John E. Flint Explained

John E. Flint (17 May 1930 – 29 August 2021) was a historian of Dalhousie University who was known for his work on the history of colonialism in Africa.

Early life

John Edgar Flint was born in Montreal, Canada to Alfred Edgar Flint and Sarah Flint (née Pickup).^[1] He received his advanced education in England, graduating from Cambridge University (MA) and London University (PhD).^[2]

Career

Flint was a member of the faculty of Dalhousie University for 27 years.^[3] He wrote biographies of George Taubman Goldie,^[4] which was a reworking of his PhD thesis, and Cecil Rhodes, and he edited volume five of The Cambridge History of Africa, dealing with the period c.1790 to c.1870.^[5]

In 2001, a Festschrift was published in Flint's honour under the title Agency and action in colonial Africa: Essays for John E. Flint.^{[6] [7]}

Family

Flint had a son Richard who was a disability rights campaigner and a daughter Helen who was a novelist and poet. Both died young due to the inherited degenerative condition cerebellar ataxia.^[8]

Selected publications

• Sir George Goldie and the making of Nigeria. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1960.
• Nigeria and Ghana. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1966.
• Books on the British Empire and Commonwealth: A guide for students. Oxford University Press, London, 1968.
• Perspectives of empire: Essays in British imperial history presented to Gerald Sandford Graham. Prentice Hall Press, 1973. (Editor with Glyndwr Williams)
• Cecil Rhodes. Little Brown, 1974.
• The Cambridge history of Africa Volume 5: From c.1790 to c.1870. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1977. (Editor)

Further reading

• Agency and action in colonial Africa: Essays for John E. Flint. Edited by Chris Youé and Tim Stapleton, Palgrave Macmillan, 2001.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Obituary for John Edgar Flint . Hulse, Playfair & McGarry . 2 January 2024.
2. Youé, Chris and Tim Stapleton, "John Flint and agency in history" in Chris Youé and Tim Stapleton (Eds.) Agency and action in colonial Africa: Essays for John E. Flint. Palgrave Macmillan, 2001. p. 3.
3. Web site: Reference at www.mun.ca.
4. Gunn. Iain. October 1961. Sir George Goldie and the Making of Nigeria. African Affairs. en. 60. 241. 546–547. 10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a094927. 1468-2621.
5. Web site: Cambridge history africa volume 5 Regional history after 1500 Cambridge University Press.
6. Web site: Agency and Action in Colonial Africa SpringerLink.
7. Austen. Ralph A.. 2002. Review of Agency and Action in Colonial Africa: Essays for John E. Flint, Chris Youé. The International History Review. 24. 3. 658–660. 40110219.
8. Web site: Obituary: Richard Flint. Peck. Christopher. 2007-10-21. The Guardian. en. 2018-09-03.