Benjamin Grob-Fitzgibbon Appointed to Cleveland C. Burton Professorship in International Studies

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Benjamin Grob-Fitzgibbon at Oxford during summer 2009, where he was a senior fellow in the Scholars-in-Residence Program, C.S. Lewis Foundation Study Center at the Kilns, Oxford, United Kingdom

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Dean William Schwab of the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas has appointed Benjamin Grob-Fitzgibbon the inaugural holder of the Cleveland C. Burton Professorship in International Studies.

Grob-Fitzgibbon, an assistant professor in the department of history, received his doctorate from Duke University in 2006. He is the author of two books, The Irish Experience during the Second World War: An Oral History and Turning Points of the Irish Revolution: The British Government, Intelligence, and the Cost of Indifference, 1912-1921, as well as a number of articles in journals such as The Historian, Terrorism and Political Violence, The Journal of Intelligence History and British Scholar. He has written several editorials on politics for the Northwest Arkansas Times.

In his current research, he is examining British counterinsurgency in the empire during decolonization. He teaches courses in British history, modern imperialism, and world history. He joined the University of Arkansas department of history in 2007 after serving as a visiting assistant professor at Duke University. In 2009, he was a senior fellow in the Scholars-in-Residence Program of the C.S. Lewis Foundation Study Center at the Kilns, Oxford, United Kingdom.

“Professor Grob-Fitzgibbon is a gifted historian whose keen understanding of revolution, terrorism and political insurgencies makes him an important voice in understanding the complex and volatile world we live in today. The endowed professorship will support important research projects as well as the leadership role as associate director he will assume in the Fulbright Institute of International Relations,” said Schwab.

Grob-Fitzgibbon has just signed a book contract with Palgrave-MacMillan, a leading international publisher in the field of British history. In his new book, Imperial Endgame: Britain's Dirty Wars and the End of Empire, Grob-Fitzgibbon explores British counterinsurgency efforts during decolonization in Palestine, Malaya, Kenya, Cyprus, Aden and Dhofar in the years 1945-1960. He argues that during this time, the British government developed an intentional imperial strategy of separating insurgents from the general colonial population — where the insurgents could be engaged without injury to civilians — while winning the hearts and minds of the vast majority of colonial subjects by practicing good governance, establishing social programs and revitalizing key infrastructure. Set against the backdrop of the Cold War, the government's aim was to ensure that upon eventual independence, these colonies would willingly remain within the Commonwealth rather than turning to the Soviet Union, and British influence would thus be maintained in those territories that once made up the British Empire.

Grob-Fitzgibbon is married to Amanda and has two children, Sophie, 4, and Isabel, 2.

The Burton Professorship was established through the estate of Cleveland Burton, which in addition to the professorship, provided funds for undergraduate fellowships in international studies and study abroad programs. The purpose of the professorship is to provide resources for the Fulbright College study abroad program through supporting the career development of the holder; building key relationships and student study abroad programs with universities across the globe; and defraying travel expenses for undergraduate research and study abroad through two Cleveland Burton Undergraduate Fellowships in International Studies.

The professorship and fellowships extend the legacy of Senator J. William Fulbright, after whom the international Fulbright Program is named. Today the world’s largest scholarship program for study abroad, the Fulbright Program is designed to increase understanding among nations through education and the free exchange of ideas.

After Cleveland Burton graduated from Fulbright College in 1941, he attended Harvard Law School. During this time, he joined the U.S. Army and served as a first lieutenant in World War II for four years. After returning and completing law school, he settled in Shreveport, where he met and married Edith Rigsby, who passed away before him. The two were married more than 50 years. Burton spent 25 years as an attorney with the firm of Lunn, Irion, Switzer, Johnson and Salley. He moved to Texarkana, Texas, in 2007 to live with his cousin, Julia Peck Mobley. He died in February 2008.