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Home  Honored Members 2005 Dr. Richard Pankhurst
 Dr Pankhurst is a venerated teacher and renowned historian whose career in Ethiopia has entered its fifth decade. Unlike most non-Ethiopian historians researching and writing on Ethiopia, Dr. Pankhurst lives and works in Ethiopia. He even named his son after one of his heroes, the Ethiopian patriot Ras Alula. He has adopted Ethiopian causes and pursued them with admirable commitment and impressive tenacity. He is constantly drawing attention to international injustices committed against Ethiopia, injustices that can be compensated for, even today. A simple example is his efforts alongside other concerned individuals to put pressure on the Italian government to return the Axum Obelisk taken during the Fascist Occupation, and which is now returning to Ethiopia.
Dr. Richard Pankhurst has authored or co-authored twenty two books on Ethiopia. He has either edited or compiled an additional seventeen. Over the past four and a half decades Dr. Pankhurst has produced several hundred articles on Ethiopia that have appeared in numerous academic journals, magazines and newspapers throughout the world. Dr. Pankhurst’s writings have presented Ethiopian history, culture, and tradition not only to academics and students of history, but also to a wide spectrum of readers, Ethiopians and non-Ethiopians. Dr. Richard Pankhurst was born in London, the son of the renowned Ethiopian activist E. Sylvia Pankhurst. His mother was one of the more vocal anti-Fascist activists in Europe during the 1920’s and 1930’s. Her anti-Fascist activities led her to take interest in Ethiopia. Speaking about his mother Dr. Pankhurst stated, "She saw the aggressive militaristic character of Fascism and was involved in anti-Fascist movements, regarding Italy as the first victim”. She was involved in something called ‘Friends of Italian Freedom.’ Then the Wal-Wal incident was being followed in 1934 by the shipment of Italian troops to Eritrea and Somalia. She saw that Ethiopia would be the second victim and she wrote to lots of newspapers in defense of Ethiopia ... urging that the League of Nations should be stronger, should have teeth to establish proper sanctions that really would stop the aggression. She wanted to see the Suez Canal closed; she wanted the sanctions to include petrol. Mussolini later admitted to Hitler that if the League of Nations had extended sanctions to cover petrol, as she argued, ‘I would have had to abandon Abyssinia in a week.’ By 1936 she begun to feel that it was no good writing articles to newspapers because as the international situation changed people would no longer be interested in Abyssinia ... and would move on to something else. So she founded a newspaper called New Times and Ethiopia News to concentrate on the question of Ethiopia." This early exposure to Ethiopia through the activities of his mother led to a general interest in Ethiopia. Dr. Pankhurst received his Ph.D. in Economic History and moved to Ethiopia in 1956 and began teaching at the University College of Addis Ababa. In 1962 Dr. Pankhurst founded the Institute of Ethiopian Studies, located on the grounds of Addis Ababa University, and was the first Director of it. This is perhaps one of his more prominent contributions to Ethiopia as the Institute continues as the foremost center of research and learning on Ethiopia in the world today. The Institute consists of three things: the Institute Library, which is the largest library on Ethiopia in the world, ethnological collection plus the best collection of Ethiopian art in the world and the third thing, is a small research unit with people doing research of among whom I am one. The Institute also processes foreign visitors, scholars. It gets their visas, letters of introduction, and so forth." Dr. Pankhurst worked as director of the Institute until 1972/73. He stayed on at the University doing research and teaching until 1976, following the Ethiopian revolution, Dr. Pankhurst and his family left Ethiopia and returned to England. During his decade back in England Dr. Pankhurst worked as librarian at the Royal Asiatic Society. He and his family returned to Ethiopia in 1986. He has been conducting research at the Institute of Ethiopian Studies since, and is an adviser and resource person for graduate students at the University. Dr. Pankhurst is currently in the process of updating his book on the "Social History of Ethiopia," which ends with Emperor Tewodros, to include more recent times. He is also going through his mother’s papers with the intention of writing something on the period in which she was involved in. As a constant champion of Ethiopian causes, Dr. Pankhurst has earned the respect and admiration of many in Ethiopia and abroad. Further to his active participation in the National Committee for the return of the Axum Obelisk, Dr. Pankhurst is currently among a group of concerned professionals forming a national committee for the return of treasures looted by the British Expeditionary Force sent to free British Prisoners from Mekdella in 1868. Speaking about the Mekdella loot Dr. Pankhurst stated, "it seems to me that because Tewodros had a dispute with the British Government this does not justify the looting of Mekdella”. Dr. Richard Pankhurst has become a prominent establishment in his own right in Ethiopia. We are fortunate to have him in Ethiopia and look forward to more products of his research and endeavors. SEED salutes Dr. Pankhurst, our venerated teacher, for preserving Ethiopian history through his prolific writings, publishing, lectures and books, for his unfading interest and love of Ethiopia and Ethiopians and for all his contributions making Ethiopia no longer a “Hidden Empire”. Thank you Dr. Pankhurst! |
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