Faculty of Business, Humanities and Social Sciences | School of Humanities and Social Sciences | Economics and International Studies

Prof Geoffrey Alderman

Emeritus Professor

Contact me

Professor Geoffrey Alderman, Professor of History and Politics at The University of Buckingham, the UK's favourite university

Professor Geoffrey Alderman studied history at Oxford, where his teachers included Sir Martin Gilbert, AJP Taylor and Dr Cecil Roth. From 1972 until 1994 Professor Alderman taught History and Politics in the University of London, where he was promoted to a Personal Chair in 1989.

From 1989 until 1994 Professor Alderman was Chairman of the Academic Council of the University of London and (1992-93) Pro Vice-Chancellor for Academic Standards. In 1994 Professor Alderman accepted an appointment as quality supremo at Middlesex University, where he became Pro Vice-Chancellor (Quality & Standards). In 1999 Professor Alderman crossed the Atlantic to become Vice-President of Touro College, New York, and in 2002 he re-crossed the Atlantic to become Senior Vice-President of American InterContinental University London (2002-6). Professor Alderman is currently a Visiting Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies and Michael Gross Professor of Politics & Contemporary History at The University of Buckingham.

Professor Alderman is the author and co-author of some 17 books, including British Jewry since Emancipation (University of Buckingham Press, 2014). A prize-winning journalist, he writes irregularly for The Guardian, Spectator, Times Higher Education and the Jewish Chronicle and regularly for the Jewish Telegraph.

Geoffrey Alderman teaches History and Politics at The University of Buckingham.

Publications

Books

Alderman, G. The History of Hackney Downs School (London: Clove Club, 1971)

Alderman, G. The Railway Interest (Leicester: Leicester University Press, 1973; reprinted by Gregg Revivals, 1993)

Alderman, G. British Elections: Myth and Reality (London: Batsford, 1978)

Alderman, G. The Jewish Community in British Politics (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1983)

Alderman, G. Pressure Groups and Government in Great Britain (London: Longman, 1984; 2nd impression 1987)

Alderman, G. Modern Britain 1700-1983: A Domestic History (London: Croom Helm 1986; reprinted 1987)

Alderman, G. The Federation of Synagogues, 1887-1987 (London: Federation of Synagogues, 1987)

Alderman, G. London Jewry and London Politics 1889-1986 (London: Routledge, 1989)

Alderman, G. Britain: A One-Party State? (London: Christopher Helm, 1989)

Alderman, G. Modern British Jewry (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992; 2nd ed. 1998)

Alderman, G. Controversy and Crisis: Studies in the History of the Jews in Modern Britain (Brighton MA: Academic Studies Press, 2008)

Alderman, G.  The Communal Gadfly (Brighton MA: Academic Studies Press, 2009)

Alderman, G.  Hackney Downs 1876-1995: The Life and Death of a School (Whittlebury: Clove Club, 2012)

Alderman, G.  British Jewry since Emancipation (Buckingham: University of Buckingham Press, 2014)

Alderman, G.  The Federation of Synagogues: A New History (Federation of Synagogues) [forthcoming]

Edited books

Alderman, G. (editor and contributor), Governments, Ethnic Groups and Political Representation (Aldershot: European Science Foundation and Dartmouth Publishing, 1993)

Alderman, G. (editor and contributor) & C. Holmes, Outsiders and Outcasts: Essays in Honour of William J. Fishman (London: Duckworth, 1993)

Alderman, G. (ed.). New Directions in Anglo-Jewish History (Brighton MA: Academic Studies Press, 2010)

Other independent studies

Alderman, G. The History of the Hendon Synagogue 1928-1978 (London, 1978)

Alderman, G. The Jewish Vote in Great Britain since 1945 (University of Strathclyde Studies in Public Policy no.72, 1980)

Alderman, G. & G. Hudes. The Jewish Shops Panel: A Guide for Jewish Market Traders (Scott Markets Ltd., 1981)

Alderman, G. Anglo-Jewry: A suitable case for treatment (privately published, 1990) [Inaugural Lecture delivered 17 Oct. 1989]

Alderman, G. Academic Duty and Communal Obligation: Some Thoughts on the Writing of Anglo-Jewish History (Centre for Jewish Studies, University of London, 1994)

Alderman, G. The Holocaust: Why Did Anglo-Jewry Stand Idly By? (Graduate School of Jewish Studies, Touro College, New York, 2001)

Other editorships

1986-89: Editor of “Vital Issues in Britain“, a series of paperback monographs, published by Christopher Helm, covering topical issues in contemporary British politics and society.

