About

I am a historian of Britain and the British Empire in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. I studied History at Durham, completing a PhD in Imperial and African History there under the supervision of Professor Justin Willis. Before joining Southampton, I taught at Durham, Leeds and University College Dublin. I am primarily interested in the socio-cultural and intellectual connections between Britain and the colonies within the British Empire, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa.

My recent research has concerned the intellectual and socio-political networks that created and underpinned Britain’s imperial actions and sensibilities in the modern era. I am currently researching British foreign policy in sub-Saharan Africa in the wake of decolonisation, considering the roles that the British government tried to create for itself in this newly emerging postcolonial context. The resultant monograph will address key policy aims such as the management of external emerging actors such as the United States, key thematic concerns such as democracy and communism, and key policy actions such as military intervention and counter-espionage MI6 intelligence.