
and of
history
History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...
at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
. He is the author of ''Bankers and Pashas'', ''
Revolution in Time'', ''
The Unbound Prometheus'', ''
The Wealth and Poverty of Nations'', and ''Dynasties''.
Such works have received both praise for detailed retelling of economic history, as well as scorn on charges of
Eurocentrism
Eurocentrism (also Eurocentricity or Western-centrism)
refers to viewing Western world, the West as the center of world events or superior to other cultures. The exact scope of Eurocentrism varies from the entire Western world to just the con ...
, a charge he openly embraced, arguing that an explanation for an economic miracle that happened originally only in
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
must of necessity be a Eurocentric analysis.
Career
Landes earned a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1953, after a
B.A. from
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a Public university, public research university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York ...
in 1942. While he waited his call-up to serve in World War II, Landes studied
cryptanalysis
Cryptanalysis (from the Greek ''kryptós'', "hidden", and ''analýein'', "to analyze") refers to the process of analyzing information systems in order to understand hidden aspects of the systems. Cryptanalysis is used to breach cryptographic se ...
. He was assigned to the Signal Corps, where he worked on deciphering Japanese coded messages.
Historian
called him one of his "most revered mentors".
Landes was a member of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...
, the United States
National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...
, and the
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...
.
His son
Richard Landes is a historian and author.
Works
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* Landes, David S., ''Bankers and Pashas: International Finance and Economic Imperialism in Egypt'' (1958
See also
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Environmental determinism
References
External links
Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa ASMEA)
*
Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
American economic historians
American economists
Jewish American historians
George Washington University faculty
Harvard University alumni
Harvard University faculty
Harvard University Department of History faculty
1924 births
2013 deaths
Leonardo da Vinci Medal recipients
City College of New York alumni
Members of the American Philosophical Society
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