1998-2004: Associate Editor in charge of post-1800 Jewish entries, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (OUP, 2004)

Refereed articles and essays (since 2008)

Alderman, G. & C. Holmes. “The Burton Book”, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society 18.1 (January 2008), 1-13

Alderman, G.  “‘Jews, Judaism and English Law”, in  Sharia: A Way Of Life (London: Islamic Shari’a Council, 2008) [6 pp]

Alderman, G. “Cecil Roth: A Personal Appraisal”, in G. Alderman (ed.), Crisis & Controversy: Studies in the History of the Jews in Modern Britain (Boston MA: Academic Studies Press, 2008), 355-362

Alderman, G. “Defining and measuring academic standards: A British perspective”, Higher Education Management & Policy 21.3 (November 2009), 1-14

Alderman, G.  “British Zionism: An Interpretative Survey“, in Allon Gal (ed), World Regional Zionism: Geo-Cultural Dimensions (Jerusalem: Zalman Shazar Center for Jewish History, & Ben Gurion University of the Negev, 3 vols, 2010), vol. III, 13-34 [Hebrew]

Alderman, G. “Reflections: Change, quality and standards in British higher education”, Journal of Change Management 10.3 (Sep. 2010), 243-252

Alderman, G. “Jews and electoral politics in the United Kingdom: A contemporary note”, Jewish Journal of Sociology 52 (2010), 69-74

Alderman, G. “Miliband’s Pact With The Devil”, Manna 110 (Winter 2011), 2-3

Alderman, G.  with D. Palfreyman, “The Birth of the Marketplace in English Higher Education: A Rough Guide”, Oxford Magazine (Second Week, Hilary Term 2011), 6-8 [reprinted in Perspectives: Policy & Practice in Higher Education (June 2011), 1-5]

Ioannidis, G. & G. Alderman, “Freedom of expression and public criticism of officials”, World Sports Law Report (WSLR) 2011, 9(4), 11-13

Alderman, G.  “The Coalition Government’s Proposed Assault on Institutional Autonomy in English Higher Education”, Oxford Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies Occasional Paper No. 42 (September 2011) [reprinted in Oxford Magazine, no.315 (Michaelmas Term 2011), 3-6]

Alderman, G.  “Educational Oversight? The Incursion of the UK Border Agency into the Quality Assurance of Higher Education Programmes”, Oxford Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies Occasional Paper No. 43 (May 2012) [6pp]

Alderman, G.  “London Jewry and the London Mayoral Election of 2012: A Note”, Jewish Journal of Sociology 54 (2012), 87-92

Alderman, G. “How the Home Office became a regulator of higher education in England”, in P. John & J. Fanghanel (eds), Dimensions of marketisation in higher education (Abingdon: Routledge, 2016), ch.11

Alderman, G. “Academic duty and communal obligation revisited”, in J. Craig-Norton, C. Hoffmann & T. Kushner (eds), Essays in Honour of Colin Holmes (Routledge, forthcoming)

Alderman, G. “Jews in Britain: A historical overview”, in D. Fraser (ed.), Leeds and its Jewish Communities (Manchester University Press, forthcoming).

