News

"This Sea Ain’t Big Enough for the Both of Us: The Red Sea Blockade and Anglo-Italian Imperial Competition During the First World War", Fabio Sappino publishes new journal article 

Fabio Sappino (one of our PhD candidates) has published a new article in the journal First World War Studies entitled "This Sea Ain’t Big Enough for the Both of Us: The Red Sea Blockade and Anglo-Italian Imperial Competition During the First World War".

His article article exposes how Britain secretly weaponized a World War I naval blockade in the Red Sea to sabotage the colonial networks of its own ally, Italy. By looking past the official anti-Ottoman narrative, it reveals a covert maritime chess match where British naval supremacy was used to crush Italian imperial ambitions and secure regional dominance.

Read Fabio's article HERE

LSE International History textbook reaches a new Greek readership

The Department of International History is delighted to celebrate the publication in Greek of International History of the Twentieth Century and Beyond, the highly successful textbook co-authored by Professor Antony Best and Professor Kirsten E. Schulze of LSE’s Department of International History, together with Professor Jussi M. Hanhimäki and Professor Joseph A. Maiolo, both former members of the Department.

Now in its fourth edition, the book offers a wide-ranging global history of international relations across the twentieth century and into the contemporary world. Bringing together the authors’ geographical and thematic expertise, it examines relations between states alongside the political, economic, ideological and cultural forces that have shaped international affairs across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas.

The extensively revised fourth edition, published by Routledge, incorporates recent scholarship and brings the story up to the contemporary period, including developments relating to the United States, the rise of China under Xi Jinping, and the origins of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

The book also continues to feature in LSE recommended reading, including as preliminary reading for the Department’s MSc programmes. The publication of the Greek edition therefore marks not simply a new translation, but the extension of a work with deep connections to LSE International History to a new generation of students, scholars and general readers.

Routledge – Fourth Edition: Published in Greece by Utopia Publishing as Διεθνής Ιστορία: 20ός αιώνας και σύγχρονος κόσμος, the new Greek edition brings this major work of international history to a new Greek-speaking readership.

Greek Edition: The Greek edition has already attracted significant attention. On 12 August 2026, the national newspaper Ta Nea published a substantial feature, Πώς ο 20ός αιώνας διαμόρφωσε τον σημερινό κόσμο (“How the 20th century shaped today’s world”), describing the Greek edition as one of the most important translations of a university textbook in international history to have appeared in Greece in recent years.

Ta Nea: The book has also received substantial coverage in LiFO in the feature Πώς φτάσαμε ως εδώ; Το βιβλίο που αποκωδικοποιεί τον σύγχρονο κόσμο και τις κρίσεις του, which considers the book’s relevance to understanding the contemporary international system and its crises.

LiFO: The publication has particular resonance for LSE International History. Antony Best and Kirsten Schulze are current members of the Department, while Jussi Hanhimäki and Joseph Maiolo are former Department colleagues, giving the book especially strong roots in LSE’s tradition of teaching and scholarship in international history.

Congratulations to Professors Best and Schulze and their co-authors on this significant milestone.

Dr Artemis Photiadou releases her new book ‘Interrogating Nazism: Spies, Soldiers and War Criminals in Second World War Britain’

Behind the front lines of the Second World War raged a different kind of battle. In secret camps across Britain, thousands of enemy spies, soldiers, and war criminals were interrogated in the effort to defeat Nazi Germany and the ideology that drove it.

Drawing on extensive British archival sources, Artemis Photiadou uncovers the methods, motives, and moral tensions behind this vast machinery of questioning. Within it, officers, scientists, and linguists sought to extract military intelligence, as well as to grasp why individuals fought Hitler's war and, eventually, to assess their complicity in the regime's crimes.

The resulting interactions expose the complexity of those who were questioned, the assumptions of their interrogators, and the ethical contradictions of a liberal state at war. This is a vivid account of how Britain attempted to comprehend the enemy it was fighting. This title is also available as open access on Cambridge Core.

We hope you can join us on Thursday 12 November (6pm - 7.30pm) as we host Dr Photiadou’s book launch event in MAR.1.08.

You can find a link to the book HERE.

Dr Tanya Harmer delivers her paper entitled ‘Histories and Memories of Violence during Chile’s Transition from Dictatorship’ at a recent conference 

Dr Harmer attended the conference 'No End in Sight: The Unwinding and Afterlife of the Cold War in Latin America' hosted by the Council on Latin American & Iberian Studies at Yale University.

Tanya’s paper explored histories and memories of Chile's transition from dictatorship in the 1980s and 1990s. Arguing that memories of these years remain deeply contested, she revealed the Cold War’s enduring power to shape political battles for power and legitimacy to this day.

Dr Jeff Hawn's submission to the UK Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs Russia Enquiry has been published as part of the committee's written evidence

In the summer of 2026 the Foreign Affairs Committee launched an inquiry into Russia. The inquiry considered the UK’s bilateral relationship and asked whether the UK’s long-term strategic approach to a post-conflict Russia is clearly defined.

The National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence Review both identify Russia as the most acute threat to the UK. Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the UK Government has focused its defence and foreign policy posture on visible and practical support for Ukraine.

The Foreign Affairs Committee’s role is to scrutinise the work of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. As part of this responsibility, this inquiry examined Russia’s current domestic situation and foreign policy, as well as the UK Government’s approach to Russia. Recognising that tensions with Russia are likely to persist for the foreseeable future, the UK must develop and maintain a sustainable strategy that combines robust deterrence with a clear understanding of Russia’s ambitions, capabilities and influence.

This was broad inquiry, examining Russia’s international alliances and strategic partnerships and the internal dynamics of Russian governance, the sustainability of Russia’s economic model and the state of civil society, human rights and media freedoms within Russia.

As an expert on Russian domestic affairs and international relations Dr Hawn was asked to submit evidence. His written evidence, now published in the Parliamentary recorded, examined the failure of rule of law in Russia and the personalisation of power, advising the UK to alter its relationship only on the biases of sustained improvement to rule of law governance. 

Read Dr Hawn's submission HERE

Dr Jake Subryan Richards awarded Philip Leverhulme Prize for 2026

Dr Jake Subryan Richards has been awarded the prestigious prize by the Leverhulme Trust, which recognises and celebrates the achievements of outstanding researchers whose work has already attracted international recognition and whose future careers are exceptionally promising.

Each of the prize winners receives £100,000 which can be used to advance their research.

Chosen from over 400 nominations, the Trust offered five prizes in each of the following subject areas: Biological Sciences, History, Law, Mathematics and Statistics, Philosophy and Theology, and Sociology and Social Policy.

Jake is an Assistant Professor in the Department and a current Fellow of the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin. He has been recognised for his work on the history of the African diaspora, legal history, slavery and emancipation, Atlantic history and empires in global history.

Commenting on his award, Dr Richards said: “I am thrilled and honoured to be awarded a Philip Leverhulme Prize. This funding enables me to develop new research on how enslaved and freed people shaped and protected their environments. Their actions offer hope for us all during the ongoing climate crisis. I look forward to continuing my collaboration with LSE colleagues Kasia Paprocki, Austin Zeiderman, Rebecca Elliott, and Tanya Matthan in the Social Life of Climate Change hub, where my ideas have begun to take shape. I am grateful to the village of scholars who have guided me, and to the Leverhulme Trust for the faith that they have placed in me and my research."

Kwan Yee Koo receives runner up for the LSE Saw Swee Hock Southeast Asia Centre (SEAC) Postgraduate Dissertation Prize

Kwan Yee completed the the LSE-Peking University Double Degree in MSc International Affairs last year. Her dissertation was entitled 'From Pawns to Knights: The Rising Agency of Chinese Commodity Elites and Malayan Decolonisation,1920s-1950s'. Her supervisor was Professor Kirsten Schulze.

