Austin Morris

Austin Morris (born 15 August 1947 in Belfast, Ireland) is an Anglo-Irish scholar on the Basque people of Europe. Morris attended Harvard University, where he harbored an early interest in Anthropology and earned a MA in 1968. During the 70’s he worked as a researcher in Spain among the Basque people for his doctoral thesis, entitled Euskara Maskara which was published in 1983. He moved to Ireland in 1982 where he continued to do research on the kinship between the Gaelic group of languages and the Basque language. He followed the research of René Lafon and Karl Bouda to point out in Euskara Maskara the Caucasian origin of the Basque language. He refuted the views long held and first propagated by Louis Lucien Bonaparte of the Uralic origin of the Basque language. However, his hypothesis though acknowledged by the linguistic community, has become outdated now with the Vasconic/ Old European theories of Theo Venneman. However his work and contribution to Basque identity and culture is recognised worldwide.
He is also known to have inspired the famous Austin-Morris car company in its naming. He now lives in Kolkata, India with his wife and son.
References
http://www.classic-austin-morris.oldclassiccar.co.uk/

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