Stephen Brooke, professor and chair of the Department of History, has been awarded the 2025 Wallace K. Ferguson Prize for his book London, 1984: Conflict and Change in the Radical City (Oxford University Press, 2024.) The prize is awarded each year by the Canadian Historical Association to recognize an outstanding scholarly book in a field of history other than Canadian history.
London, 1984 looks at tensions in London, England in the 1980s, particularly between members of the Labour Party and the Conservative-led British government. Using case studies, Brooke looks at the actions taken by institutions, associations and populations during this pivotal moment in London’s history. The book draws from numerous testimonies, including parliamentary debates, government publications, interviews with important figures and more.
The Canadian Historical Society gave the book a glowing review: “Brooke’s book is particularly pertinent in these worrying times. If democracy, he reminds us, is never a definitive victory and its gains, in the end, are always fragile, in the face of Goliath, David can still stand up: a very strong power never controls all fronts, and democratic ideals can still be defended and realized by the actors themselves, no matter how small they may be."
Professor Stephen Brooke received his Doctor of Philosophy from University of Oxford. His research interests include the social, cultural and political history of twentieth-century Britain. He is also the author of Sexual Politics: Sexuality, Family Planning and the British Left from the 1880s to the Present Day (Oxford, 2012).
Learn more about the book and the prize on the Canadian Historical Association website.