Whelpton, John Francis 1950-

PERSONAL:

Born March 24, 1950, in Nottingham, England; son of John Herbert and Florence Elizabeth Cook; married Rita Shuk Fun Chui, December 19, 1992; children: Janet. Ethnicity: British. Education: Trinity College, B.A., 1972, M.A., 1975; University of Manchester, diploma, 1986; University of London, Ph.D., 1987; University of Hong Kong, M.A., 1998. Hobbies and other interests: Reading, music, and hill walking.

ADDRESSES:

E-mail—jfwhelpt@hkstar.com.

CAREER:

Writer and English language educator. Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal, lecturer, 1972-74; Ministry of Defense, London, England, trainee, 1975-78, officer, 1978-81; Kiangsu-Chekiang College, Hong Kong, teacher, 1987-91; Cheung Sha Wan Catholic Secondary School, Hong Kong, teacher, 1991-96; Hong Kong Technical College, Hong Kong, China, lecturer, 1996-97; Baptist Lui Ming Choi Secondary School, Hong Kong, 1997—. Military service: Volunteer Service, 1974, as assistant field officer, Nepal.

MEMBER:

Association of Asian Studies, Nepal Studies Association, Britain Nepal Society.

WRITINGS:

Jang Bahadur in Europe: The First Nepalese Mission to the West, Sahayogi Press (Kathmandu, Nepal), 1983.

Nepal, Clio Press (Santa Barbara, CA), 1990.

Kings, Soldiers, and Priests: Nepalese Politics and the Rise of Jang Bahadur Rana, 1830-1857, Manohar Publications (New Delhi, India), 1991.

(Editor) Nationalism and Ethnicity in a Hindu Kingdom: The Politics of Culture in Contemporary Nepal, Harwood Academic Publishers (Amsterdam, Netherlands), 1997.

People, Politics & Ideology: Democracy and Social Change in Nepal, Mandala Book Point (Kathmandu, Nepal), 1999.

(Editor) A History of Nepal, Cambridge University Press (New York, NY), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS:

English language educator John Francis Whelpton was born March 24, 1950, in Nottingham, England, to John Herbert and Florence Elizabeth Cook. He married Rita Shuk Fun Chui December 19, 1992, and has one daughter, Janet. Whelpton graduated from Trinity College, Oxford University, with his B.A. in 1972 and his M.A. in 1975. He has a diploma, or first degree, from Manchester University, and a Ph.D. from the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies and, in 1998, he received his second master of arts degree from the University of Hong Kong in China. Whelpton has over twenty years of teaching experience and is a member of the Association of Asian Studies, the Nepal Studies Association, and the Britain Nepal Society. Whelpton's research interests lie in Nepalese social and political studies, and he has edited and written six texts on the subject, including Jang Bahadur in Europe: The FirstNepalese Mission to the West, Nepal, Kings, Soldiers, and Priests: Nepalese Politics and the Rise of Jang Bahadur Rana, 1830-1857, Nationalism and Ethnicity in a Hindu Kingdom: The Politics of Culture in Contemporary Nepal, People, Politics & Ideology: Democracy and Social Change in Nepal, and A History of Nepal.

Nationalism and Ethnicity in a Hindu Kingdom, published by Harwood Academic Publishers, is a collection of academic essays that explores modern Nepalese ethnic diversity and national identity. According to a review by Michael Allen in the Australian Journal of Anthropology, the book "takes a long-term view of the various processes of ethnic identity and national development, which have occurred both before and after 1990, and examines the ways that different political regimes have framed and attempted to control them." Furthermore, Allen noted, it "is truly thematic with a well defined focus on the important contemporary topics of ethnic identity and nationalism." Although the text focuses on modern Nepal, it covers a broad time range in an effort to provide a supporting historical context. Declan Quigley, a contributor to the Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, remarked of one essay in particular, "There is a marvelously evocative story here of the relationship between art and power as Burkert documents the appropriation of women's painting by male politicians intent on forging a Maithili artistic heritage through symbols which only a few years earlier either meant little to them or would have appeared contemptible because of their rustic overtones." Quigley also commented that he was "particularly struck" by portions of the content.

Likewise, A History of Nepal deliberately focuses on the nation's past, but it also traces the particular political processes and movements that have facilitated the shaping of the country and its people. Bob van der Linden called the history "a very measured and authoritatively written narrative" in his article for the Canadian Journal of History. Van der Linden observed that the work contains "such diverse topics as the geological formation of the Himalayas seventy million years ago, the major ethnic, caste and linguistic divisions, and state formation in the ancient and medieval periods," and "like most historians, Whelpton stresses the historical importance of Nepal as a buffer state between the two giants of India and China." Although Gerard Toffin, in a review for Contributions to Nepalese Studies, stated that the text contains large amounts of quoted material, he concluded: "On the whole, Whelpton's A History of Nepal is a valuable introduction to that country. It will be useful to all non-Nepalese specialists interested in South Asia; it gives a good and accurate account of the historical events and provides general information on a wide range of quite disparate topics."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Asian Affairs, November 1, 2005, Barney Smith, review of A History of Nepal, p. 397.

Australian Journal of Anthropology, August 1, 1998, Michael Allen, review of Nationalism and Ethnicity in a Hindu Kingdom: The Politics of Culture in Contemporary Nepal, p. 231.

Canadian Journal of History, September 22, 2006, Bob van der Linden, review of A History of Nepal, p. 417.

Choice, May 1, 1998, L.P. Fickett, review of Nationalism and Ethnicity in a Hindu Kingdom, p. 1601; March 1, 2006, W.W. Reinhardt, review of A History of Nepal, p. 1286.

Contributions to Nepalese Studies, July 1, 2005, Gerard Toffin, review of A History of Nepal, p. 323.

Journal of Asian Studies, August 1, 1999, James F. Fisher, review of Nationalism and Ethnicity in a Hindu Kingdom, p. 863.

Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, December 1, 1999, Declan Quigley, review of Nationalism and Ethnicity in a Hindu Kingdom, p. 660.

Reference & Research Book News, May 1, 2005, review of A History of Nepal, p. 53.

Times Higher Education Supplement, September 9, 2005, "Beyond the Lost Horizon Cliches," p. 28.