This prize recognises high-quality postgraduate research on Southeast Asia, and the reviewers were impressed by the originality, rigour, and contribution of your work. 

Kwan Yee is interested in the history and developments of political economies in Southeast Asia and received the 2025/26 SEAC Student Dissertation Fieldwork Grant to conduct multi-archival research across Malaysia, Singapore and the UK. Kwan Yee will be joining the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute (Singapore) to study politico-economic trends and issues in Southeast Asia, as well as the region's interactions with its wider geostrategic environment. 

Imagining Alternative Worlds Alongside the Emerging Republic: A Q&A with Professor Shelby Johnson

In the latest Q&A for the International History Blog, Professor Shelby Johnson discusses the alternative worldmaking projects developed by Indigenous and Black North Americans alongside the emerging U.S. Republic.

Read the blog HERE

Department alumnus Chloë Mayoux spoke on the University of Vienna's Rudolphina podcast

Chloë spoke on the first ever English version of the podcast, where she discussed French nuclear tests in the Sahara in the 1960s. She highlighted how these tests became focal point for African resistance, exposing the links between nuclear ambitions, colonial power and the struggle for independence.

Listen to the podcast HERE

Chloë completed her PhD back in 2024 entitled 'A Place in the World: Negotiating Nuclear Power and Independence in Africa (1957-63)' under the supervision of Professor Matthew Jones.

Dr Imaobong Umoren's new book Empire Without End: A New History of Britain and the Caribbean receives glowing review by the LSE Review of Books

In Empire without End, Imaobong Umoren interrogates the legacies of empire and enslavement and contributes to the case for reparations. This wide-ranging examination of the relationship between Britain and the Caribbean is an essential read on the history of anti-Black racism in the UK and the complex threads of Britain’s entanglement with the Caribbean, writes Jodie Matthews. 

Read the full review HERE

Professor Casey publishes article in Englesberg Ideas

As part of his ongoing effort to publicise his new book, The Sceptic Isle, which offers a bold new reinterpretation of the British experience in World War II, Professor Casey has published a new article. Entitled ‘Britain’s Information War against Nazi Germany,’ it explores why so many Britons read, listened to – and sometimes believed – the Nazi version of events during World War II.

Read Professor Casey's article HERE

Dr Ron Po set to deliver talk “It Can Devour Humans, Yet Its Fins Are Highly Prized”: Human-Shark Relations in Ming and Qing China 

Dr Po will be speaking at the China and the World Seminar Series at the LSE-Fudan Global Public Policy Hub on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, from 12.30 to 2.00 pm, in OLD 2.21, LSE.

Details of the event are now live on the Fudan Hub events page.

Attendees are invited to register here.

Professor Steven Casey launches publicity blitz for his new book, The Sceptic Isle

Over the last month, he has appeared on podcasts, spoken at events, written articles and been interviewed by various news media promoting his recently published book. The Sceptic Isle, which offers a bold new reinterpretation of the British experience in World War II, was published by Oxford University Press on 27 August. 

Professor Casey's publicity for the book has included:

• Speaking on the BBC HistoryExtra podcast
• Lecturing at the National Army Museum, in the opening event at the Chelsea Literary Festival (4 September)
• Delivering a livestream lecture on WW2 TV (23 September)
• Writing the following articles: ‘Persuasion Not Coercion: British Politics in the Second World War’ and ‘Page 99 Test: The Sceptic Isle.’
• Being interviewed by Hugo Rifkind on Times Radio (27 August) and Paul Ross on TalkSport (18 September), after The Sceptic Isle was chosen as Talk Radio’s book of the week.

Santiago Garcia-Pardo (PhD candidate) appears on podcast to discuss his research on Chile-Zambia relations

While doing fieldwork in Zambia (mid-April to mid-June), Santiago participated in the Southern African Institute for Policy and Research (SAIPAR) podcast series, where he was interviewed about his research on Chile-Zambia relations and CIPEC, as well as the experience of conducting archival research in Zambia.

Watch Santiago's interview HERE

International History of the Twentieth Century published in Greek

The highly successful International History of the Twentieth Century and Beyond authored by the Department’s Professors Antony Best and Kirsten Schulze, alongside Jussi Hanhimaki and Joseph Maiolo, has just been published in Greek

Find a link to the book HERE

Victoria Jones (PhD candidate) has appeared on Al Jazeera's Inside Story

Victoria discussed the mosque bombing in Kohat, Pakistan, which the TTP (Pakistani Taliban) has claimed responsibility for. She spoke about the importance of history in understanding the dynamics of the situation which trace back to the Soviet-Afghan war.

Watch the interview HERE

Emeritus Professor Alan Sked set to publish new book on Field Marshal Radetzky on 15 October entitled ‘Radetzky. Imperial Victor and Military Genius'

The Prague City Council has decided to restore the hugely imposing statue of Field Marshal Joseph Radetzky who defeated Napoleon in 1813 - 1814 and suppressed the 1848 revolutions in Northern Italy. The statue had dominated the centre of the city before 1918 when it was removed in the aftermath of Czechoslovakia’s separation from the recently defunct Habsburg Monarchy. Emeritus Professor Alan Sked has written a biography on Radetzky is being published in Czech on 15 October.

Vienna already has an imposing statue of him on the Ringstrasse and the elder Strauss’s Radetzky March is almost a national anthem in Austria. But Prague has been reluctant to restore his statue until now. However, popular attitudes to the Habsburgs among the Czechs have changed after occupation by the Nazis and Soviets and by a recent historiographical evolution to which Professor Sked's work has contributed. Both his ‘Decline and Fall of the Habsburg Empire, 1815-1918’ and ‘Metternich and Austria. An Evaluation’ were translated into Czech.

The Guardian University Guide 2027 rankings are in!

The LSE has been ranked second for history in the subject rankings and third in the overall university rankings. 

The Guardian has published its University Guide 2027, ranking UK institutions on measures including teaching satisfaction, feedback satisfaction, student-to-staff ratio, spend per student, average entry tariff, value added score, graduate outcomes after 15 months and continuation rates.

These 2027 rankings have seen the LSE climb three places (from fifth) in history, and one place (from 3rd) in the overall rankings from 2026.

Jack Roush was interviewed by TIME about the Trump administration’s latest sanctions on Iran’s aviation sector

Jack spoke to TIME about the potential impact these new sanctions will have on Iran’s economy and regional trade, and the limits of Washington’s strategy of economic pressure against the Islamic Republic.

Read the article HERE

Emeritus Professor Alan Sked has published a new book, Scotland: A Unionist History

Alan Sked's (who taught in the department 1972 to 2015) new book is a provocative history of Scotland that challenges the nationalist myths that portray the country as a passive victim of English rule or a nation inevitably destined for independence. From medieval conflict and the Union of 1707 to empire, industrialisation, world wars, devolution, the rise of the SNP, the 2014 referendum, Brexit and beyond, the book sees Scotland’s story as one of shared, power, responsibility and achievement.

Packed with information and highly controversial, it deconstructs the mythology of Scottish nationalists. 

You can find link to the book HERE

Dr Artemis Photiadou set to speak at the Chelsea History Festival

Join Dr Artemis Photiadou at the Chelsea History Festival, where she will be in conversation with Dr Daniel Cowling about her new book, uncovering how Britain interrogated enemy spies, soldiers and war criminals in its effort to defeat Nazi Germany.

National Army Museum | Friday 2 October (12.00 - 1.00pm)

Book tickets HERE

Professor Steven Casey releases new book, The Sceptic Isle

The Sceptic Isle by Professor Steven Casey has been published today by Oxford University Press. His book is a bold new reinterpretation of the British experience in World War II, which challenges the widely held notion that this was a "People's War" in which the population kept calm and carried on.

As well as the Sunday Times review, which calls it an "impressive and persuasive book", The Sceptic Isle has received the following rave reviews:

The Daily Mail: "Steven Casey has produced a brilliant and richly detailed study, deeply thought-provoking, of how narratives of the war were shaped and presented; how the public was psychologically manipulated, massaged and fooled". 

