David Dean
Distinguished Research Professor and Professor Emeritus – public history (hi/storytelling through performance; historical representations in film, theatre, museums; historical controversies in the public sphere; transnational public history) and early modern England (early modern theatre, witchcraft, and political culture).
- B.A. (Auckland), M.A. (Auckland), Ph.D. (Cambridge)
- Email David Dean
Biography
David鈥檚 research explores the ways in which publics create and engage with the past and make histories in contemporary society. He is especially interested in history-telling as a multimodal global phenomenon, through theatre and performance, films, museum exhibits, living and virtual history sites, heritage (especially food) and collecting (particularly philately).
A second-generation Canadian of English ancestry, David鈥檚 BA and MA are from the University of Auckland, New Zealand and his PhD from Cambridge. He was Lecturer in History at Goldsmiths鈥 College, University of London for eleven years before coming to 杏吧原创 where he became Full Professor in 2000. David co-founded 杏吧原创鈥檚 Centre for Public History in 2002 serving as co-director for many years. Retired since July 2024, he continues to be an active historian; no longer taking on sole supervisions, he is available for co-supervision and graduate thesis committees.
History Work
David鈥檚 latest book (Routledge, 2025) argues that historians are dramaturges of the past. It builds on the prize winning edited collections e (Palgrave, 2020, with Yana Meerzon and Daniel McNeil) and (Palgrave, 2015, with Kathryn Prince and Yana Meerzon) and draws on his experiences as a theatre consultant and the teacher of a graduate seminar on narrativity and performance.
David has published widely on topics ranging from early modern parliaments, lotteries, and witchcraft to living histories, museums, monuments, and film. More theoretical works include an article on negotiating accuracy and authenticity in and a chapter on the 鈥榩ublic鈥 in public history in Joanna Woyden and Dorota Wi艣niewska (eds) (Routledge, 2021). His edited book (Wiley, 2018) has become an authoritative reference work in the field.
David has worked collaboratively on many community-based projects which have led to a variety of co-productions (exhibits, digital platforms, performances, podcasts, film, comics). Two recent examples are and . In 2025 he received the Historical Society of Ottawa鈥檚 Fran莽ois Bregha Storytelling Award for his leadership role in a project which tells local history through installations on traffic control boxes across Ottawa and a .
David co-edits , the official journal of the with Andreas Etges (Munich). He served two terms on the IFPH steering committee (2018-2024), is a Life-Member of Clare Hall, Cambridge, a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and President of the . Leading the SSHRC-funded project, 鈥淧hilately in Troubled Times鈥, he is co-editing (with Sociology鈥檚 Tonya Davidson) In Granite and Bronze: An Unofficial Guide to the Monuments of Canada鈥檚 National Capital (MQUP, 2026) and writing The Challenge of Public History for the Cambridge 鈥淓lements鈥 series.
Recent Graduate Students (2021-2024)
Rick Duthie, 鈥樷: A Public History Theatrical Experiment about Remembered Sudbury Strikes, 1958-2010鈥, PhD Dissertation, 2021 (co-supervised with John Walsh).
Holly Benison, 鈥淭he Backwoods Kitchen: An Exploration of 19th Century Canadian Culinary History on YouTube鈥 , MA Public History, 2024 (co-supervised with James Opp).
Nicholas Surges, 鈥溾楢 Heap of Broken Images鈥: Conflicting Accounts of the Mayerling Incident鈥, MA Public History, 2024 (co-supervised with Jennifer Evans)
Jackie Mahoney, 鈥溾楢 Great and Noble Life鈥: Performing Johanna van Gogh Bonger鈥, MA Public History, 2023.
Lisa Bullock 鈥溾業 learned it from a board game鈥: performing historical narratives in Expedition: Northwest Passage鈥, MA History, 2022 (co-supervised with Danielle Kinsey).
Meg Oldfield, 鈥淲omen are Persons! The History and Legacy of the Famous Five Monument鈥, MA Public History, 2022.
Meghan Newman, 鈥淎 Catholic Woman and A Catholic Queen: The Religiousity of Mary I, MA History, 2021 (co-supervised with Micheline White).
Valerie Wood, 鈥溾 and 鈥淚llustrating Adoption: The Making of Vee in Between鈥, MA Public History, 2021 (co-supervised with Laura Madokoro)