Dean Allen
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Dean Allen
Dean Colin Allen (born 01 July 1971) is a British born, South African based historian, author and keynote speaker. Allen has over 200 000 followers across social media where he shares content on sport, British imperialism, colonial South Africa and, more recently, conservation and ecotourism history.
Education
Born in Minehead, England, Allen received his doctorate degree in Sports History and Sociology from the University of Brighton.
He went on to complete post-doctoral research through Stellenbosch University, South Africa concentrating particularly on cricket as a social and cultural institution within the British Empire.
Career
Allen has taught at universities in South Africa, the UK, Ireland and Australia. His more recent research has included a study of cricket and English cultural influence in nineteenth-century North America.[1], as well as work on South African sports history[2] and archival research published by Cambridge University Press.
He received the Cape Peninsula University of Technology’s Researcher of the Year Award and has served as an ambassador for Nelson Mandela Bay and Community Conservation Fund Africa (CCFA), worked as a columnist for HeraldLIVE and also presented the ‘Frontier Land’ podcast at Algoa FM.
His first book, Empire, War and Cricket in South Africa: Logan of Matjiesfontein, published in 2015, brings the story of Scottish entrepreneur, James Logan’s development of Matjiesfontein into a prominent health resort to life and presents how he pioneered South African cricket amidst the political upheaval of the British Empire and the Anglo-Boer War. The book became a bestseller and was longlisted for the Sunday Times CNA Literary Award for Non-Fiction.
His second book, This Day in History, co-authored by Danica Stanová, was published in 2021 and is an illustrated, day-by-day account featuring a historical fact for each day of the year.
Frontierland – Exploring South Africa’s Eastern Cape is Allen’s three-volume, illustrated, set of books which tells the stories of the places and people who shaped the South African frontier; published between 2022 and 2024.
His sixth book The Man Who Changed a Landscape: The Adrian Gardiner Story, published in 2025, is a biography of South African conservationist and ecotourism entrepreneur Adrian Gardiner. It portrays commercially successful rewilding and has been independently reviewed by environmental journalist Don Pinnock as a detailed examination of the relationship between conservation, entrepreneurship and ecological restoration.
Dean Allen has worked with many different organisations to bring history to new audiences and provide critical context for current challenges. He now serves as Explorations Ambassador on board Explorations By Norwegian, where he presents the enrichment programme lectures and contributes to daily content on board.
Publications
- Allen, Dean. National Heroes: sport and the creation of icons. Sport in History. 2013[3]
- Allen, Dean. South African cricket and British imperialism, 1870–1910. Sport in Society, 2009.[4]
- Allen, Dean. A man's game: cricket, war and masculinity, South Africa, 1899–1902. The International Journal of the History of Sport, 2011.[5]
- Allen, Dean. The race for supremacy: the politics of 'white'sport in South Africa, 1870–1910. 2011[6]
- Allen, Dean. England's ‘golden age’: imperial cricket and late Victorian society. Sport in Society, 2012[7]
- Allen, Dean. Englishness and Cricket in South Africa during the Boer War. In Locating the English Diaspora, 1500–2010. Liverpool University Press, 2012.[8]
- Allen, Dean. Africa's Tournament? The branding legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The International Journal of History. 2013.[9]
- Allen, Dean. Empire, War and Cricket in South Africa: Logan of Matjiesfontein. Cape Town: Zebra Press, 2015.[10]
- Allen, Dean. Sport and the Anglo-Boer War in South Africa, 1899-1902. Sport and Militarianism: Contemporary global perspectives. 2017[11]
- Allen, Dean. The Englishman's Game: Cricket and the Influence of English Culture in North America, 1830–1900. The International Journal of the History of Sport, 2021.[12]
Honours
Allen is a recipient of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology’s Researcher of the Year Award.
Empire, War and Cricket in South Africa: Logan of Matjiesfontein was longlisted for the Sunday Times CNA Literary Awards - Alan Paton Award for Non-Fiction.
References
- ↑ ALLEN, DEAN, ""The Game of the English":", English Ethnicity and Culture in North America, University of South Carolina Press, pp. 177–197, retrieved 2026-09-23
- ↑ Allen, Dean (2011). "South African Sports History and the Archive". African Research & Documentation. 116: 71–88. doi:10.1017/s0305862x00019178. ISSN 0305-862X.
- ↑ Allen, Dean (2013-12). "'National Heroes': Sport and the Creation of Icons". Sport in History. 33 (4): 584–594. doi:10.1080/17460263.2013.850782. ISSN 1746-0263. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ Allen, Dean (2009-05). "South African cricket and British imperialism, 1870–1910". Sport in Society. 12 (4–5): 464–481. doi:10.1080/17430430802702731. ISSN 1743-0437. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ Allen, Dean (2010-12-21). "'A man's game': Cricket, war and masculinity, South Africa, 1899–1902". The International Journal of the History of Sport. 28 (1): 63–80. doi:10.1080/09523367.2011.525306. ISSN 0952-3367.
