Professor Ewan Anderson
Ewan was head of Geography in two schools before running
the Geography Department at the College of the Venerable Bede,
Durham, and in the Education Department at Newcastle
University. He joined the Geography Department in Durham
University and was promoted to Reader before becoming Professor in
the Centre for Middle Eastern and Islamic
Studies.
A major focus of his research was on
boundaries and he worked on seven International Court of Justice
cases. For six years he was in charge of boundary research
for Saudi Arabia. Throughout his career in geography, he
continued research and practice in education and was for 26 years
Research Officer for the Boarding Schools Association and for 12
years Director of the DES Clearing House for Maintained Schools
boarding provision. He holds doctorates in geography,
politics and residential education.
Having taken early retirement to concentrate
on residential education and care, Ewan was appointed Visiting
Professor at both York and Exeter Universities. He retains
the post at Exeter and has recently joined York St John University
in the same capacity. He has been on several government
committees, including the Wagner Development Group. He was a
member of 4 TOPSS steering groups, producing Standards for
children’s homes, boarding schools, custodial care units and
managers of residential settings. He is a former President of
the International Federation of Educative Communities (England and
Wales), a member of the Residential Forum and a Fellow of the
Dartington Social Research Unit. He has been a governor of 5
schools and a member of a secure training centre’s management
committee. Ewan has been an expert witness in 4 child abuse cases
involving boarding. His current research is on the skills of
the social pedagogue and on various aspects of the residential and
boarding environment. He has worked in 78 countries and has
produced 15 books and over 250 papers. He was awarded a Leverhulme
Emeritus Fellowship in 2008.