Dai Smith (historian)

Last updated

David Burton "Dai" Smith CBE FLSW (born 1945) is a Welsh academic, cultural historian, author, and former BBC programme editor and broadcaster. He was chair of the Arts Council of Wales between 2007 and 2016.

Smith was born in the Rhondda. He was educated at Porth County and Barry Grammar School, before studying history and literature at Balliol College, Oxford, and later undertook further studies at Columbia University, New York, and the University of Wales, Swansea. Between 1969 and 1993, he was a lecturer in history in the universities of Lancaster, Swansea, and Cardiff. [1] He was appointed as Professor in the History of Wales at the University of Wales in Cardiff in 1985, holding the post until 1992. [2] He has also held visiting lectureships at universities in Denmark, England, France, Germany, Holland, Ireland and Spain. [2]

In 1993, he joined the BBC as editor of Radio Wales, and in 1994 was appointed as Head of Broadcast (English Language). He was responsible for commissioning programmes on the arts and in drama, [1] and has also presented award-winning documentaries on the people and culture of south Wales. [2]

In 2000, Smith was appointed pro-vice-chancellor at the University of Glamorgan, where he was responsible for developing the university's contributions to the community. He left the post in 2005 to become the Raymond Williams Chair in the Cultural History of Wales at Swansea University. [3] In 2007, he was appointed Chair of the Arts Council of Wales, a post to which he was reappointed twice and held until 2016. [4] [2]

His publications have included The Fed (1980), a history of South Wales miners written with Hywel Francis; Fields of Praise (1986), a history of rugby union in Wales co-authored with Gareth Williams; Wales: A Question for History (1988); Aneurin Bevan and the World of South Wales (1993); the authorised biography Raymond Williams: A Warrior’s Tale (2008); [2] and In the Frame: Memory in Society 1910-2010 (2010). He has also edited the Welsh Assembly Government’s Library of Wales for classic works written in English from or about Wales. [3]

His son is Owen Smith, MP. [5]

In 2011, Smith was elected a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales. [6] Smith was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to culture and the arts in Wales. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swansea University</span> Public university in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom

Swansea University is a public research university located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom.

The Welsh Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in the country of Wales, recognised by the sport's international governing body, World Rugby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glanmor Williams</span> Welsh historian

Sir Glanmor Williams was a Welsh historian.

Thomas Gerald Reames Davies CBE DL is a Welsh former rugby union wing who played international rugby for Wales between 1966 and 1978. He is one of a small group of Welsh players to have won three Grand Slams including Gareth Edwards, J. P. R. Williams, Ryan Jones, Adam Jones, Gethin Jenkins and Alun Wyn Jones.

Gwyn Jones was a Welsh novelist and story writer, and a scholar and translator of Nordic literature and history.

Geraint Talfan Davies OBE DL FRIBA FLSW is a Welsh journalist and broadcaster, and a long-serving trustee and chairman of many Welsh civic, arts, media and cultural organisations.

This article is about the particular significance of the year 2008 to Wales and its people.

Brynley Francis Roberts, known as Bryn Roberts, was a Welsh scholar and critic, who wrote significantly on the Welsh language and Celtic history. He was Professor of Welsh Language and Literature at the University of Wales, Swansea 1978–1985 and Librarian of the National Library of Wales in 1985–1994, then made editor of the Dictionary of Welsh Biography in 1987 and of Y Traethodydd in 1999. He was on the council of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion and involved in the Morfa Chapel, Aberystwyth, part of the Presbyterian Church of Wales. In 2011, he was elected as a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peredur Lynch</span> Welsh academic

Peredur Ionor Lynch, FLSW is a Welsh academic who serves as professor of Welsh & Medieval Literature in the School of Welsh and Celtic Studies at Bangor University.

Christopher Mark Williams was a Welsh academic, best known for his work on editing the diaries of Richard Burton. Williams was Head of the College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences, and Professor of History at University College Cork, Ireland, from 2017 to 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gwyn A. Williams</span> Welsh historian

Gwyn Alfred "Alf" Williams was a Welsh historian particularly known for his work on Antonio Gramsci and Francisco Goya as well as on Welsh history.

Dame Elan Closs Stephens is a Welsh academic who has been a non-executive director of the BBC Board since 2017, and Chair of the BBC between 27 June 2023 and 4 March 2024. She is Electoral Commissioner for Wales and Pro-Chancellor of Aberystwyth University. She chairs the UNESCO International Prize for the Creative Economy panel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colin Riordan</span> British academic (born 1959)

Colin Bryan Riordan FLSW is a British academic who was formerly President and Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff University from September 2012 to August 2023.

This article is about the particular significance of the year 2014 to Wales and its people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laura McAllister</span> Welsh academic, former international footballer and senior sports administrator

Professor Laura McAllister is a Welsh academic, former international footballer and senior sports administrator. As a Wales women's national football team player, McAllister won 24 caps and served as team captain. She is currently Professor of Public Policy and the Governance of Wales at the Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff University. She was formerly Professor of Governance at Liverpool University. She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to sport. She was a board member of Stonewall from 2012 to 2015, and is currently a board member of the Institute of Welsh Affairs. She is Chair of the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame and a Non-executive Director of Goodson Thomas boutique executive search agency. She was honoured as one of the BBC 100 Women in December 2022. Since the 5 April 2023 she has also been a vice-president of UEFA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keith G. Harding</span> British physician

Keith G. Harding CBE FRCGP FRCP FRCS FLSW is a British physician.

Anita Thapar is a Welsh child psychiatrist who is Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in the Institute of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neuroscience at Cardiff University. Her research focuses on risk factors for ADHD and major depression in children. She was elected a fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in 1995, and of the Academy of Medical Sciences and Learned Society of Wales in 2011. In 2017, she received the Frances Hoggan Medal from the Learned Society of Wales and was named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), both in recognition of her research in child and adolescent psychiatry.

Sir Robert Hughes Williams,, commonly known as Robin Williams, is a Welsh physicist and academic, specialising in solid state physics and semiconductors. He was Vice-Chancellor of University of Wales, Swansea from 1994 to 2003. He had taught at the New University of Ulster and University of Wales, College of Cardiff, before joining Swansea.

Uzoamaka Linda Iwobi FLSW is a British-Nigerian solicitor and equalities practitioner. She is the former Specialist Policy Adviser on Equalities to the Welsh Government, an Honorary Fellow at the University of Wales Trinity St David and founder, secretary and former chief executive officer at Race Council Cymru. She is also Vice President of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sioned Williams</span> Welsh politician

Sioned Williams is a Welsh politician and a Member of the Senedd (MS) for the South Wales West region since 2021. Williams is a member of Plaid Cymru.

References

  1. 1 2 "Professor Dai Smith reappointed as Arts Council of Wales Chair", Aberdare Online, 18 August 2009 Archived 16 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved 28 July 2016
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Professor Dai Smith", University of South Wales: Honorary Awards 2009 Archived 22 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved 28 July 2016
  3. 1 2 Professor Dai Smith, Swansea University Archived 9 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved 28 July 2016
  4. ↑ Georgia Snow, "Arts Council of Wales chairman Dai Smith attacks ‘knuckle-headed’ Welsh government", The Stage, 31 March 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2016
  5. ↑ Brian Wheeler, "Profile: The Owen Smith story", BBC News, 21 July 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2016
  6. ↑ Wales, The Learned Society of. "Dai Smith". The Learned Society of Wales. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  7. ↑ "No. 61803". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2016. p. N10.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.