Civil Histories: Essays Presented to Sir Keith Thomas

by Peter Burke (Editor), Brian Howard Harrison (Editor)

This volume is a tribute to Sir Keith Thomas, one of Britain's greatest living historians, by distinguished scholars who have been his students. They describe the changing meanings of civility and civil manners since the sixteenth century, showing how the terms were used with respect to different people--women, the English and Welsh, imperialists, businessmen--and their effects in fields as varied as sexual relations, religion, urban politics, and private life.

Genres: History

416 pages, Hardcover

First published May 4, 2000

About the author

Peter Burke is a British historian and professor. He was educated by the Jesuits and at St John's College, Oxford, and was a doctoral candidate at St Antony's College. From 1962 to 1979, he was part of the School of European Studies at Sussex University, before moving to the University of Cambridge, where he holds the title of Professor Emeritus of Cultural History and Fellow of Emmanuel College. Burke is celebrated as a historian not only of the early modern era, but one who emphasizes the relevance of social and cultural history to modern issues. He is married to Brazilian historian Maria Lúcia Garcia Pallares-Burke.