Victoria Schofield

Rosemary Victoria Schofield is a British author, biographer, and historian.[1] Her most recent books are a two volume history of the Black Watch[2][3] and a biography of John Wheeler-Bennett.[4] She also authored the first full-length biography of Field Marshal Archibald Wavell.[5][6] She regularly contributes to British national and specialist media.[7]

Victoria Schofield was educated at the Royal Naval School for Girls, and at Lady Margaret Hall (LMH) of Oxford University, from which she holds a degree in Modern History. At LMH she was a close friend of Benazir Bhutto, whom she succeeded as President of the Oxford Union Society.[8] She was the visiting Alistair Horne Fellow at St Antony's College, University of Oxford in 2004-2005.[9]

Schofield is married to Stephen Willis and has three adult children.[8]

Published works
  • Bhutto: Trial and Execution. London: Cassell, 1979. ISBN 9780304305391.
  • The United Nations: People, Politics, and Power. Hove: Wayland, 1979. ISBN 9780853406563.
  • Every Rock, Every Hill: The Plain Tale of the North-West Frontier and Afghanistan. London: Pimlico, 1984, 1987. ISBN 978-0712616256.
  • Kashmir in the Crossfire. London, Tauris, 1996. ISBN 9781860640360.
  • (ed.) Old Roads, New Highways: Fifty Years of Pakistan. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998. ISBN 9780195778458.
  • The House That Fell Down: A Diary of a Domestic Disaster. London: John Murray, 2001. ISBN 9780719563294.
  • Wavell: Soldier and Statesman. London: John Murray, 2006. ISBN 9780719563201.
  • Afghan Frontier: Feuding and Fighting in Central Asia / At the Crossroads of Conflict. London: Tauris Parke, 2003, 2010. ISBN 9781417556922.
  • Kashmir in Conflict: India, Pakistan, and the Unending War. London: Tauris, 2000, 2003, 2010. ISBN 9781860645457.
  • Witness to History: The Life of John Wheeler-Bennett. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2012. ISBN 9780300179019.
  • The Highland Furies: The Black Watch 1739-1899. London: Quercus, 2012. ISBN 9781849165501.
  • The Black Watch: Fighting in the Front Line, 1899-2006. London: Head of Zeus, 2017. ISBN 9781784979973.

Kashmir In Conflict: India, Pakistan and the Unending War
  • Kashmir In Conflict: India, Pakistan and the Unending War (I.B. Tauris, 2010) ISBN 978-1-84885-105-4.

Lucian W Pye observes in the Foreign Affairs that Schofield has reviewed the "entire record of the conflict, interviewed many participants" and struggled to find solutions. Pye states that the book provides excellent context for understanding the terrorist violence,"many of whom are backed by one side or the other."[10]

Matthias Schmidt, of the Institute of Economic and Cultural Geography, notes in Mountain Research and Development that Schofield is one of the most prominent experts in the field. Schmidt observes that Schofield "offers a comprehensive and well-documented historical and political analysis of this conflict that goes back to the middle of the 19th century." Schmidt further observes that Schofield has explained the diverse state's complex history on the basis of historical sources, showing that the Kashmir Conflict is primarily a post colonial conflict. On the basis of numerous interviews, Schofield presents the political players involved. Schmidt concludes by highly recommending Schofield's book.[11]

Joseph Schaller, of Nazareth College, observes in the International Journal of Hindu Studies that the work is a revision of Schofield's earlier book. Schaller calls the work ambitious in scope as it examines the entire political history of Jammu and Kashmir. Schaller opines that Schofield breaks little new ground and instead prefers to reiterate the conclusions of others in the major issues. Schaller recommends the book for general readers and also for undergraduate libraries lacking more extensive collections in South Asian history.[12]

Tor H Ase, of the International Mountain Society and United Nations University, has observed that overall it is a brilliant book which will stand as an authoritative source of insight into the Kashmir Conflict. Tor observes that the text is "rich in detail", "impressively well-documented" and that Schofield manages to remain unbiased while documenting the adversaries' views.[13]

References
  1. "Victoria Schofield | The Round Table". The Round Table. Retrieved 2018-04-19.
  2. "Victoria Schofield's The Black Watch launches in London". Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  3. Linklater, Andro. "The Courage of Countless Generations". The Spectator, 2 June 2012. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
  4. Simms, Brendan. "The Man Who Knew Everyone". Wall Street Journal, 4 September 2012. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
  5. "Wavell: Soldier and Statesman". The English Historical Review (2006) CXXI(494): 1563-1564. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
  6. Ziegler, Philip. "A Talent for Losing". The Spectator, 8 April 2006. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
  7. Selected Articles and Features. Official website. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
  8. Personal information. Official website. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  9. The Alistair Horne Fellowship (with list of past Fellows). St Antony's College, Oxford. Retrieved 10 November 2012. Archived 24 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  10. Pye, Lucian W. "Kashmir in Conflict: Book Review", Foreign Affairs, vol. 79, no. 6, 2000, pp. 190–191.
  11. Matthias Schmidt. "Kashmir in Conflict: Book Review", Mountain Research and Development, vol. 32, no. 1, 2012, pp. 101–102.
  12. Schaller, Joseph. "Kashmir in Conflict: Book Review", International Journal of Hindu Studies, vol. 9, no. 1/3, 2005, pp. 200–201.
  13. Ase, Tor H. "Kashmir in Conflict: Book Review", Mountain Research and Development vol. 20, no.3, 2000, pp. 292.
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