Overview
Background
Ian Hesketh is Associate Professor of History in the School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry at the University of Queensland. Most broadly, his research considers the relationship between history, science, and religion with a focus on nineteenth-century Britain. More specifically, he has written extensively on the Darwinian Revolution, nineteenth-century physics, and large-scale forms of history from the nineteenth century to the present. His latest books include A History of Big History (Cambridge University Press, 2023) and, the edited collection, Imagining the Darwinian Revolution: Historical Narratives of Evolution from the Nineteenth Century to the Present (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2022). He is currently writing a monograph entitled "The Making of Darwin, Darwinians, and Darwinism."
He teaches courses on historiography (HIST2312; HUMN6600), revolutions in history (HIST2024), American history (HIST2023), and British history (HIST2417).
Availability
- Associate Professor Ian Hesketh is:
- Available for supervision
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Arts, Okanagan University College
- Masters (Coursework), York University
- Doctor of Philosophy, York University
Research interests
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History of Science
Darwin and Darwinism; John Tyndall and Victorian physics
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Historiography
History of large-scale forms of history-writing (e.g. Big History)
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Victorian Britain
History of Victorian ideas
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Science and Religion
Works
Search Professor Ian Hesketh’s works on UQ eSpace
2021
Journal Article
Narratives of Charles Darwin down under
Hesketh, Ian (2021). Narratives of Charles Darwin down under. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A, 88, 303-311. doi: 10.1016/j.shpsa.2021.06.007
2021
Other Outputs
Guide to the classics: Darwin’s The Descent of Man 150 years on — sex, race and our ‘lowly’ ape ancestry
Hesketh, Ian and Meiring, Henry-James (2021, 02 25). Guide to the classics: Darwin’s The Descent of Man 150 years on — sex, race and our ‘lowly’ ape ancestry The Conversation
2020
Other Outputs
How a 150-year-old experiment with a beam of light showed germs exist – and that a face mask can help filter them out
Hesketh, Ian (2020, 04 20). How a 150-year-old experiment with a beam of light showed germs exist – and that a face mask can help filter them out The Conversation
2020
Journal Article
The first Darwinian: Alfred Russel Wallace and the meaning of Darwinism
Hesketh, Ian (2020). The first Darwinian: Alfred Russel Wallace and the meaning of Darwinism. Journal of Victorian Culture, 25 (2), 171-184. doi: 10.1093/jvcult/vcz042
2020
Other Outputs
How Darwin’s sexual selection theory co-stars in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’
Hesketh, Ian (2020, 01 29). How Darwin’s sexual selection theory co-stars in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ The Conversation 1-1.
2019
Book Chapter
From Copernicus to Darwin to you: history and the meaning(s) of evolution
Hesketh, Ian (2019). From Copernicus to Darwin to you: history and the meaning(s) of evolution. Rethinking history, science, and religion: an exploration of conflict and the complexity principle. (pp. 191-205) edited by Bernard Lightman. Pittsburgh, PA, United States: University of Pittsburgh Press.
2019
Book Chapter
Evolution, ethics, and the Metaphysical Society, 1869-1875
Hesketh, Ian (2019). Evolution, ethics, and the Metaphysical Society, 1869-1875. The Metaphysical Society (1869-1880): intellectual life in mid-Victorian England. (pp. 185-203) edited by Catherine Marshall, Bernard Lightman and Richard England. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.
2018
Journal Article
A big history of the future: Homo Deus: a brief history of tomorrow
Hesketh, Ian (2018). A big history of the future: Homo Deus: a brief history of tomorrow. Sydney Review of Books
2018
Journal Article
Prodding, proofreading, and persistence; or, tales from an Isis proofreader
Hesketh, Ian (2018). Prodding, proofreading, and persistence; or, tales from an Isis proofreader. Newsletter of the History of Science Society, 47 (2), 8-10.
2018
Journal Article
John Robert Seeley, natural religion, and the Victorian conflict between science and religion
Hesketh, Ian (2018). John Robert Seeley, natural religion, and the Victorian conflict between science and religion. Journal of the History of Ideas, 79 (2), 309-329. doi: 10.1353/jhi.2018.0018
2018
Journal Article
Review of: Gillian Beer, Alice in space: the sideways Victorian world of Lewis Carroll
Hesketh, Ian (2018). Review of: Gillian Beer, Alice in space: the sideways Victorian world of Lewis Carroll. Isis, 109 (1), 189-191.
2018
Book Chapter
The gendering of history
Hesketh, Ian (2018). The gendering of history. Gender: time. (pp. 103-115) edited by Karin Sellberg. Farmington Hills, MI United States: Macmillan Reference USA/Gale Group Thomson Learning.
2018
Book Chapter
The future evolution of "Man"
Hesketh, Ian (2018). The future evolution of "Man". Historicizing humans: deep time, evolution, and race in nineteenth-century British sciences. (pp. 193-217) edited by Efram Sera-Shriar. Pittsburgh, PA USA: University of Pittsburgh Press. doi: 10.2307/j.ctv14h5j8.12
2018
Book
The correspondence of John Tyndall, vol. 4: the correspondence, January 1853 - December 185
Ian Hesketh and Efram Sera-Shriar eds. (2018). The correspondence of John Tyndall, vol. 4: the correspondence, January 1853 - December 185. Pittsburgh, PA USA: University of Pittsburgh Press.
2017
Journal Article
The evolutionary epic
Hesketh, Ian (2017). The evolutionary epic. Victorian Review, 41 (2), 35-39. doi: 10.1353/vcr.2015.0014
2017
Journal Article
Darwinism as Religion: What Literature Tells Us About Evolution
Hesketh, Ian (2017). Darwinism as Religion: What Literature Tells Us About Evolution. Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews
2016
Journal Article
Review of: Sarah C. Alexander, Victorian literature and the physics of the imponderable
Hesketh, Ian (2016). Review of: Sarah C. Alexander, Victorian literature and the physics of the imponderable. Isis, 107 (4), 868-869. doi: 10.1086/689422
2016
Journal Article
Introduction: evolution and historical explanation
Harrison, Peter and Hesketh, Ian (2016). Introduction: evolution and historical explanation. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, 58, 1-7. doi: 10.1016/j.shpsc.2015.12.010
2016
Journal Article
Counterfactuals and history: contingency and convergence in histories of science and life
Hesketh, Ian (2016). Counterfactuals and history: contingency and convergence in histories of science and life. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C :Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, 58, 41-48. doi: 10.1016/j.shpsc.2015.12.015
2015
Journal Article
Review of James Anthony Froude: An Intellectual Biography of a Victorian Prophet
Hesketh, Ian (2015). Review of James Anthony Froude: An Intellectual Biography of a Victorian Prophet. Irish Studies Review, 23 (3), 365-367. doi: 10.1080/09670882.2015.1051763
Funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Associate Professor Ian Hesketh is:
- Available for supervision
Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
John Tyndall: Science and the State in Victorian Britain
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Geoff Ginn
Completed supervision
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
Reading Morals: Charles Darwin and the Descent of Morality
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Peter Harrison
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2025
Doctor Philosophy
Female Troubles: Reproductive 'Dysfunction' and Medical Control in Mid-Twentieth Century Australia
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Peter Cryle, Professor Lisa Featherstone
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2017
Doctor Philosophy
The Origins of the "Conflict Thesis": Draper, White, and the Protestant Tradition
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Tom Aechtner, Emeritus Professor Peter Harrison
Media
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