The Daily Telegraph:  "A thoroughly researched and sometimes surprising study", which demonstrates how "the British war effort was all the stronger for the democratic questioning that was sparked by scepticism - 4 stars".

Jeremy Black (historian), forthcoming: "In this fascinating book, Steven Casey draws on very extensive research in archives and a wide range of printed primaries, in order to consider morale-management in Britain and, notably, the ‘propaganda war.’… The case is well made … an excellent work."

Find a link to Professor Casey's new book HERE

‘Morale and the Experience of the Trenches’ - Dr Alex Mayhew has contributed a chapter in The Cambridge Companion to the Western Front, edited by Nick Lloyd

How did anyone survive the trenches of the Western Front and find the will to keep fighting? That is the question at the heart of a new chapter by Dr Alex Mayhew in The Cambridge Companion to the Western Front, edited by Nick Lloyd and published by Cambridge University Press.

Drawing on soldiers’ own diaries and letters from across the British, French, German, Belgian and American armies, Alex’s chapter explores what really sustained morale: good food and rest, leadership, comradeship, and above all, hope – soldiers’ belief in a lasting peace and a future worth enduring for. It's an resilience in the face of almost unimaginable conditions.

This is just one contribution to a landmark volume marking why the Western Front still fascinates, horrifies, and moves us more than a century on.

‘1936’s Promise of Peace: Roosevelt on Campaign’: Professor Steven Casey’s new article on Franklin Roosevelt in History Today

Ninety years ago, in his only foreign-policy speech of the 1936 campaign, Franklin Roosevelt emphasised how much he hated war. Harking back to his brief tour of the Western Front in 1918, his Chautauqua speech both reflected and reinforced the overwhelming pacifist consensus inside the United States at the time. Professor Casey’s article, which details the speech's reception against the backdrop of the Nazi Olympics in Berlin and the start of the Spanish Civil War, showcases his next book project, provisionally titled The End of Isolation: The Creation of the Interventionist Consensus in America, 1936-1941. 

Read the article HERE

Professor Steven Casey’s new book reviewed in the Sunday Times

Under the title ‘Who Do You Think You are Kidding’, the Sunday Times calls The Sceptic Isle an ‘impressive and persuasive book’, which challenges much of ’the folk memory’ about the Second World War.

The Sceptic Isle is due to be published by Oxford University Press on 27 August 2026.

It is already available to listen to on Audible and Spotify.

Department alumus, The Rt Hon Matthew Pennycook MP, has been reinstated as Minister of State (Minister for Housing and Planning) by Prime Minister Andy Burnham

The new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rt Hon Andy Burnham MP, took office on 20 July 2026 and has now appointed his government, featuring several LSE alumni as secretaries of state and ministers

Matthew Pennycook completed his BSc in International Relations and History in 2005 and has been the MP for Greenwich and Woolwich since 2015.

Victoria Jones joined Al Jazeera to discuss unfolding developments in Pakistan-administered Kashmir

Victoria joined Al Jazeera's INSIDE STORY to speak about the current unrest in Pakistan-administered Kashmir amid the ongoing elections there, including the killing of civilian protesters and the implications of these developments for Pakistan's long-standing narrative on the Kashmir issue.

Watch the story HERE

'Shaping the Blue Dragon' by Dr Ron Po receives new glowing reviews

Dr Po's book has seen reviews by both the American Historical Review and The English Historical Review.

Reviewers describe it as "a welcome addition to the series of books and articles written by Ron Po on the subject of China's sustained engagement with the maritime world from the 1360s to the 1820s" and as one that "offers a compelling narrative of how Han Confucian intellectuals developed a 'maritime consciousness' within the cosmopolitan framework of the Manchu empire."

Find a link to 'Shaping the Blue Dragon' HERE

Marcus Andreopoulos (PhD student) has published a new journal article, 'Between New Borders: British Officers Amid the Partition of India'

Drawing on underutilised sources, the article examines the experiences of British officers during partition and argues that the division of the Indian Army along communal lines was a central dimension of partition and itself a process of border-making.

The peer reviewed journal article has been published in Oxford Intersections - read it HERE

"Alliance and acrimony: a history of Jewish-Muslim relations" - Professor Marc Baer speaks on the HistoryExtra podcast

From Islam’s emergence in the early medieval period, Muslims have been deeply connected with the followers of another faith: Judaism. In conversation with James Osborne, historian Marc David Baer examines the long relationship between these two religions and their communities, tracing episodes of both conflict and coexistence. 

Listen to the podcast HERE

Professor Kristina Spohr attends "Spain in the World" course in Santander

Professor Spohr and the Spanish ambassador to NATO, Federico Torres Muro, discussed 'security in a new era - lessons from the past, decisions for the future' during the course "Spain in the World"  on 21 July.

The course was run by the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs with the Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo (UIMP) at the Magdalena Palace in Santander.

Afterwards, she discussed diplomacy in the age of Trump and Greenland over lunch with Jose Manuel Albares Bueno, Minister of  Foreign Affairs. 

Read more HERE

Dr Roham Alvandi joins Martin Di Caro on his podcast 'History as it Happens'

Dr Alvandi spoke about discuss the legacy of Mohammad Mosaddeq and the 1953 coup in Iran for US-Iran relations. When the Trump administration attacked Iran in late February, some war backers dreamt that the Iranian people would rise en masse and take control of their country. It proved to be a dangerous fantasy. But then the history of U.S.-Iran relations is full of cruel ironies. More than 70 years ago, a democrat and nationalist named Mohammad Mossadegh galvanized the Iranian people and tried to liberate his country from foreign domination, only to be betrayed by the United States. 

Listen to the podcast HERE

Dr Leo Shipp publishes a new Cambridge Element and has new review of his book

Dr Leo Shipp has written a Cambridge "Element" (think long article or a short book - 30,000 words!) published by Cambridge University Press entitled 'Views of Roman History: William Whitehead's The Roman Father and Historical Culture in Eighteenth-Century Britain.'

He has also received a new, glowing review of his book 'The Poets Laureate of the Long Eighteenth Century, 1668–1813' which you can read HERE.

Congratulations to a group of our teaching staff who have completed teaching programmes granting them Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy

Sara Al-Qaiwani (one of our Guest Teachers) and Jonathan Slater (Graduate Teaching Assistant) have successfully completed the Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education programme. This award also qualifies them for Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

Thomas Mitchell and Yasmin Vicente (both Graduate Teaching Assistants) have successfully completed the Principles of Teaching in Higher Education programme. This award also qualifies them for Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA). Well done everyone!

'Iran Will Bury Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Holy City of Mashhad' - Dr Roham Alvandi speaks to The New York Times

Dr Roham Alvandi spoke recently to Leo Sands of The New York Times about the significance of Ali Khamenei's burial at the shrine of Imam Reza in Mashad.

Read the article for free HERE

Congratulations to Sofia Khalfina who has been awarded the Raymond Huang Prize for Outstanding Academic Achievement

Sofia Khalfina (one of our BSc International Relations and History students) has been awarded the Raymond Huang Prize for Outstanding Academic Achievement for work produced in an LSE100 group research project. This award recognises the brilliant work that she and her fellow group members produced during their LSE100 group research project in Winter Term 2026, demonstrating a commitment to interdisciplinary investigation and their effective collaboration as a team.

LSE100 is LSE’s flagship interdisciplinary course taken by all first-year undergraduate students as part of their degree. The course is designed to build capacity to tackle multidimensional problems through research-rich education, giving opportunities to explore transformative global challenges in collaboration with peers from other departments and leading academics from across the School.

Dr Roham Alvandi interviewed by the New York Times

Dr Alvandi spoke with Yeganeh Torbati of the New York Times about the funeral of Ali Khamenei and whether 2026 is a turning point for the Islamic Republic, like Ayatollah Khomeini’s death in 1989.