Full list of refereed articles and essays since 1970

Non-refereed output (since 2014)

‘Yakobson’s plan: naïve, dumb,’ Jewish Chronicle, 03 January 2014, 27
‘Great wounds of the Great War,’ Jewish Chronicle, 10 January 2014, 31
‘How not to love thy neighbour,’ Jewish Chronicle, 17 January 2014, 27
‘Off the record, but it was true,’ Jewish Chronicle, 24 January 2014, 37
‘Answer to politicians’ prayers,’ Jewish Chronicle, 31 January 2014, 39
‘Why I’m out of commission,’ Jewish Chronicle, 07 February 2014, 37
‘North-easterly wind of change,’ Jewish Chronicle, 14 February 2014, 29
‘A chilling logic and an ill wind,’ Jewish Chronicle, 21 February 2014, 29
‘Why I support the Green Liners,’ Jewish Chronicle, 28 February 2014, 33
‘I’m not impressed, I’m stunned,’ Jewish Chronicle, 07 March 2014, 29
‘I can’t vote there, but if I could …,’ Jewish Chronicle, 14 March 2014, 29
‘We can’t say we weren’t warned,’ Jewish Chronicle, 21 March 2014, 35
‘Benn and Crow: unmourned?,’ Jewish Chronicle, 28 March 2014, 35
‘Ukraine’s Jewish dimension,’ Jewish Chronicle, 04 April 2014, 43
‘After sharia, there is halachah,’ Jewish Chronicle, 11 April 2014, 39
‘It’s not Pesach that costs, really,’ Jewish Chronicle, 18 April 2014, 27
‘Therapists in need of therapy,’ Jewish Chronicle, 25 April 2014, 25
‘All about the beards and bees,’ Jewish Chronicle, 02 May 2014, 31
‘When I was just an Alderboy,’ Jewish Chronicle, 09 May 2014, 29
‘Abbas never intended to deal,’ Jewish Chronicle, 16 May 2014, 27
‘ADL report: the lessons to learn,’ Jewish Chronicle, 23 May 2014, 29
‘Where there’s Brass, there’s …,’ Jewish Chronicle, 30 May 2014, 33
‘These shamefully high salaries,’ Jewish Chronicle, 06 June 2014, 35
‘Mirvis missed this opportunity,’ Jewish Chronicle, 13 June 2014, 29
‘Aboard the Trojan bandwagon,’ Jewish Chronicle, 20 June 2014, 33
‘Creation of curricular havoc,’ Jewish Chronicle, 27 June 2014, 33
‘Shift from fads and whims,’ Jewish Chronicle, 04 July 2014, 31
‘Cynical exploitation of tragedy,’ Jewish Chronicle, 11 July 2014, 31
‘A new voice in the Middle East,’ Jewish Chronicle, 18 July 2014, 27
‘When Unite pulls the strings,’ Jewish Chronicle, 25 July 2014, 31
‘Death of the two state solution,’ Jewish Chronicle, 01 August 2014, 29
‘So sue me, Mister President,’ Jewish Chronicle, 08 August 2014, 29
‘The baroness’s real agenda,’ Jewish Chronicle, 15 August 2014, 29
‘Richter scale of antisemitism,’ Jewish Chronicle, 22 August 2014, 35
‘UN’s Schabas: an open mind?’ Jewish Chronicle, 29 August 2014, 29
‘Foolish question of who won,’ Jewish Chronicle, 05 September 2014, 45
‘Spite that lies behind the labels,’ Jewish Chronicle, 12 September 2014, 49
‘TUC’s severance of a strong link,’ Jewish Chronicle, 19 September 2014, 71
‘Abundant southern comforts,’ Jewish Chronicle, 26 September 2014, 51
‘How and why to vote with care,’ Jewish Chronicle, 03 October 2014, 45
‘Let children open their eyes,’ Jewish Chronicle, 10 October 2014, 31
‘How dare he question our laws,’ Jewish Chronicle, 17 October 2014, 31
‘An illiterate way to grab votes,’ Jewish Chronicle, 24 October 2014, 37
‘A wholly unhappy marriage,’ Jewish Chronicle, 31 October 2014, 39
‘Why are Jews not free to pray?’ Jewish Chronicle, 07 November 2014, 43
‘Sorry Will Self, but you ARE a Jew,’ Jewish Chronicle, 14 November 2014, 33
‘HEi-think: Quality watchdog “has failed to protect HE standards”‘, Mediafhe.com, 21 November 2014
‘Why I’d never vote for Yachad,’ Jewish Chronicle, 21 November 2014, 39
‘Feed this misplaced sense of victimhood,’ The Journal, 24 November 2014, 19
‘Your money and their hatred,’ Jewish Chronicle, 28 November 2014, 29
‘This football fuss is a bit rich,’ Jewish Chronicle, 05 December 2014, 31
‘Obama’s bid for the Knesset,’ Jewish Chronicle, 12 December 2014, 43
‘Failed by such a shoddy ruling,’ Jewish Chronicle, 19 December 2014, 33
‘An extremist over-reaction,’ Jewish Chronicle, 26 December 2014, 27
‘HEi-think: Home Office seeks control of HE through Student “nuclear threat,”’, Mediafhe.com, January 2015
