IAN FREDERICK HARVEY WILSON
POLITICAL SCIENTIST
25-9-1934 7-5-2011
By JAMES JUPP and JANET WILSON
IAN Wilson, one of the earliest academic political scientists in Australia when he began his career at Melbourne University, the leading department in Australia in the 1950s, has died in a nursing home in Aranda, Canberra, following a series of strokes. He was 76.
Wilson was also a pioneer in Chinese political studies, based on a mastery of the language, at a time when the People's Republic was not recognised by the Australian government. His transfer to the Australian National University in 1961 began a long association that stretched to his retirement in 1997.
As an undergraduate activist, he was intimately involved in the sometimes violent politics of inner-city Richmond and the federal electorate of Yarra during the great Labor split.
One of three children born in Darwin to Helen and Eric Wilson, who was serving as the Melbourne Herald's northern correspondent, he returned with the family to its Melbourne home in Hawthorn in 1935.
He was educated first at Preshil in Kew, and then at Trinity Grammar School (1943 to 1952), where he was dux of his year in most years, and captain of both the preparatory school and the senior school. At Melbourne University his majors were political science and history and he completed his BA (Hons) in 1956.
His political activism was at the epicentre of the Labor split in Richmond, which was represented federally before 1955 by Stan Keon and at the state level by Frank Scully, both defectors to what later became the Democratic Labor Party. Wilson was only 24 years old when he was chosen as organiser for the late Dr Jim Cairns, indicating the extent to which the very tough local Labor machine trusted him. Cairns won by a large margin and the DLP disappeared from the House of Representatives.
Wilson described the local scene in his monograph The 1958 Federal Election in Yarra. This was the first publication of the newly founded Australian Political Studies Association, and unique among Australian electoral studies up to that time.
The triumph in Yarra led to him being an organiser in later elections for Kep Enderby and Susan Ryan. "Helpful, experienced and sane," was how former senator Ryan described her campaign manager.
He was also on friendly terms with a range of Labor leaders, including Gough Whitlam, Bob Hawke, Jim Cairns, John Button, Barry Jones and Clyde Holding, who valued his experience in domestic affairs and his growing interest in China. His first visit there was in 1957 as part of a student delegation.
Wilson spent 1959 and 1960 as a senior fellow at Columbia University in New York learning Mandarin, gaining a master's in international affairs and, incidentally, visiting Cuba where he met Che Guevara in 1960.
He was appointed a lecturer in political science at ANU in 1961, and consolidated his knowledge with two years at the Chinese-language Nanyang University in Singapore between 1972 and 1974. In the process he missed the election of the Whitlam government Australia had recognised China and the Vietnam War was drawing to a close.
Between 1961 and 1996 he made more than 15 visits to China, three to North Korea and many others to Vietnam, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Indonesia. Apart from expanding his knowledge, he took these opportunities to become a highly proficient photographer.
Wilson was head of the Contemporary China Centre at the ANU between 1978 and 1983. He published many articles on China and south-east Asia between 1963 and 1991, but a major funded research on the lands around the Mekong was abandoned on the death of fellow researcher Ted Chapman.
However, he found increasing strains between acting as departmental head, a university council member and president of the union. In an unpublished note he remarked that "the whole academic industry was faced with a systemic funding crisis and spending my final years unable to teach effectively and scratching for resources did not appeal".
Wilson took early retirement in 1997. Six years later he suffered the first of several strokes.
Wilson, a passionate supporter of Hawthorn Football Club, also had an excellent cricketing record, both at school and for the ANU Cricket Club.
In 1967, he married Vivian Oliphant their son, Michael was born in 1970, but they separated in 1974. His daughter, Petra, with Jennifer Jones, was born in 1983. Wilson is survived by Michael and Petra and his sister, Janet.
Frequently Asked Questions about this Article…
Who was Ian Wilson and why is he notable in political science and Chinese studies?
Ian Frederick Harvey Wilson (25 September 1934 – 7 May 2011) was an early Australian political scientist who pioneered Chinese political studies. He began his academic career at Melbourne University, moved to the Australian National University (ANU) in 1961, and built a long association there until his retirement in 1997. He is remembered for his mastery of Mandarin, extensive field visits to China and Southeast Asia, and leadership of the ANU's Contemporary China Centre (1978–1983).
What were Ian Wilson’s main contributions to understanding China and Southeast Asia?
Wilson combined language skills (learning Mandarin at Columbia University and study at Nanyang University) with repeated fieldwork—more than 15 visits to China and trips to North Korea, Vietnam, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Indonesia. He published numerous articles on China and Southeast Asia between 1963 and 1991 and led the Contemporary China Centre at ANU, helping to establish scholarly knowledge of China in Australia during a formative period.
How did Ian Wilson’s academic training prepare him for Chinese studies?
Wilson studied political science and history at Melbourne University (BA Hons, 1956), then spent 1959–60 as a senior fellow at Columbia University where he learned Mandarin and gained a master’s in international affairs. He later consolidated his language and regional knowledge with two years at Nanyang University in Singapore (1972–74).
What notable publications and research projects did Ian Wilson produce?
Wilson authored many articles on China and Southeast Asia from 1963 to 1991 and published the monograph The 1958 Federal Election in Yarra, an early Australian electoral study. He also had a major funded research project on lands around the Mekong that was abandoned after the death of a fellow researcher, Ted Chapman.
What leadership roles did Ian Wilson hold at the ANU and in Australian politics?
At ANU, Wilson served as a lecturer in political science from 1961, led the Contemporary China Centre between 1978 and 1983, and remained active there until his 1997 retirement. Politically, as an undergraduate activist he was deeply involved in Labor politics in inner-city Richmond and later worked as an organiser for Dr Jim Cairns and other Labor campaigns.
How might Wilson’s deep knowledge of China be helpful to people trying to understand modern geopolitical developments?
Wilson’s long-term field experience, language fluency and academic publications provided historical and political context about China and its region. For anyone studying geopolitical trends, his work illustrates how language skills, repeated on-the-ground observation and sustained scholarship build a nuanced understanding of regional politics.
When did Ian Wilson retire and what were the later years of his life like?
Wilson took early retirement in 1997. Six years later he suffered the first of several strokes. He died in a nursing home in Aranda, Canberra, on 7 May 2011, aged 76.
What personal background, interests and family details are known about Ian Wilson?
Born in Darwin and raised in Hawthorn, Melbourne, Wilson was educated at Preshil and Trinity Grammar School, where he excelled academically and in sport. He was a passionate Hawthorn Football Club supporter and an accomplished cricketer for ANU. He married Vivian Oliphant in 1967 (son Michael born 1970), later had a daughter Petra (born 1983) with Jennifer Jones, and is survived by Michael, Petra and his sister Janet.
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