Read the article HERE

Alumnus Sahil Bhagat has article published in the Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History

Sahil's article (which was based on his dissertation completed while in the Department) is entitled 'Spice Bombs on the Plantation: Transnational Connectivities of Malayan Indian Anticolonialism'.

The article investigates the history of anticolonial protest amongst the Malayan Indian plantation labouring community. It takes the case study of the little known 1947 Kedah Strikes to demonstrate how plantations in colonial Malaya became both transnational sites of anticolonial exchange and laboratories for colonial policing. 

Sahil graduated in July 2024, completing the LSE-Columbia University double degree MA/MSc International and World History.

Read the article in full HERE

Kwan Yee (LSE–Peking University Double MSc International Affairs) awarded dissertation field work grant

Kwan Yee was awarded one of the LSE South East Asia Centre (SEAC) Dissertation Fieldwork Grants for their dissertation on the evolution of British tin and rubber diplomacy. Her fieldwork location will be Singapore and Malaysia (Ipoh).

This project examines British rubber and tin diplomacy in Malaysia during the period of decolonisation. It investigates how Britain’s overriding imperative to maximise dollar earnings, compounded by Cold War anxieties, paradoxically empowered Malayan state actors and Chinese business-political networks to reshape international commodity negotiations in their own interests.

The SEAC offers a Student Dissertation Fieldwork grant, for current LSE undergraduate and taught master’s students for field research in the Southeast Asia region as part of their assessed dissertation. The funding may contribute towards travel expenses and on-site research expenses, up to a maximum of £500 per applicant.

The Southeast Asia Student Dissertation Fieldwork Grants are supported by Arvind Khattar whose generous gift has helped SEAC to further develop its research activities.

Marking UN International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict 

Prof Joanna Lewis hosted an event to draw attention to conflict related sexual violence with the launch of a report by Rights for Peace, "CRSV is not inevitable: Sudanese Survivors’ Strategies for Prevention”.

Joanna was joined by report author Mariana Goetz, panelist Noon Kashkosh Emergency Lawyer and Sudanese GBV expert Wisal Babiker. Also on the panel was Dr Eva Khair, Director of Women4Sudan. 

The report offers a survivor‑led analysis of the causes and drivers of conflict‑related sexual violence (CRSV) in Sudan, based on focus‑group discussions conducted in late 2025 in Chad, South Sudan and Darfur. 

Dr Ron Po's book 'Shaping the Blue Dragon' now available in traditional Chinese version

In Shaping the Blue Dragon, Dr Po examines China’s relationship with the maritime world from the Ming through the Qing by following the stories of ordinary and extraordinary people engaging with the blue domain. Pirates, cartographers, administrators, naval generals, maritime writers, emperors, visionaries, and travellers. Most of their stories are unheard in the Anglophone community. Despite the range of their backgrounds and expertise, their cumulative lives were all bounded to the sea. They bared their own souls and mirrored their own logics and reflections in their actions, yet in doing so their characters, identities, and life histories were largely shaped by a maritime China that was in transition between the fourteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

Find a link to the Chinese edition of the book HERE

‘Disarming the Raj: Anglo-Pakistani Military Relations in the Early Cold War’

Marcus Andreopoulos (PhD student) has been awarded runner-up at the Three Minute Military Thesis Competition for his thesis entitled, ‘Disarming the Raj: Anglo-Pakistani Military Relations in the Early Cold War’.

The competition was held at Kings College London and organised by the Sir Michael Howard Centre for the History of War, the British Commission for Military History and the International Society for First World War Studies.

LSE ranked no. 1 for history in the Complete University Guide 2026

The Complete University Guide is a leading, independent online platform that ranks UK higher education institutions and helps prospective students choose universities and courses. It is one of the most widely used and trusted resources by students, parents, and advisors navigating the UK university system.

They supply a range of different gradings and this year we are pleased to announce that we have jumped four places in the subject league tables to take the top spot!

See the full list of rankings HERE

Professor Antony Best has co-edited a new book, 'British Foreign and Defence Policy in the Twentieth Century, Volume II' 

A tribute to the distinguished diplomatic historian, Professor Michael Dockrill (1936-2018), this collection provides a comprehensive overview of the field of twentieth-century British foreign and strategic policy. With contributions from the most esteemed academic thinkers in the field, this collection will be of great value to anyone interested in British foreign and defence policy, whether they are a senior academic or an undergraduate researcher. In memory of the late Professor Dockrill, the essays place British foreign policy in a wide range of geographical, thematic and chronological perspectives.

Volume II focuses on British foreign and strategic policy from the fall of France in 1940 to the end of the Cold War in Europe during the 1990s. The emphasis on the Cold War reflects Professor Dockrill’s interests in the later part of his career. The chapters explore British imperial and post-colonial history, as well as the impact of race and religion on British foreign policy duringthe second half of the twentieth century.  British relations with the United Nations are also examined through the formulation of the so-called ‘Special Relationship’. 

The book has been published by Palgrave Macmillan and can be found HERE

Dr Edoardo Vaccari has published a new article in Modern Intellectual History entitled 'The “Ventotene Moment”: Revolutionary Federalism in World War II Europe'

'The “Ventotene Moment”: Revolutionary Federalism in World War II Europe' revisits one of the founding texts of European federalism and asks how it has been remembered—and misunderstood.

By placing the 1941 Manifesto within the political debates of wartime antifascism, socialism, and liberal socialism, the article argues that its revolutionary vision of a supranational European federation has often been obscured by later narratives of European integration. Rather than a roadmap to the present-day EU, the manifesto emerged from a moment of crisis, exile, and radical political expectation.

Read the article HERE

Dr Anna Cant has published a new article in Gender & History

"Catholic Values and Gender Politics in the Colombian Mass Media: Acción Cultural Popular (ACPO) in the 1970s" examines how the Catholic non-governmental organisation Acción Cultural Popular (Popular Cultural Action, ACPO) responded to women's changing roles and political protagonism through its radio station “Radio Sutatenza.”

Through close attention to recordings and programme scripts of the 1979 radio series Curso La Familia, it analyses the construction and performance of gender on the radio and draws attention to Catholicism's continued influence over Colombian society in the latter twentieth century.

Read the article HERE

Teaching Awards Announced

This year's teaching award winners from the Department are:

• Dr Rachel Chua, Guest Teacher – LSE class teacher award
• Dr Charlotte Eaton, LSE Fellow – Martin Abel Gonzalez prize
• Dr Agis Papageorgiou, Guest Teacher – LSE class teacher award
• Dr Richard Saich, LSE Fellow – LSE class teacher award

The annual Teaching Awards are decided by the results of our teaching surveys which are completed by all students during the Autumn Term and once again during the Winter Term.

Well done everyone! We are very proud of the hard work you have been putting in.

'Maritime China: Far from turning its back on the sea, the fate of Qing China was tied as much to tides and storms as to cavalry and walls', Dr Ronald Po publishes new article

Curious about China’s maritime past? Dr Ronald Po has recently published a new essay in AEON, written for both students and a broader readership. The piece explores how late imperial China was shaped not only by cavalry, garrisons, and continental frontiers, but also by tides, monsoon winds, storms, and the uncertainties of the sea.

A thoughtful and accessible reflection on maritime history, global connections, and China’s relationship with the ocean. 

Read Ron's article in full HERE

Dr Roham Alvandi appears on the Hostile History podcast

Dr Alvandi joined historian David Borys on his Hostile History podcast for a four-part series on US-Iran relations since the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

Listen to the podcast HERE

‘The Bonds of Freedom’ by Dr Jake Subryan Richards shortlisted for the Royal Historical Society’s First Book Prize

The Royal Historical Society’s First Book Prize 2026 recognises the scholarly contribution and quality of history monographs published in 2025.