‘A home delivery for my papers,’ Jewish Chronicle, 02 January 2015, 27
‘Here’s how politicians can convince British Jews that they have a future in the UK,’ Spectator, 14 January 2015
‘Antisemitism: the half-truth,’ Jewish Chronicle, 09 January 2015, 25
‘The awkward question of who’ll win the Board’s vote,’ Jewish Chronicle, 16 January 2015, 51
‘Time to stop the point-scoring,’ Jewish Chronicle, 23 January 2015, 35
Would a university hide a scholar who had committed a crime?Times Higher Education, 29 January 2015
‘Synagogues behaving badly,’ Jewish Chronicle, 30 January 2015, 35
‘HMD’s shameful untold story,’ Jewish Chronicle, 06 February 2015, 29
‘How we could have a key say in May,’ Jewish Chronicle, 06 February 2015, 6
‘The Times leaves me stunned,’ Jewish Chronicle, 13 February 2015, 35
‘Israel has become a life-insurance policy for many British Jews,’ Spectator, 16 February 2014
‘Bibi’s right to address Congress,’ Jewish Chronicle, 20 February 2015, 35
‘Mirvis must tackle this disgrace,’ Jewish Chronicle, 27 February 2015, 33
‘If “non-violent extremists” can’t express their views at universities, where can they?’ Spectator, 04 March 2015
‘Danes who are not so great,’ Jewish Chronicle, 06 March 2015, 37
‘Is this a fit legacy for the Board?’ Jewish Chronicle, 13 March 2015, 39
‘Southampton conference – should Zionists take part?’ Jewish Chronicle, 20 March 2015, 8
‘The kashrut war of cultures,’ Jewish Chronicle, 20 March 2015, 43
‘University’s lesson in bigotry,’ Jewish Chronicle, 27 March 2015, 55
‘Racists seeking to destroy Israel,’ Jewish Chronicle, 03 April 2015, 39
‘An own goal in Southampton,’ Jewish Chronicle, 10 April 2015, 29
‘My word, is it a turning point?’ Jewish Chronicle, 17 April 2015, 35
‘The obscenity of extravagance,’ Jewish Chronicle, 24 April 2015, 35
‘HEi-think: Universities face tough decisions over freedom of speech,’ Mediafhe.com, May 2015
‘Too cross with making a cross,’ Jewish Chronicle, 01 May 2015, 37
‘Finally, our vote’s come of age,’ Jewish Chronicle, 08 May 2015, 31
‘An Orthodox crisis of legitimacy,’ Jewish Chronicle, 15 May 2015, 39
‘Time is not on the Board’s side,’ Jewish Chronicle, 22 May 2015, 33
‘Cooking up a religious storm,’ Jewish Chronicle, 29 May 2015, 31
‘Is Cameron really a best friend?’ Jewish Chronicle, 05 June 2015, 35
‘Charedi ghetto’s flimsy walls,’ Jewish Chronicle, 12 June 2015, 37
‘Betrayed by a Supreme error,’ Jewish Chronicle, 19 June 2015, 31
‘Face up to an unhealthy truth,’ Jewish Chronicle, 26 June 2015, 39
‘Freedom for neo-Nazi idiots,’ Jewish Chronicle, 03 July 2015, 31
‘A raid on Entebbe’s legacy,’ Jewish Chronicle, 10 July 2015, 35
‘Hats off to Hackney’s Holy Joe,’ Jewish Chronicle, 17 July 2015, 31
‘Secrets should stay hidden,’ Jewish Chronicle, 24 July 2015, 33
‘Corbyn win could have benefit,’ Jewish Chronicle, 31 July 2015, 27
‘Trade unions should foot the bill for any economic damage they cause,’ Spectator, 05 August 2015
‘Stopover needs to be the start,’ Jewish Chronicle, 07 August 2015, 29
‘Obama’s false Iran alternative,’ Jewish Chronicle, 14 August 2015, 25
‘Time to right a grievous wrong,’ Jewish Chronicle, 21 August 2015, 25
There is an age issue …,’ Times Higher Education, 03 September 2015, 36-37
‘Is the royal prayer outdated?’ Jewish Chronicle, 28 August 2015, 33
‘Beware of the hot-air fascists,’ Jewish Chronicle, 04 September 2015, 41
‘Why join a House of Disgrace?’ Jewish Chronicle, 11 September 2015, 79
‘Sinister truth of a terrorist myth,’ Jewish Chronicle, 18 September 2015, 47
‘Not lies but damned statistics,’ Jewish Chronicle, 25 September 2015, 41
‘A high degree of foolishness,’ Jewish Chronicle, 02 October 2015, 35
‘Corbyn and the racist mob,’ Jewish Chronicle, 09 October 2015, 33
‘Khan: a friend and boycotter,’ Jewish Chronicle, 16 October 2015, 33
‘A lecturer’s unqualified bias,’ Jewish Chronicle. 23 October 2015, 35
‘Orthodoxy grows complacent,’ Jewish Chronicle, 30 October 2015, 39
