An intellectual biography of Eric Hobsbawm in the context of the history of global Marxism The former director of the CSMCH, Emile Chabal is currently working on an intellectual biography of Eric Hobsbawm in the context of the history of global Marxism. Using an ecletic and interdisciplinary approach - which combines a close reading of Hobsbawm's published work with an examination of personal papers, institutional archives, interviews and ethnographic material - this research addresses a number of key themes in twentieth-century history. Three of these run throughout the project: the role of the intellectual in British public life; the global imagination of twentieth-century Marxist politics; and the theoretical and stylistic foundations that underpin successful historical writing. This project has involved archival trips, fieldwork in Europe, Latin America and India, and oral history, and it has drawn on the expertise and collaboration of other Centre members, including deputy director Stephan Malinowski, postdoctoral researcher Anne Perez, and research student Iker Itoiz Ciáurriz. Amongst other things, this project has led to the publication of a number of articles on Hobsbawm, including a long essay on the comprehensive online Eric Hobsbawm Bibliography, which was launched in 2020 by Emile and members of the project team. This research has been funded by the Carnegie Trust Research Incentive Grant scheme and the AHRC Leadership Fellows scheme (grant number AH/P008720/1). This article was published on 2024-06-19