Jake’s book reveals how Africans freed from the slave trade were often thrust into new forms of bondage, which they resisted in several ways, challenging narratives of abolition and freedom in the 19th-century Atlantic world.

Also shortlisted for the First Book Prize 2026 was department alumnus Dr Grace Carrington for her book, ‘Global Decolonisation and Non-Sovereignty: Small Island States in the Caribbean.

Professor Kristina Spohr featured prominently on a new prime-time German ZDF TV-documentary, 'Ready for War? 70 Years of the German Bundeswehr'

After the founding of the army on 12 November 1955, conscription was introduced in the Federal Republic of Germany in 1956. This documentary asks: how operationally ready have the German armed forces been since then – and what is their status today?

Prof Spohr comments on the FRG’s rearmament in the early Cold War & post-Korean War context  when the new Bundeswehr as part of NATO’s deterrence and defence capabilities served as bulwark against the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. She analyses the Bundeswehr reforms of the early 1970s and explains why under chancellor Helmut Schmidt Germany played a key role in the making of the 1979 NATO Dual track decision as a response to the USSR’s build-up of intermediate nuclear weapons.

Watch the documentary in full HERE

Professor Joanna Lewis attends No. 10 Downing Street

Last week, Professor Joanna Lewis in her role as Director of the Centre for Women, Peace and Training took part in a one-day high-level training day with other senior LSE academics for first ladies and gentlemen including Mrs Olena Zelenska. The event concluded with a reception at No. 10 Downing Street.

Dr Anna Cant, Dr Andrew Halladay and Dr Tanya Harmer attend the "Global Histories for a Global Future" conference in Santiago, Chile

At the end of April, Dr Tanya Harmer, Dr Anna Cant, and Dr Andrew Halladay visited Santiago, Chile for the “Global Histories for a Global Future” conference and conversations about collaboration across borders.

Co-hosted by the Institute of History at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile with Universidad de Los Andes and LSE, experts from the institutions formed panels to examine the meaning of citizenship, democracy and power from a transnational historical perspective in both present and future.

These in person discussions further our ongoing knowledge exchange and research alignment with top Latin American universities.

Angus Reilly (alumni) has been awarded the highly prestigious Leon Levy Fellowship

The fellowship, from The Leon Levy Center for Biography in New York City, will allow Angus to complete his first book, a biography of Henry Kissinger’s early life. It examines how Kissinger’s formative experiences – from his childhood in Nazi Germany and his family’s flight as Jewish refugees, to his service in the US Army during and after the Second World War – shaped him and influenced his later career in American foreign policy. 

Angus is a journalist and historian whose writing has appeared in publications including the Financial Times and the Daily Telegraph. He was previously an editor at Engelsberg Ideas, where he commissioned and edited work on history, politics, and international affairs.

Angus graduated in 2020, completing his his BSc in Government and History. While Angus was in the department he was president of the History Society, and founded the Webster Review, the undergraduate history journal.

Muhammad Ibrahim Alom elected as the youngest ever Newham councillor

Muhammad, who is nearing the completion of his BA History, has been elected as the youngest ever Newham councillor.

He had a few comments about what the result means to him:

"I am honoured to have been elected as the youngest ever councillor for the London borough of Newham, representing the Green Party, a day before my 21st birthday and just days after submitting my final year History dissertation at LSE.

The average age of a councillor in England is around 60, and that experience and representation is incredibly valuable. But it is equally important that young people are represented too, particularly in a borough like Newham, which has one of the youngest populations in the country.

For a long time, I felt politically homeless and disconnected from mainstream politics. One of the reasons I joined the Green Party was because I wanted to be part of a politics that felt principled, community-driven, and genuinely open to younger voices. I hope more young people can begin to feel that local politics is a space where they are seen, heard, and represented."

Congratulations, Muhammad, we wish you all the best in your new role and hope to hear from you again in the future!

Pritam Singh published new article, 'Indentured Indian workers and the politics of race, caste, and sanitation at sea and in colonial South Africa, c.1860–1911'

Pritam has published his article in the Oxford Academic journal Past & Present. It talks about the history of caste and Indentured Indian sanitary workers.

Read the article HERE

Dr Jeff Hawn makes appearance on Russia Unfiltered podcast

Dr Hawn sat down with Dr Jeremy Morrison, Dr James Pierce and Johnny Tickel on Russia Unfiltered to discuss the 1990s and his own research of how the events of that period have shaped modern Russia.

Watch the podcast HERE

The Department hosts the 2026 International Graduate Student Conference on the Cold War 

The conference took place over 3 days, starting with a reception on Thursday 7 May, followed by two full conference days (including a full conference dinner on the Friday). The conference days featured a range of panels whereby our graduate attendees presented papers based on research they are undertaking towards their PhDs. Each student presenter was assigned a discussant (a senior academic) who provided comments, feedback and contructive criticism. Students also had an opportunity to field questions from the room. This served as an excellent opportunity for students embarking on their PhDs to take on new opinions and advice towards their work, while also providing a healthy environment to network with others in their area of research.

The annual conference is co-hosted by the Cold War Studies Project, Department of International History (London School of Economics); the Cold War Group, Institute of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (The George Washington University); and Center for Cold War Studies and International History (UC Santa Barbara). Each year the conference moves to a different host institution.

Thanks to all our attendees and organisers who made the conference such a great success! We look forward to our next opportunity to host the event in 2029.

"An Anticolonial Development": Alumnus Elisa Prosperetti publishes new book

Elisa Prosperetti - graduate of the BSc in International Relations and History back in 2008 - has published a new book entitled 'An Anticolonial Development: Race, Schooling, and Emancipation in the Twentieth-Century West Africa' (Cambridge University Press).

In what measure could education be an agent of African freedom? Elisa Prosperetti examines this question in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, showing how a Black Atlantic perspective changes our understanding of decolonization and development in West Africa. Rejecting the racialized, colonial exploitation of the African body, proponents of anticolonial development instead claimed the mind as the site of economic productivity for African people.

An Anticolonial Development shows how, in the middle of the twentieth century, Africans proposed an original understanding of development that fused antiracism to economic theory, and human dignity to material productivity.

Welcome, Professor Merhzad Boroujerdi

We welcome Professor Boroujerdi who joins us a Visiting Senior Fellow. He comes to us from Missouri University of Science and Technology where he is Vice Provost and Dean of College of Arts, Sciences, and Education.

Professor Boroujerdi's research focuses on twentieth and twenty-first century Iranian intellectual history, with particular emphasis on historical identity, encounters with modernity, and political reform. He also specializes in Iranian domestic and international politics since 1900. It is no surprise then that he will enjoy a role as an Affiliate of the Iranian History Initiative during his stay with us.

He has been President of the Association for Iranian Studies, a fellow of the American Council on Education, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University and a Rockefeller Foundation Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin, a visiting scholar at UCLA, a non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute (Washington, D.C.), and a Co-PI of Iran Data Portal.

He is frequently consulted by both government entities and such national and international media outlets as Al Jazeera, Associated Press, Economist, Guardian, LA Times, NPR, New York Times, Reuters, Spiegel, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post.

Elodie Clements (BA History) has been nominated for the LSE Volunteer of the Year Award 2026

This nomination recognises the outstanding contributions that she has made beyond her studies through volunteering, leadership, and community impact. Students have been nominated by charities, fellow LSE students and LSE members of staff. The award winners will be announced at our in-person LSE Volunteer Awards ceremony on 7 May.

Masters student Emily Huber has won third place in the GSAS Master's SynThesis competition 

The annual GSAS Master’s SynThesis competition is an opportunity for MA students from across the Arts and Sciences to showcase their research and presentation skills in a relaxed and collegial environment.  

It is hosted by Columbia University's Graduate School of Arts & Sciences selects fourteen MA students from its 46 Master's programs to present their thesis in three minutes, with prizes for first, second, and third place. She flew in from London - supported by GSAS Conference Matching Travel Fund - and became the first student from our program to reach the top three.