‘Netanyahu’s burden of blame,’ Jewish Chronicle, 06 November 2015, 35
‘In danger of conning ourselves,’ Jewish Chronicle, 13 November 2015, 35
‘A man who deserves banning,’ Jewish Chronicle, 20 November 2015, 37
‘Are we really still polls apart? , Jewish Chronicle, 27 November 2015, 39
‘Why I have faith in this Pope,’ Jewish Chronicle, 04 December 2015, 35
‘Is it really a sin to be his son,?’ Jewish Chronicle, 11 December 2015, 29
‘Stop moaning and start doing,’ Jewish Chronicle, 18 December 2015, 31
[Legacy of Greville Janner], Jewish Chronicle, 25 December 2015
‘A Bixenspanner in the works,’ Jewish Chronicle, 25 December 2015, 29
‘Good but misguided intentions,’ Jewish Chronicle, 01 January 2015, 29
‘Stain a soap failed to remove,’ Jewish Chronicle, 08 January 2015, 35
‘A sinister new imperialism,’ Jewish Chronicle, 15 January 2015, 35
‘Unequal definitions of equality,’ Jewish Chronicle, 22 January 2015, 43
‘Violating our freedom to think,’ Jewish Chronicle, 29 January 2016, 35
Social inequality is a problem but universities can’t solve it alone,’ Spectator, 02 February 2016
‘The UN’s scandalous hypocrisy,’ Jewish Chronicle, 05 February 2016, 33
‘Holes in the Wall’s consensus,’ Jewish Chronicle, 12 February 2016, 37
‘Fences still need to be mended,’ Jewish Chronicle, 19 February 2016, 33
‘Ethics has nothing to do with it,’ Jewish Chronicle, 26 February 2016, 35
‘Why Brexit will be best for us,’ Jewish Chronicle, 04 March 2016, 35
‘Cameron’s Jerusalem syndrome,’ Jewish Chronicle, 11 March 2016, 37
‘A debate of unseemly hostility,’ Jewish Chronicle, 18 March 2016, 39
‘Expel Labour’s enemy within,’ Jewish Chronicle, 25 March 2016, 33
‘Time to emulate Bibi’s method,’ Jewish Chronicle, 01 April 2016, 29
‘Towards a helpful definition,’ Jewish Chronicle, 08 April 2016, 39
‘An unorthodox way to reform,’ Jewish Chronicle, 15 April 2016, 45
‘Illegality and intemperance,’ Jewish Chronicle, 22 April 2016, 39
‘Views on Jews are often skewed,’ Jewish Chronicle, 29 April 2016, 31
‘The real Opposition problem,’ Jewish Chronicle, 06 May 2016, 39
‘Inquiry will conclude in silence,’ Jewish Chronicle, 13 May 2016, 33
‘Enslaved by prejudiced history,’ Jewish Chronicle, 20 May 2016, 33
‘Some evidence for the Inquiry,’ Jewish Chronicle, 27 May 2016, 31
‘Death penalty not the answer,’ Jewish Chronicle, 03 June 2016, 37
Self-regulation by UK universities is dead. Whose fault is it?Times Higher Education, 09 June 2016, 28-29
‘Jewish critic of all things Jewish,’ Jewish Chronicle, 10 June 2016, 41
‘Why Netanyahu courts Putin,’ Jewish Chronicle, 17 June 2016, 41
Why Jeremy Corbyn is absolutely right not to resign as Labour leader,’ Spectator, 30 June 2016
‘Writing this column has been a privilege,’ Jewish Chronicle, 24 June 2016, 39
‘Is the ability to make money really so bad?” Jewish Telegraph, 01 July 2016, 12
‘Is Cameron really such a good friend of Israel?’ Jewish Telegraph, 15 July 2016, 11
‘Has Corbyn distorted facts to suit himself?’ Jewish Telegraph, 29 July 2016, 11
Will Labour finally stop sweeping anti-Semitism under the carpet?Spectator, 06 August 2016
‘No Jews in the Cabinet? It’s Good News and Bad News,’ Jewish Telegraph, 12 August 2016, 12
‘Black Lives Matter Racist to the Core Against Israel,’ Jewish Telegraph, 26 August 2016, 11
Make trouble for the essay mills,’ Times Higher Education, 01 September 2016
‘Has British aid helped to fund terror tunnels?’ Jewish Telegraph, 09 September 2016, 12
‘Freedom of expression: does it exist for Jewry?’ Jewish Telegraph, 23 September 2016, 16
‘Battle of Cable Street was massive own goal,’ Jewish Telegraph, 07 October 2006, 10
‘Revisit Labour origins to find some answers,’ Jewish Telegraph, 21 October 2016, 10
The ‘Alan Turing law’ and the danger of trying to rewrite the past,’ Spectator, 24 October 2016
‘Chutzpa when eateries can’t say they’re kosher,’ Jewish Telegraph, 04 November 2016, 14
‘UNESCO lies: Church silence is deafening,’ Jewish Telegraph, 18 November 2016

