In Memoriam
Tyler Stovall: 1954–2021
Tyler Stovall was a renowned historian, professor, former Dean of Humanities at UC Santa Cruz, and former president of the American Historical Association. The author of 10 books and various articles on modern French history, Stovall was one of the first historians to engage in a critical analysis of race in France, challenging the self-congratulatory French myth that racism was an Anglo-Saxon problem. Stovall was among the first African Americans in the U.S. to achieve prominence as a European history scholar, and he provided encouragement and mentorship for other minority scholars.
Maya K. Peterson: 1980–2021
Maya K. Peterson, associate professor of history, was an internationally known scholar, talented and inspiring educator, and beloved friend to many. Her research engaged questions of health, the environment, and the transnational histories of science and technology in the modern era. Her first monograph, Pipe Dreams: Water and Empire in Central Asia's Aral Sea Basin (2019), was a finalist for the Central Eurasian Studies Society’s Award for Best Book in History and the Humanities. Maya taught courses on Russian and European history, environmental history, and the history of the Silk Road.
Buchanan Sharp: 1942–2020
Buchanan Sharp, professor emeritus of history, was an integral and beloved member of the UC Santa Cruz community for forty years. He taught an extensive range of courses, including early modern Europe, the Dutch republic, Scotland, and even California. His research focused upon food, poverty, and popular resistance. Buchanan's final work, Famine and Scarcity in Late Medieval and early Modern England (2016) was described by a prominent Oxford University historian as "an indispensable source for historians working on every aspect of medieval and early modern market regulation."
Dilip Basu: 1938–2016
Dilip K. Basu, professor emeritus of history and research professor of humanities, was the founding director of the Satyajit Ray Film and Study Center. Dilip received international recognition for his vital role in the recovery and restoration of Ray’s films. He also helped establish the Ali Akbar Khan Endowment in Classical Indian Music and the Hasan Endowed Chair in Hindustani Music at UC Santa Cruz. Shortly after joining UC Santa Cruz in 1971, Dilip co-founded Oakes College in 1972. He taught courses on European imperialism in East Asia, South Asian history, and Indian cinema.