Her presentation was titled, 'Visions of Care: Human Nature, Sympathy, and Revolutionary Institutions in Mary Wollstonecraft and Sophie de Grouchy’s Thought, 1789-1799.'

Winners of the Medlicott Prize and Iris Forrester Prize announced

These prizes go to our highest achieving Masters students following each academic year.

The Medlicott Prize rewards the student(s) who received the highest dissertation mark in their cohort, and the Iris Forrester Prize rewards the student(s) who achieved the highest overall grade aggregate and highest number of distinctions across all units in their degree.

The winners for the 2024/25 academic year are:

• Juliette Odolant (MSc International Affairs) - Medlicott Prize
• Carlo Canali (MSc History of International Relations) - Medlicott Prize
• Daniel Patten (MA Modern History) - Iris Forrester Prize

We wish you all a big congratulations!

A group of our undergraduate students from the LSE War Studies Society organised a trip to the 2026 Munich Security Conference back in February

The Munich Security Conference is renowned for convening political leaders, policymakers, academics and practitioners to debate some of the most pressing challenges facing global security today.

Over the course of three days, LSE students attended a wide range of conference panels and side events and took part in targeted networking opportunities with organisations working at the forefront of the security sector.ts from the LSE War Studies Society.

Students from the LSE War Studies Society went to high‑profile sessions featuring speakers such as Hillary Clinton, former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Yulia Navalnaya. Alongside the main conference programme, they also engaged with organisations and companies shaping the future of defence and security, gaining insight into emerging technologies, policy challenges and career pathways. 

The students from the LSE War Studies Society involved in organising the trip were: Emily Kochhauser (MSc Criminal Justice Policy), Ana Marquez-Sassano (MSc International Political Economy), Constantin Presing (BSc Politics and International Relations), Sofiia Shepetiuk (BSc Politics and International Relations), Eli Bednarek (BSc International Relations), Maxime Froment-Curtil (BSc Politics and International Relations), Matteo Vicari (BSc History and Politics), Greta Ricci (BSc International Relations and History), Matilde Roquette (BSc International Relations and History), Adelaide Steinitz (BSc International Relations).

Read more about this story HERE

Yasmin Getirana (PhD candidate) has received a glowing review in the latest issue of Mundos do Trabalho for her monograph

Yasmin's work, entitled 'Na casa e na causa: A associação sindical de trabalhadoras domésticas (Rio de Janeiro, 1961-1973)' (Editora Telha, 2023) was reviewed by Dr Cassie Osei (Bucknell University) in the latest issue of Mundos do Trabalho (volume 18, 2026), the main Brazilian journal of labour history. 

You can read the review (in English) HERE

Professor Steven Casey's new book 'The Sceptic Isle: How the British Government Sold the Second World War' chosen by the Daily Telegraph as one of it's 'Best Books' of 2026.

"Timely”, the newspaper commented, "is all too often applied to books by their publishers, but in an age where communication is all, this history more than merits it."

Set to be released in August this year, The Sceptic Isle presents a fast-paced narrative of the British government’s attempt to sell the Second World War at home. It weaves together government public relations, media reporting, political manoeuvring, and the public's response to reinterpret some of the most famous moments of British history, from Chamberlain and appeasement to Churchill's great speeches, from the Battle of Britain to the military campaigns in the Mediterranean and Western Europe, from food rationing to the Beveridge Report.

Based on a massive array of overlooked primary sources, The Sceptic Isle powerfully showcases how the British government’s attempt to mould and manipulate coverage of battles created a major credibility gap that cast a long shadow over the British government’s efforts to sell the different dimensions of the Second World War to the home front.

Celebrating 20 Years of Collaboration: LSE Delegation Visits PKU

A delegation from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) recently visited Peking University(PKU) for the annual Teaching Committee meeting, marking an important moment in the long-standing partnership between the two institutions.

The visit took place at PKU’s School of International Studies, Peking University, and coincided with two major milestones: the 20th anniversary of the LSE–PKU Double Degree in MSc International Affairs and the 30th anniversary of the School of International Studies.  

Jointly organised by LSE and PKU, the LSE–PKU Double Degree in MSc International Affairs offers students the opportunity to study international relations across China, the Asia Pacific, and global history—equipping them with a truly international academic perspective.  

During the visit, faculty and professional services staff in both institutions engaged in productive discussions on the programme’s continued development, while students benefited from academic talks and direct interaction with LSE representatives—gaining valuable insight into their upcoming studies in London.

The School of International Studies during the visit invited Professor Marc Baer to present to staff and students his Book "The Ottomans" which is shortly to be published in Mandarin. The panel discussion and questions that followed were rigorous and informed. Panel members included Dr He Jiani, Dr Zhuang Yu, Dr. Xu Liang, and Dr Ron Po, Programme Director, LSE.

Over the past twenty years, the partnership has grown into a strong and trusted relationship, built on mutual respect, close cooperation, and a shared commitment to excellence in teaching and research. Both institutions look forward to deepening this collaboration further, including expanded academic exchange and future joint initiatives.

Faculty from both institutions who participated included the following: from LSE: Professor Marc David Baer, Head of the Department of International History; Dr Ron Po, Programme Director. From Peking University: Professor Tang Shiqi, Dean of the School of International Studies (SIS); Professor Fan Shiming, Associate Dean of the Yenching Academy; Professor Dong Zhaohua, Vice Dean of SIS; Dr He Jiani, LSE-PKU Double Degree Programme Academic Advisor; Mr Zhang Chunping, Director of the International Programmes Office; and Ms Tong Tianyu, Degree Programme Officer.

Dr Jake Subryan Richards interviewed by leading Spanish newspaper El País 

Richards discussed how his research has revealed that empires enacted new injustices through anti-slave-trade laws and the inspiring stories of people who resisted them.

You can find the article (in Spanish) HERE and you can watch a recording of the interview (in English) HERE.

'Agrarian Reforms in Cold War Latin America: A comparative analysis', Dr Anna Cant gives talk at University of Barcelona

On Wednesday 15 April Dr Anna Cant gave a talk at the University of Barcelona (as part of its Economic History Seminars series) entitled 'Agrarian Reforms in Cold War Latin America: A comparative analysis'.

Dr Cant presented her research on how the global Cold War shaped the trajectory of twentieth-century agrarian reforms in Latin America, including the terms in which agrarian reform was framed, the climate in which it was implemented, and the alliances that supported opposing visions of rural modernisation.

Focusing on the cases of Cuba, Peru, Chile and Bolivia, the talk also analysed the economic impact of agrarian reform and its long-term legacies. It was followed by a lively Q & A and wide-ranging discussion with the audience. 

Dr Giuseppe Paparella publishes new article, 'Coercing Taiwan: China, Military Mobilization, and the Abuse of Sun Yat-sen’s Historical Memory'

Dr Paparella developed and completed the article while he was a Visiting Research Fellow in the Department.

In this new article published in the Journal of Applied History, Dr Paparella argues that the CCP, by instrumentalizing Sun Yat-sen’s memory and role in the development of China, employs the leader’s nationalist message to pursue coercive annexation of Taiwan.

The article explains how the use of strategic communication around the figure of Sun Yat-sen legitimizes the CCP strategic aim to annex the island, while at the same time allowing the CCP leadership to frame this objective as one that can and should be achieved without the use of force. This dynamic is observed across three distinct instances in 2021, 2022 and 2025. Throughout them, the CCP exploited and abused Sun’s memory and political message while pursuing large-scale military operations to strategically communicate their commitment and intent to annexation. This study was developed and completed during a research fellowship at LSE’s Department of International History in 2024/25.

Read the article in full HERE

Dr Alex Mayhew takes students on walking tour of London war memorials

Dr Alex Mayhew took a group of our students from the HY4C1 course on a walking tour of various war memorials in central London.

