David Christian (historian)
| David Christian | |
|---|---|
| Born | David Gilbert Christian June 30, 1946 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Residence | Australia |
| Fields |
Big History History of Russia |
| Institutions |
Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia San Diego State U. |
| Education |
Oxford University University of Western Ontario |
| Alma mater |
Oxford University B.A., Ph.D. University of Western Ontario M.A. |
| Known for | Pioneering the field of Big History |
| Notable awards | World History Association Book Prize Maps of Time (2005) |
David Gilbert Christian (born June 30, 1946) is an American historian and scholar of Russian history, who is notable for teaching and promoting the emerging discipline of Big History. He began teaching the first course in 1989 which examined history from the Big Bang to the present using a multidisciplinary approach with assistance from scholars in diverse specializations from the sciences, social sciences, and humanities. The course frames human history in terms of cosmic, geological, and biological history. He is credited with coining the term Big History and he serves as president of the International Big History Association. Christian's best-selling Teaching Company course entitled Big History caught the attention of philanthropist Bill Gates who is personally funding Christian's efforts to develop a program to bring the course to high school students worldwide.
Christian was born in Brooklyn, New York, to British and American parents. He grew up in Nigeria, Africa and in England, where he earned his B.A. from Oxford University, an M.A. in Russian history from the University of Western Ontario, and a Ph.D. in 19th century Russian history from Oxford University in 1974.
Christian's early research interests focused on the history of Russia and the Soviet Union, with particular emphases on the Russian peasantry, including their diet and the role of vodka in their lives. He published several books on these subjects. In 1984, he co-wrote, along with REF Smith, a history about the Russian peasantry entitled Bread and Salt which showed, among other things, how such foods along with dairy products were used as seasonings. He taught at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia from 1975 to 2000.
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