Full list of non-refereed output since 1974

Professor Alderman has also contributed numerous reviews to journals such as The English Historical Review, The American Historical Review, Political Studies, Public Administration, Population Studies, Albion, The London Journal, Immigrants & Minorities, The Jewish Quarterly, Manna, Times Higher Education, Ethnic & Racial Studies, The Bulletin of the Society for the Study of Labour History, History Today, the Guardian and The Jewish Journal of Sociology. When requested he acts as referee for articles being considered for publication in journals such as The American Historical Review, Political Studies, Politics, The Jewish Journal of Sociology, Studies in Higher Education, Diplomacy and Statecraft, Higher Education Quarterly and the British Journal of Political Science.

Selected Publications

  • Geoffrey Alderman et al., “Freedom of expression and public criticism of officials”
  • Geoffrey Alderman, “Jews and electoral politics in the United Kingdom: A contemporary note”
  • Geoffrey Alderman, The Communal Gadfly
  • New Directions in Anglo-Jewish History (Brighton MA: Academic Studies Press, 2010)
  • “British Zionism: An interpretative survey” in A. Gal (ed.), World regional Zionism: Geo-cultural dimensions (Jerusalem: Zalman Shazar Centre for Jewish History, 2010), voll.III, 13-34
  • Alderman, G., British Jewry since Emancipation (Buckingham: University of Buckingham Press, 2014)
<< Back to the directory