They began with the Imperial Camel Corps Memorial, Anglo-Belgian War Memorial, and the RAF Memorial (Victoria Embankment), moved to the Gurkha Memorial, the Cenotaph, and Earl Haig Memorial (Whitehall), then proceeded to the Guards Memorial (Horse Guards Road), and finished at the Edith Cavell Memorial (St Martin’s Place / Trafalgar Square).

Once the tour concluded, the group stopped in at a local pub for a quick pint and a debrief. 

'History As It Happens' - Khamenei's Revolution

Dr Roham Alvandi joined Martin Di Caro’s ‘History As It Happens’ podcast to discuss the life and times of Ali Khamenei and his horrific legacy for Iran.

Listen to the podcast HERE

Professor Marc Baer releases new book, 'Children of Abraham: The Story of Jewish-Muslim Relations'

Professor Baer's latest, and seventh book (being released on 2 April) is a thought-provoking new history of how Muslims and Jews have engaged with one another - sometimes for better, sometimes for worse - for over 1,400 years. Yet recent discourse tends to focus on only the most antagonistic aspects of the two communities' interactions.

Professor Baer paints a more nuanced picture of Muslim-Jewish relations, from Muhammad's first interactions with Jewish Arabs in the seventh century and their shared struggles after the Spanish Reconquista to the ongoing modern conflict in the Middle East.

Free from the myths and counter-myths of earlier accounts, this is a timely and indispensable new analysis of two communities, often existing side by side, whose relations will continue to shape global politics for decades to come.

Find a link to the book HERE

Dr Roham Alvandi interviewed on Deutsche Welle’s Inside Europe podcast

During the interview, Dr Alvandi discussed the long shadow of Iran's modern history and the consequences of the Anglo-American coup in Iran in 1953.

Listen to the interview in full HERE

Dr Roham Alvandi speaks with Radio New Zealand on the history of Anglo-American involvement in Iran

Dr Alvandi gave an extensive interview to Radio New Zealand on the history of Anglo-American involvement in Iran, from the 1953 coup to the 2015 nuclear deal, and why we should avoid projecting our own politics on to what is happening in Iran today. 

Listen to the interview in full HERE

Yasmin Getirana receives honourable mention in the Graduate Student category of the 2025 Best Paper Competition of the LASA Labour Section (Latin American Studies Association)

We congratulate Yasmin Getirana, a third-year PhD candidate in the Department of International History, who has received an honourable mention in the Graduate Student category of the 2025 Best Paper Competition of the LASA Labour Section (Latin American Studies Association).

The recognised piece, 'Organized domestic workers' struggles in Brazil (1960s and 1980s),' is a book chapter submitted for an edited volume on Brazilian labour history, forthcoming with De Gruyter, and draws on her monograph 'Na casa e na causa: A associação sindical de trabalhadoras domésticas (Rio de Janeiro, 1961–1973)', (Editora Telha, 2023).

Dr Roham Alvandi speaks to the Times of Israel about Kurdish separatism in Iran

While separatist groups do not represent the mainstream of Iranian Kurds, they may be tempted to try to fill the political vacuum if the central government is weakened. That would be a recipe for disaster for Iran and for Iranian Kurds.

Read the article in full HERE

Dr Ron Po and alumni Noah Petts launch the Blue Sustainability and Society Initiative’s (BSSI) website

BSSI researches topics related to oceanic sustainability and in March, it covered sharks. For this, Noah - BSSI’s research associate and former LSE History undergraduate - interviewed Andrea Richey, Executive Director of the Hong Kong Shark Foundation.

Dr Po also wrote a piece in response to Richey’s work and interview, where he explained the importance of education and history to rethinking the current crisis of shark populations.

In the coming months, BSSI will talk to historians, scientists, and policy makers on issues including sea turtles, sea ice, and plastics, so stay tuned!

The website can be accessed HERE

On it, you will find BSSI’s conceptual manifesto, its advisory board, and monthly issues.

Dr Alex Mayhew takes HY120 students on visit to the National Archives

On Wednesday 11 March, Dr Alex Mayhew took a group of HY120 students to the UK’s National Archives for the final HY120 archive trip of the year.

Led by several of the TNA’s records specialists, the students were able to engage with materials spanning colonial Ireland, the First World War, Africa and the Second World War, and communism in the British Empire. All of this was funded by a generous Eden Centre Catalyst Grant.

Dr Roham Alvandi spoke to the ABC about the Iran War

Dr Alvandi spoke with the Australia Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio about Iran's Pahlavi past, the failure of Prince Reza Pahlavi to face up to the less savoury aspects of his father's rule, and what that means for his prospects as a transitional figure after the Iran War.

Listen to the full interview HERE

'Global Perspectives on Wartime Internment' - Read this new review on Dr Dina Gusejnova's recent publication and the corresponding panel discussion

This report was written by Benjamin Beißwenger, who completed an internship with Dina Gusejnova at the LSE IDEAS Conflict and Civicness Research Group. With thanks to the Wiener Library, DHI, and the Gerda Henkel Foundation

On 6 October 2025, the journal Immigrants & Minorities hosted a presentation and panel discussion at the Wiener Library in London to mark the publication of a double special issueon wartime internment in camps as a global practice and experience.

Co-edited by Dina Gusejnova alongside Arndt Bauerkämper and Marina Perez de Arcos, the issue is the result of a long-standing international collaboration between historians from the UK, Germany, Japan, and China. The project was supported in part by the Gerda Henkel-funded professorship in German History, which brought Arndt Bauerkämper to LSE and the German Historical Institute in 2018.

The special issue reframes the study of wartime internment, shifting from nationally focused accounts towards a global and comparative perspective across both World Wars. By uniting scholars from multiple countries, the collection presents internment camps not as isolated national phenomena, but as a shared and interconnected historical experience.

The Wiener Library provided a particularly resonant setting for the event. Founded in Amsterdam in 1933 by Alfred Wiener as the Jewish Central Information Office, it relocated to London following the November Pogrom of 1938, becoming the world's first archive dedicated to documenting Nazi persecution. Its mission to preserve the history of refugee and migration experience made it a fitting venue for a discussion on displacement, confinement, and memory.

Read full details on the event HERE

Dr Ron Po delivers two talks in Hong Kong

Dr Po delivered two talks during the final week of February at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) and the Education University of Hong Kong (EUHK).

At HKBU, he spoke on his latest findings concerning Sun Yat-sen and food politics, in celebration of the 160th anniversary of Dr Sun’s birth.

At EUHK, in a conference organised by Dr Ye Jia titled Lingnan Culture and the World, his talk explored the idea of watermanship and public energies in nineteenth-century China.

Dr Roham Alvandi speaks on Deutche Welle

Dr Alvandi spoke with Deutche Welle about the similarities and differences between the Iraq War of 2003 and the Iran War of 2026. Is the U.S. war in Iran repeating the mistakes of Iraq 2003?

Watch the interview in full HERE

Prof Kristina Spohr has been busy lately on Trump, climate change, and the heated geopolitical situation in the Arctic

In Germany, she was invited as guest speaker to the 100th episode of the German podcast Die Message to talk about “Power Politics in lieu of Rules: Why the Arctic is a key battleground of our future”  with the host-duo Ulrich Voss and Oliver Howard.

Click here to hear their 44 min conversation

In Brazil, she was interviewed extensively in Folha de Sao Paolo, the country's largest newspaper, by the journalist, LSE Alumna Angela Boldrini in her article, 'Trump's interest in Greenland and Venezuela contradicts climate change denialism'.

Read the article HERE

"History holds the key to understanding the crises facing our oceans" - Dr Ron Po pens new LSE blog post 

Oceans are in crisis. Fish stocks are collapsing. Plastic pollution is overwhelming. Climate change is warming seas. In a new blog for LSE European Politics, Dr Ron Po makes the case that history can help us make sense of how we ended up in this position, and how we can work towards meeting these challenges with greater intentionality and realism. He also explores what separates surviving from sustaining, and why that matters for envisioning our future.

