My name is Cees Heere, and I am originally from a small town in the north of the Netherlands. My research here at the LSE deals with the implications of the rise of Japan for the British Empire, between 1904 and 1911, with particular emphasis on the effects of the Russo-Japanese War (1904-5). I’m trying to tease out how British strategic and imperial thinking was affected by the Japanese victory over Russia. While on the one hand, Japan’s emergence as a regional power was welcomed by the British as a counterpoise to Russia – and later Germany – in the Far East, the war also had more ambiguous consequences for the empire. In the aftermath of Tsushima, Japan emerged as a commercial rival in China, it served as an inspiration to budding nationalist movements within the empire, and was increasingly seen as a threat in Britain’s Australasian colonies.
I am looking at how these problems were interpreted and addressed by the British, in the context of an age in which the British Empire was forced to adjust to new diplomatic and strategic realities. For this, I use a variety of sources, including governmental archives, private papers, and newspapers and magazines from just about every corner of the empire. I have always been fascinated by the British Empire, for its complexity and for the role it played in shaping the modern world. Looking at the roles that Japan played as an ally, a rival, a model and a (potential) threat, allows me to engage with some of its paradoxes and complexities. My supervisor is Dr Antony Best, the LSE’s resident expert on Anglo-Japanese relations, and the international history of East Asia in general.
I decided to do a PhD fairly quickly after finishing my Master’s degree. By then, I had come to the conclusion that I love history, and that somehow, spending three to four years reading books, trudging through archives, and debating historical subjects of varying degrees of obscurity actually sounded quite appealing. I haven’t had cause to regret my decision. On the contrary, I find my research extremely interesting, especially now that I have started to get to grips with the primary sources.
I previously attended the LSE for my Master’s, so I was already familiar with the university and the Department of International History. The LSE is, of course, an excellent university, and provides a great environment for doing a PhD. The location in itself is a big plus: working in central London means I have access not just to the LSE, but also to the resources of the other London universities, and the British Library. The Department itself houses a wide range of expertise, but is still small enough to retain a friendly atmosphere. Historical research is by nature quite a solitary endeavour, but fortunately there is a large cohort of other PhDs with which to share my concerns, discoveries and occasional frustrations.
Watch Cornelis's interview filmed in May 2014:
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Why did you choose to study at LSE?
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What are the benefits of studying in London?
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Why did you decide to do a PhD in International History at our department?
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What do you hope to gain from your degree?
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How do you find the supervision and social life within the department?
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What are you planning to do after you graduate?