Stephen D. White (born April 16, 1945) is an American

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 ...

. White graduated from

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 ...

in 1965 with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

. In 1972, he earned his

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

in history with a study of

Edward Coke Sir Edward Coke ( , formerly ; 1 February 1552 – 3 September 1634) was an English barrister, judge, and politician. He is often considered the greatest jurist of the Elizabethan era, Elizabethan and Jacobean era, Jacobean eras. Born into a ...

. White taught history at Harvard from 1968 to 1970, history and literature for the two years following. From 1972 to 1975 he was a lecturer at Harvard University. From 1975 to 1980, White taught as Assistant Professor of History, then Associate Professor of History from 1980 to 1985, and Professor of History at Wesleyan University from 1985 to 1989. From 1982 to 1983 he was a visiting member of the Institute for Advanced Study. White joined the faculty of

Emory University Emory University is a private university, private research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1836 as Emory College by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory. Its main campu ...

in 1989, serving as the Asa G. Candler Professor of Medieval History until his retirement in 2013. In 1993/94 he was a visiting professor at the

University of St Andrews The University of St Andrews (, ; abbreviated as St And in post-nominals) is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, f ...

and was appointed a

fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

of the

Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters (, DNVA) is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway. Its purpose is to support the advancement of science and scholarship in Norway. History The Royal Frederick University in Christiania was establis ...

and of the

Medieval Academy of America The Medieval Academy of America (MAA; spelled Mediaeval until ) is the largest organization in the United States promoting the field of medieval studies. It was founded in 1925 and is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The academy publishes the q ...

. His research interests are medieval France and Britain. He explored the conflict management and settlement in high medieval France, and other diverse aspects of political, legal and social history. In his study into the

Bayeux tapestry The Bayeux Tapestry is an embroidery, embroidered cloth nearly long and tall that depicts the events leading up to the Norman Conquest, Norman Conquest of England in 1066, led by William the Conqueror, William, Duke of Normandy challenging H ...

, White has "cautioned against reading it as an English or Norman story, showing how the animal fables visible in the borders may instead offer a commentary on the dangers of conflict and the futility of pursuing power". A ''

festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...

'' in his honor was published in 1991.

Publications

* ''Re-thinking Kinship and Feudalism in Early Medieval Europe''. Aldershot 2005, . * ''Feuding and Peace-making in Eleventh-century France''. Aldershot 2005, . * ''Custom, Kinship, and Gifts to Saints. The Laudatio Parentum in Western France, 1050–1150''. Chapel Hill 1988, * ''Sir Edward Coke and the Grievances of the Commonwealth''. Manchester 1979, .

References

External links

Emory University staff profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Stephen D. Wesleyan University faculty Emory University faculty Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni American historians 1945 births Living people