- ↑ Allen, Dean (2011-08). "'The race for supremacy': the politics of 'white' sport in South Africa, 1870–1910". Sport in Society. 14 (6): 741–753. doi:10.1080/17430437.2011.587289. ISSN 1743-0437. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ Allen, Dean (2012-03). "England's 'golden age': imperial cricket and late Victorian society". Sport in Society. 15 (2): 209–226. doi:10.1080/17430437.2012.637719. ISSN 1743-0437. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ Allen, Dean, ed. (2012-05-25), "Englishness and Cricket in South Africa during the Boer War", Locating the English Diaspora, 1500-2010, Liverpool University Press, pp. 185–204, retrieved 2026-09-23
- ↑ Allen, Dean; Knott, Brendon; Swart, Kamilla (2013-10). "'Africa's Tournament'? The Branding Legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™". The International Journal of the History of Sport. 30 (16): 1994–2006. doi:10.1080/09523367.2013.861131. ISSN 0952-3367. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ Allen, Dean, ed. (2012-05-25), "Englishness and Cricket in South Africa during the Boer War", Locating the English Diaspora, 1500-2010, Liverpool University Press, pp. 185–204, retrieved 2026-09-23
- ↑ Allen, Dean (2017-06-14), "Sport and the Anglo-Boer War in South Africa, 1899–1902", Sport and Militarism, Routledge, pp. 79–94, ISBN 978-1-315-53711-5, retrieved 2026-09-23
- ↑ Allen, Dean (2021-03-24). "'The Englishman's Game': Cricket and the Influence of English Culture in North America, 1830–1900". The International Journal of the History of Sport. 38 (5): 449–471. doi:10.1080/09523367.2021.1912737. ISSN 0952-3367.
Dean Allen
Dean Colin Allen (born 01 July 1971) is a British born, South African based historian, author and keynote speaker. Allen has over 200 000 followers across social media where he shares content on sport, British imperialism, colonial South Africa and, more recently, conservation and ecotourism history.
Education
Born in Minehead, England, Allen received his doctorate degree in Sports History and Sociology from the University of Brighton.
He went on to complete post-doctoral research through Stellenbosch University, South Africa concentrating particularly on cricket as a social and cultural institution within the British Empire.
Career
Allen has taught at universities in South Africa, the UK, Ireland and Australia. His more recent research has included a study of cricket and English cultural influence in nineteenth-century North America[1], as well as work on South African sports history[2] and archival research published by Cambridge University Press.
He received the Cape Peninsula University of Technology’s Researcher of the Year Award and has served as an ambassador for Nelson Mandela Bay and Community Conservation Fund Africa (CCFA), worked as a columnist for HeraldLIVE and also presented the ‘Frontier Land’ podcast at Algoa FM.
His first book, Empire, War and Cricket in South Africa: Logan of Matjiesfontein, published in 2015, brings the story of Scottish entrepreneur, James Logan’s development of Matjiesfontein into a prominent health resort to life and presents how he pioneered South African cricket amidst the political upheaval of the British Empire and the Anglo-Boer War. The book became a bestseller and was longlisted for the Sunday Times CNA Literary Award for Non-Fiction.
His second book, This Day in History, co-authored by Danica Stanová, was published in 2021 and is an illustrated, day-by-day account featuring a historical fact for each day of the year.
Frontierland – Exploring South Africa’s Eastern Cape is Allen’s three-volume, illustrated, set of books which tells the stories of the places and people who shaped the South African frontier; published between 2022 and 2024.
His sixth book The Man Who Changed a Landscape: The Adrian Gardiner Story, published in 2025, is a biography of South African conservationist and ecotourism entrepreneur Adrian Gardiner. It portrays commercially successful rewilding and has been independently reviewed by environmental journalist Don Pinnock as a detailed examination of the relationship between conservation, entrepreneurship and ecological restoration.
Dean Allen has worked with many different organisations to bring history to new audiences and provide critical context for current challenges. He now serves as Explorations Ambassador on board Explorations By Norwegian, where he presents the enrichment programme lectures and contributes to daily content on board.
Publications
- Allen, Dean. National Heroes: sport and the creation of icons. Sport in History. 2013[3]
- Allen, Dean. South African cricket and British imperialism, 1870–1910. Sport in Society, 2009.[4]
- Allen, Dean. A man's game: cricket, war and masculinity, South Africa, 1899–1902. The International Journal of the History of Sport, 2011.[5]
- Allen, Dean. The race for supremacy: the politics of 'white'sport in South Africa, 1870–1910. 2011[6]
- Allen, Dean. England's ‘golden age’: imperial cricket and late Victorian society. Sport in Society, 2012.[7]
- Allen, Dean. Englishness and Cricket in South Africa during the Boer War. In Locating the English Diaspora, 1500–2010. Liverpool University Press, 2012.[8]
- Allen, Dean. Africa's Tournament? The branding legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The International Journal of History. 2013.[9]
- Allen, Dean. Empire, War and Cricket in South Africa: Logan of Matjiesfontein. Cape Town: Zebra Press, 2015.[10]
- Allen, Dean. Sport and the Anglo-Boer War in South Africa, 1899-1902. Sport and Militarianism: Contemporary global perspectives. 2017[11]
- Allen, Dean. The Englishman's Game: Cricket and the Influence of English Culture in North America, 1830–1900. The International Journal of the History of Sport, 2021.[12]
Honours
Allen is a recipient of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology’s Researcher of the Year Award.
Empire, War and Cricket in South Africa: Logan of Matjiesfontein was longlisted for the Sunday Times CNA Literary Awards - Alan Paton Award for Non-Fiction.
References
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