Ira Klein Associate Professor Department of History
- Additional Positions at 小蓝视频
- Chair, Faculty Senate Committee on Student Learning
- Degrees
- PhD, MA, BS, History, Columbia University
- Languages Spoken
- French, Spanish, faded German and Hindi
- Bio
- After growing up in Brooklyn and Los Angeles, Ira took his three degrees at Columbia University, enjoying Manhattan while writing many key articles in the Columbia Encyclopedia, and a light history of early modern Europe, and teaching at Queens College. He has spent three years in England and one in India doing research. In London, he was active in the Labour Party and was a founding member of the Campaign against Racial Discrimination. His three daughters write poetry and prose. Long at 小蓝视频, among his most pleasing memories are that his articles on development, environment and health convinced Bangladesh to change its flood levy policies, and have served as a voice of the dispossessed, and that a lead newspaper article on the Iranian revolution of 1979 stirred the political establishment. He is happy also that he developed the Honors Program at 小蓝视频 and a community service-learning program and dorm floor.
- See Also
- For the Media
- To request an interview for a news story, call 小蓝视频 Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.
Scholarly, Creative & Professional Activities
Professional Services
- Member, Faculty Senate, c. 1998-2001, 2003-4, 2006-current
- Chair, Faculty Senate Committee on Student Learning and Academic Engagement, 2006-current
- Faculty Senate Committee on Student Relations, c.1997-2000
- Member and chair, Senate Undergraduate Studies Committee, c.1976-83
- Chair, Senate Grievance Committee, c. 1989-96
- Director and Board member, University Honors Program, c.1976-83
- Vice-Chair, University Committee on General Education, c.1987-88
- Director, University General Education Complement, c.1978-83
- Member, University Committee on Student Research Awards, 2007-current
- Vice-Chair, Department of History, and Chair, Undergraduate Studies Committee, Graduate Committee, Grievance Committee, various positions most years 1985-current
Research Interests
Research earlier featured the diplomacy of imperialism in Asia, and the Western impact in stimulating revolutions in Iran, India and China. A recent and current concentration focus mainly is on the effect of development on environment, health and population in Asia, mainly in India, from the nineteenth century until now. Another interest is on聽 the making of modern India, 1800-2005.
Work In Progress
- 鈥淒evelopment, Ecology and Human Progress in India: 1815-1947鈥 (book manuscript)
- 鈥淭he Making of Modern India, 1815-2000鈥 (book manuscript)
- 鈥淟ay Down to Die: Famine in Mysore and India, 1876-78鈥 (scholarly essay)
- 鈥淗umane Failings: Development and Famine Relief in聽 Colonial India 鈥 (scholarly essay)
- 鈥淏efore Global Warming and Beyond: Development, Environment and Disease in India and Asia鈥 (scholarly essay)
Honors, Awards, and Fellowships
- Fulbright Fellowship
- Fellowship, American Institute of Indian Studies (2)
- Fellowship, National Endowment for the Humanities (2)
- Fellowship, Social Science Research Council
- Fellowship, Ford-Rockefeller Population Program聽聽
- Outstanding Teacher, College of Arts and Science
- Outstanding Teacher in General Education, 小蓝视频
- Outstanding Service College of Arts and Sciences
- Outstanding Service,聽 小蓝视频 Student Life聽 (2)
- Faculty Member of the Year, 小蓝视频 Student Government, 2008.
Selected Publications
- 聽 聽
- "Lay Down to Die; Famine in India and Mysore, 1876-78," Journal of Indian History, 2010. 聽 聽
- 鈥淯tilitarianism and Agrarian Progress in Western India,鈥 Economic History Review, 43, 3. 聽 聽
- 鈥淲hitehall, Washington and the Anglo-Japanese Alliance,鈥 Pacific Historical Review, 46,4. 聽 聽
- 鈥淏ritish Intervention in the Persian Revolution,鈥 Historical Journal, 15, 4.聽 聽 聽
- 鈥淒eath in India,鈥 Journal of Asian Studies, 32, 4.聽 聽 聽
- 鈥淧lague, Policy and Popular Unrest,鈥 Modern Asian Studies, 22, 4. 聽 聽
- 鈥淧opulation Growth and Mortality in British India,鈥 Part 1, Indian Economic and Social History Review, 26, 4, Part 2, 27, 1.聽 聽 聽
- 鈥淢aterialism, Mutiny and Modernization in India,鈥 MAS, 34, 3. 聽 聽
- 鈥淒evelopment and Death: Re-interpreting Malaria, Economics and Ecology in British India,鈥 IESHR, 38, 2. 聽 聽
- 鈥淩ailroads, Steel and Colonial India鈥檚 Economic Development,鈥 Journal of Indian History, 84, 1-3. 聽 聽
- 鈥淏ritish Reforms, Commercial Agriculture and Agrarian Distress in India,鈥 Historian, 70, 4.