James Sharpe

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James Anthony Sharpe (* 1946 ) is a former professor of early modern history at the University of York . His main focus was on crime and witch hunts in early modern England .

Life

James Sharpe received his bachelor's and doctoral degrees from the University of Oxford before becoming a lecturer at the University of York in 1973 , where he received a professorship in 1997. Sharpes did particular research on the history of crime; At the heart of his research was the history of crime in 17th century England.

He wrote his doctoral thesis on Crime in seventeenth-century England: a County Study. He subsequently wrote several articles and a book on crime in early modern England and conducted a study of punishment in England from 1550 to the 1980s. The archives of the courts and law enforcement authorities served as the basis for his research, and court files in particular as sources. Sharpe points out that court records are often the only access to the lives of middle and lower class members of the early modern period. That is why he used court files to - beyond the history of crime - to reconstruct the social worlds and concrete life courses of the middle and lower class members.

In total, Sharpe has published 10 books and over 60 essays. His research interests include the history of crime, the history of the witch hunt , Dick Turpin and Guy Fawkes . Sharpe retired after the release of A Fiery & Furious People in 2016.

Sharpe is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a committee member of the International Association for the History of Crime and Criminal Justice.

reception

Sharpe is a recognized expert in the history of crime and witchcraft in England. His most recently published book, A Fiery and Furious People, is devoted to the history of violence in England. By carefully working with various sources, Sharpe tried to show the perception of violence in different social milieus. The Guardian described the work as a humane and clear guide to a number of unsolvable and topical issues. However, Sharpe has been criticized for his tendency to confuse narratives with biographies, as well as for not including significant events in his book.

Hans de Waardt praised Sharpe for his undoubted familiarity with the history of the English witch hunt. De Waardt summed up Sharpe's work Witchcraft in early modern England that it was well suited for beginners in the subject of witchcraft, since Sharpe avoided jargon and complex formulations. De Waardt, however, missed a comparative perspective that would have enabled a comparison and thus a contextualization or relativization of the witch hunts in England in a European context.

David Underdown praised Sharpe for his clear writing style. His work The Bewitching of Anne Gunter is extremely useful, not only for students of history, but also of literary studies. He also notes that Sharpe's writing style is aimed at a general readership. To do this, he effortlessly balances between different interpretations and tries to show all sides. In doing so, Sharpe shows the reader how historians practice microhistory . However, Underdown criticizes Sharpe for his tendency to take court documents literally, without considering that witnesses can also be biased. In summary, Underdown praised Sharpe for his successful work and described him as a good guide through the historical thicket.

Fonts

  • Crime in Seventeenth-Century England . Cambridge University Press / Past and Present Publications, 1983, ISBN 9782901725848 .
  • “William Holcroft his Booke”: Office Holding in Late Stuart Essex . Essex Record Office, Essex Historical Documents, 2, 1986.
  • Crime and the Law in English Satirical Prints 1600-1832 . Chadwyck - Healey, 1986, ISBN 9780859641760 .
  • Judicial Punishment in England . Faber and Faber , 1990, ISBN 9780571140602 .
  • Early Modern England: a Social History 1550-1760 . Edward Arnold, 1987: 2nd edition, 1997, ISBN 9780340577523 .
  • Instruments of Darkness: Witchcraft in England 1550-1750 . Hamish Hamilton, 1996, ISBN 9780812216332 .
  • Crime in Early Modern England 1550-1750 . Longman, 1984: 2nd edition, 1998, ISBN 9780582238893 .
  • The Bewitching of Anne Gunter: A Horrible and True Story of Football, Witchcraft, and the King of England . Profile Books, 2000, ISBN 9780415926911 .
  • Dick Turpin: The Myth of the English Highwayman . Profile Books, 2004, ISBN 9781861974181 .
  • A Fiery & Furious People . Random House, 2016, ISBN 978-1847945136 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ University of York Profile
  2. ^ Research Database University of York .
  3. ↑ Penguin James Sharpe biography
  4. ^ List of members on the Royal Historical Society website .
  5. ^ The Guardian Review
  6. ^ Hans de Waardt: James Sharpe, Witchcraft in Early Modern England. In: Crime, History & Societies, Vol. 7, 2003, pp. 128–129.
  7. ↑ David Underdown: Review of Sharpe, James, The Bewitching of Anne Gunter: A Horrible and True Story of Deception, Witchcraft, and the King of England. H-Albion, H-Net Reviews. May, 2001. URL: http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=5110 (07/25/19).
personal data
SURNAME Sharpe, James
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Sharpe, James Anthony (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British historian
DATE OF BIRTH 1946