John M. Merriman has been appointed the Charles Seymour Professor of History, by vote of the Yale Corporation.
A renowned historian, Professor Merriman is known particularly for his expertise on the economic, social and political history of France during the 19th century. His publications include "The Agony of the Republic: The Repression of the Left in Revolutionary France, 1848-51," "The Red City: Limoges and the French Nineteenth Century" and "The Margins of City Life: Explorations on the Nineteenth-Century Urban Frontier." Last year his "A History of Modern Europe since the Renaissance" was published in two volumes: "From the Renaissance to the Age of Napoleon" and "From the French Revolution to the Present." Professor Merriman also has edited or coedited several volumes, including "1830 in France," "Consciousness and Class Experience in Nineteenth-Century Europe," "For Want of a Horse: Chance and Humor in History" and "Edo and Paris: Urban Life and the State in the Early Modern Era" with J.L. McClain and U. Kaoru . He also has authored a number of articles and book chapters, and is currently completing a study of a village and its region in the Bas Vivarais. Titled "The State, the Municipal Police and the People in France During the First Half of the Nineteenth Century," the study will be published by Oxford University Press.
A sought-after lecturer, Professor Merriman has given many presentations in the United States, Canada and Europe on various aspects of his field. In addition to speaking at universities and to academic organizations, he has given several public presentations. In 1991, for example, he presented an overview of 19th-century cities and suburbs for Radio France Culture; he discussed the topic "Lyon and its Region" for the BBC's "Open University" in 1993; and last year he was featured in A&E Television's "Notre Dame in Paris."
At Yale, Professor Merriman is known for his work both in- and outside the classroom. He has been described as "an exciting lecturer" who encourages students to think critically and creatively about the past.
Professor Merriman was appointed to the Yale faculty in 1973 as assistant professor of history, a year after receiving his Ph.D. in history and sociology from the University of Michigan. He was named associate professor in 1978 and professor of history in 1983. He served as master of Branford College 1983-91 and was a resident fellow of Calhoun College 1974-75 and 1976-81. He chaired the Committee on Teaching in the Residential Colleges 1983-86, the Council on West European Studies 1978-82 and the Committee on International Education at Yale 1994-96. He has twice been a member of the Athletic Committee.
A fellow of the Whitney Humanities Center 1982-85, Professor Merriman has received a Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship, and a Morse Fellowship from Yale. He was named Directeur d'etudes associe a l'Ecole des Hautes-Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris, 1987. His professional affiliations include serving as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Humanities and on the editorial board of French Historical Studies, and membership in the American Historical Association and the French Historical Studies Association.