Justin Champion (1960 – 10 June 2020Professor Justin Champion, 1960 - 2020
''Royal Holloway, University of London''. Retrieved 19 June 2020) 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 educator. He was head of the Department of History at

Royal Holloway, University of London Royal Holloway, University of London (RH), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public university, public research university and a constituent college, member institution of the federal University of London. It ...

(RHUL) between 2005 and 2010.

Early life and education

Champion was born in Gloucester, where his father was a designer for a local aircraft manufacturer. His father had won a scholarship to study at Cambridge, where he read English and became president of the Junior Common Room at King's College. This experience left an enduring impression on the young Champion, who went on to study at

Churchill College, Cambridge Churchill College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. It has a primary focus on science, engineering and technology, but retains a strong interest in the arts ...

. Champion progressed to study his PhD at

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 ...

, completing his thesis in 1989. Of his time at Cambridge, one contemporary described how Champion 'cut a distinctive figure – the vigorous stride, the mane of golden blond hair, a frank and direct manner. He seemed rather different from and more engaging than the rest of the 17th-century research crowd'.

Career

Upon completing his PhD, Champion worked at the

Institute of Historical Research The Institute of Historical Research (IHR) is a British educational organisation providing resources and training for historical researchers. It is part of the School of Advanced Study in the University of London and is located at Senate Hou ...

, London. In 1990, he moved to La Sainte Union as lecturer in Early Modern History. He was appointed to a lectureship at

Royal Holloway Royal Holloway, University of London (RH), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public university, public research university and a constituent college, member institution of the federal University of London. It ...

in 1992. His research and teaching interests included the history of

early modern The early modern period is a Periodization, historical period that is defined either as part of or as immediately preceding the modern period, with divisions based primarily on the history of Europe and the broader concept of modernity. There i ...

ideas,

blasphemy Blasphemy refers to an insult that shows contempt, disrespect or lack of Reverence (emotion), reverence concerning a deity, an object considered sacred, or something considered Sanctity of life, inviolable. Some religions, especially Abrahamic o ...

and

irreligion Irreligion is the absence or rejection of religious beliefs or practices. It encompasses a wide range of viewpoints drawn from various philosophical and intellectual perspectives, including atheism, agnosticism, religious skepticism, ...

early modern Europe Early modern Europe, also referred to as the post-medieval period, is the period of European history between the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, roughly the mid 15th century to the late 18th century. Histori ...

Thomas Hobbes Thomas Hobbes ( ; 5 April 1588 – 4 December 1679) was an English philosopher, best known for his 1651 book ''Leviathan (Hobbes book), Leviathan'', in which he expounds an influential formulation of social contract theory. He is considered t ...

Biblical criticism Modern Biblical criticism (as opposed to pre-Modern criticism) is the use of critical analysis to understand and explain the Bible without appealing to the supernatural. During the eighteenth century, when it began as ''historical-biblical c ...

urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

disease A disease is a particular abnormal condition that adversely affects the structure or function (biology), function of all or part of an organism and is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical condi ...

, the history of

reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

and

scholarship A scholarship is a form of Student financial aid, financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, Multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion, athleti ...

, and the use of

information technology Information technology (IT) is a set of related fields within information and communications technology (ICT), that encompass computer systems, software, programming languages, data processing, data and information processing, and storage. Inf ...

in the study of history. Champion was a strong proponent of public history. He presented or appeared in several TV and radio shows about British history, including the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

drama documentary ''The Great Plague'' in 2001, the

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including: **ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...

documentary series ''Kings and Queens'' in 2003 and the

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

programme ''Harlots, Housewives and Heroines: A 17th Century History for Girls - Act One: At Court'' in 2012. He made history features for BBC Radio 3 and 4 on the Glorious Revolution of 1688, the

execution of Charles I Charles_I_of_England, Charles I, King of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, was executed on Tuesday, 30 January 1649 outside the Banqueting House on Whitehall, London. The execution was ...

, the history of duelling and the history of friendship. He was (2014–17) President of the

Historical Association The Historical Association is a membership organisation of historians and scholars founded in 1906 and based in London. Its goals are to support "the study and enjoyment of history at all levels by creating an environment that promotes lifelong lea ...

and a member of its Committee of Public History. The Historical Association awarded Champion the Medlicott Medal in 2018 for outstanding services to the study of history in 2018. During his time as the head of the history department at Royal Holloway, the college began offering a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

programme in Public History in partnership with external heritage and media institutions. Champion stepped down as the head of the history department at Royal Holloway in 2010, but continued to teach at the college. He was working on the thought and influence of Thomas Hobbes' radical criticism of public religion and its relationship with the early Enlightenment at the time of his death.

Death

Champion was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2014. He died on 10 June 2020, aged 59, in the Princess Alice Hospice in

Esher Esher ( ) is a town in the borough of Borough of Elmbridge, Elmbridge in Surrey, England, to the east of the River Mole, Surrey, River Mole. Esher is an outlying suburb of London, close to the London–Surrey border; with Esher Commons at its ...

Selected publications

*''Republican Learning. John Toland and the crisis of Christian culture, 1696-1722'' (Manchester University Press, 2003) *''John Toland Nazarenus 1718'' (edited) (Oxford: Voltaire Foundation, 1999) *"Bibliography and Irreligion: Richard Smith’s ‘Observations’", ''The Seventeenth Century'' X (1995) *"John Toland: The Politics of Pantheism", ''Revue de Synthèse'' 4 ser (1995). *"Relational Databases and the Great Plague" in ''History and Computing'' (1993) *"Legislators, Impostors and the Politic Origins of Religion: English Theories of Imposture from Stubbe to Toland" in RH Popkin, S Berti (eds.) ''Heterodoxy, Spinozism and Freethought'' (Klewer, 1996) *''Europe’s Enlightenment and National Historiographies'' Europa (1993) *''London’s Dreaded Visitation: The Social Geography of the Great Plague 1665'' (London: Historical Geography Research Monograph No. 31, 1995) *''Epidemic Diseases in London'' (edited) (London, 1993) *''The Pillars of Priestcraft Shaken: The Church of England and its Enemies 1660–1730'' (Cambridge, 1992)

References

External links

Faculty webpage

MA in Public History
{{DEFAULTSORT:Champion, Justin Academics of Royal Holloway, University of London 2020 deaths Place of birth missing Place of death missing Alumni of Churchill College, Cambridge 1960 births