TitleHugh Russell Tinker Papers
Reference codeICS87
Date1972-1982
Creator
- Tinker, Hugh Russell (1921-2000) historianMore Info on CreatorLess Info on Creator
Hugh Russell Tinker was born in 1921 in Essex, and educated in Taunton School and Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. He served in the Indian Army 1941-1945, and was then employed in the Indian civil administration until 1946. Thereafter he followed an academic career as a historian, as Lecturer, Reader and Professor at the School of Oriental and African Studies, 1948-1969; Director of the Institute of Race Relations, 1970-1972; Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, 1972-1977; and Professor of Politics, University of Lancaster, 1977-1982, of which he was Emeritus Professor until his death. In addition, he held brief overseas professorships, at Rangoon in 1954-1955, and Cornell, USA, 1959. As an active member of the Liberal Party, Tinker stood as a candidate in general elections, for Barnet in 1964 and 1966; and for Morecambe and Lonsdale in 1979. He was involved in the party's immigration and race relations panel in the early 1970s. He was also Vice-President of the Ex-Services Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. Tinker wrote numerous books, mainly on topics reflecting his academic interests: the history and politics of the Indian subcontinent, and Indians overseas. His publications included: The Foundations of Local Self-Government in India, Pakistan and Burma (1954); The Union of Burma: A Study of the First Years of Independence (1957); India and Pakistan: A Political Analysis (1962); Ballot Box and Bayonet: People and Government in Emergent Asian Countries (1964); Reorientations: Studies on Asia in Transition (1965); South Asia: A Short History (1966); Experiment with Freedom: India and Pakistan 1947 (1967); (Ed) Henry Yule: Narrative of the Mission to the Court of Ava in 1855 (1969); A New System of Slavery: The Export of Indian Labour Overseas 1830-1920 (1974); Separate and Unequal: India and the Indians in the British Commonwealth 1920-1950 (1976); The Banyan Tree: Overseas Emigrants from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh (1977); Race, Conflict and the International Order: From Empire to United Nations (1977); The Ordeal of Love: CF Andrews and India (1979); A Message from the Falklands: The Life and Gallant Death of David Tinker (1982); (Ed) Burma: The Struggle for Independence (1983-1984); Men who Overturned Empires: Fighters, Dreamers, Schemers (1987); Viceroy: Curzon to Mountbatten (1997). A Message from the Falklands was based on the letters of Tinker's son David, who was killed there while serving as a lieutenant. Hugh Tinker died in 2000, survived by his wife Elizabeth and their two elder sons.
Scope and ContentPapers of Professor Hugh Russell Tinker, historian: predominantly research notes and drafts of books published between 1974 and 1982. Also included are some papers relating to Tinker's involvement with the Immigration and Race Relations Panel of the Liberal Party, and to his directorship of the Institute of Race Relations.
Conditions governing accessAt least 24 hours notice before a research visit. Access to this collection is unrestricted for the purpose of private study and personal research within the supervised environment and restrictions of the library. However, access to individual items in the Institute of Commonwealth Studies Library archival collections may be restricted under the Data Protection Act or the Freedom of Information Act.
Extent6 boxes
System of ArrangementThe original files have been grouped into series relating to each publication, together with further series of files concerning race relations, and published copies of Tinker's work.
Finding aidsCatalogued on this database. Handlist available in the Special Collections reading room. A pdf version is also attached to this description.
The published copies of Tinker's books are available in the Institute of Commonwealth Studies Library
Level of descriptionfonds