Read Dr Po's blog post HERE

The Department and Iranian History Initiative welcome Dr Farian Sabahi

Dr Farian Sabahi joins us for a period as a Visiting Research Fellow from the University of Insubria where she is an Associate Professor of Contemporary History. Dr Sabahi will be an affiliate of the Iranian History Initiative during her stay.

Read more about Dr Sabahi and her work HERE

Dr Alex Mayhew's recent book 'Making Sense of the Great War' has enjoyed rave reviews over the last few months!

Dr Mayhew's book, which received Honourable Mention for the 2025 Tomlinson Prize, has seen the following excellent reviews over the last few months...

‘This is a sophisticated and elaborate study of mental survival and fortitude among a discrete group of men in an immeasurably challenging time and place. As such, it adds greatly to the military history of morale during the First World War, offering new insights into Englishness, subjecthood and the belief systems men were fighting for during this fraught and terrifying time.’ (Nicoletta Gullace, English Historical Review)

‘[T]his book is a major contribution and deserves to stand in the canon … as a “standard work” on the morale of the British soldier in the Great War.’ (Tom Thorpe, Stand To! The Journal of the Western Front Association)

‘Making Sense of the Great War offers insights to scholars and could also be used well in the classroom. It is highly readable … this book is a fresh look at … familiar ground and a welcome addition to the conversation surrounding morale.’ (Elizabeth Stice, First World War Studies) 

’This fine monograph … both advances our understanding of morale and highlights the fundamental difficulties which remain at the heart of this endeavour.’ (Vanda Wilcox, War in History)

‘Mayhew’s analysis paints a rich picture of the various ways in which men made sense of the war … Making Sense of the Great War offers points of reflections not just for the historian, but also for scholars of psychology, sociology, and military processes.’ (James Sewry, LSE Review of Books).

See here for a link to Dr Mayhew's book

Dr Alex Mayhew hosts student trip to the National Army Museum

Last week, Dr Alex Mayhew took a group of our HY120 students on another of this term’s archive trips. This time they joined curator Justin Saddington in the archive of the National Army Museum where he introduced the group to different archival documents, stretching from the English Civil War to the First World War. A big thanks to Dr Mayhew for taking time out of his busy schedule to take the students on the visit.

'The Everyday Life of Colonial Collections in German Museums in the Modern Era'

On Tuesday, 17 February, Prof Anja Laukötter spoke at the British Museum for a small group of students and members of the public.

Her talk looked at how European collectors, ethnologists, and anthropologists travelled to colonial territories around the turn of the twentieth century to “rescue” cultural objects from perceived decline and preserve them in museums under supposedly scientific conditions, historical records reveal a troubling reality behind these institutions. The everyday existence of these collections was also marked by dust, pests, fire, theft, overcrowded storage, and sometimes wrong handling—all contributing to the deterioration of the very objects meant to be safeguarded. Despite the supposed security of museums, there were no guarantees for the preservation of the artefacts removed from their original contexts.

The cultural "extractivism" that began in the colonial era not only led to the destruction of many objects but continues to have lasting consequences till today. The lecture illustrated these developments by drawing on the histories of various German museums.

The Department is proud to announce the 20^th anniversary of the LSE-PKU Double Degree programme MSc in International Affairs!

We want to take this moment to reflect on what has been an extremely enriching programme for our department and thank all those colleagues whose hard work over the years has contributed to its growth and success.

Sharing this important programme with Peking University over the last two decades has been a source of great pride to the department as we have seen students enjoy the wide range of combined resources and learning opportunities offered across both institutions. Students on this programme enjoy the chance to live and study across two great world cities, London and Beijing.

The programme was first set up in 2006, building on a shared commitment between LSE and Peking University to foster rigorous, globally engaged scholarship in international affairs and to strengthen academic exchange between the UK and China at the postgraduate level. Conceived as one of the earliest structured double-degree collaborations between the two institutions, it was designed to combine LSE’s long-standing strengths in international history and international relations with PKU’s expertise in Chinese and Asia-Pacific studies. The programme offers an outstanding opportunity for graduate students and young professionals to study the international relations of China and the Asia Pacific region, as well as the theory and history of global international relations.

Graduates from this double degree have gone on to careers in international organisations, government service, diplomacy, global finance, think tanks, non-governmental organisations, and academia, with many alumni continuing to build bridges between China, the UK, and wider international communities. The network of alumni across both institutions remains one of the programme’s most significant and lasting achievements.

Anniversary-related activities are already being incorporated into our departmental visit to Beijing in April. In addition, we plan to hold a related event in the Department in the coming academic year, ideally involving our colleagues from Beijing. Further details will follow!

HY120 students visit LSE Archives

Alongside Dr Leo Shipp, our first-year undergraduates visited the LSE Archives as part of their module HY120: Historical Approaches to the Modern World. Dr. Gillian Murphy introduced them to some of the jewels from the LSE collections, and they even got to look around the archive itself.

This week, Dr Alex Mayhew is taking a group to the National Army Museum Archives, and in March thirty students will attend a workshop at the National Archives!

Dr Qingfei Yin speaks about her exciting recent research projects in new interview

Dr Qingfei Yin was interviewed recently by the International Strategy and Academic Partnerships (ISAP) team in Philanthropy and Global Engagement Division (PAGE) here at LSE where she spoke about her recent research projects. Qingfei spoke about how she benefited from the Global Research Fund to spend time on her latest project ‘Building Mao’s “Railway on the Sea”: A Global History of China’s Ocean Shipping during the Cold War’ and shares her experience of spending time in Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou. 

The International Strategy and Academic Partnerships (ISAP) team leads LSE’s global engagement. They develop and manage strategic partnerships with world‑leading universities, create innovative student mobility opportunities, and support collaborative, high‑impact research that addresses global challenges.

Read Qingfei's interview in full HERE

Professor Kristina Spohr appears on podcast 'The Rest is History'

In 'Contested Arctic: Where missile trajectories are short' -  the latest episode of Deutschlandfunk’s Podcast series 'The Rest is History’ -  Prof Spohr discusses in German the issues and dynamics surrounding the scramble for the Arctic from the Viking Age to Trump’s attempted Greenland grab.

Listen to her speak HERE

Jack Roush has penned a new article for Diplomatic History entitled ‘Mehdi Samii and the 1964–1968 Iran-US Arms Negotiations’

Jack Roush's (one of our PhD students) new article reassesses a pivotal moment in relations between Iran and the United States by examining the role of Mehdi Samii, governor of the Central Bank of Iran and a key arms negotiator.

It shows how Samii’s technocratic credibility and economic diplomacy with the Soviet Union were instrumental in pushing the Johnson administration to accommodate Iran’s strategic ambitions.

Read the article HERE

Dr Artemis Photiadou publishes new article, 'The ABCs of Nazism: The Political Screening and Classification of German Prisoners of War in Britain in the Aftermath of the Second World War'

In her recent article, published in The English Historical Review (Oxford Academic), she discusses how nearly half a million German prisoners of war were in Britain when the Second World War ended, all of whom were sorted into one of three categories: anti-Nazi, unpolitical, or Nazi, correspondingly known as A, B, C.

This article focuses on the screening process that determined in which category an individual belonged. Drawing on approximately 400,000 screening outcomes between 1945 and 1947, it shows that the process was developed in a wartime intellectual environment that attributed National Socialism to a militant German ‘national character’.

Under those initial assumptions, many of those interrogated were classified as Nazi. However, the system quickly moved towards a more situational interpretation of ideology, turning screening into a convenient tool that facilitated practical policy objectives, rather than a mechanism of ideological classification.

Read the article in full HERE

Professor Kristina Spohr speaks across two days at the LSE German Symposium 2026

Prof Spohr kicked off the 25th LSE German Symposium as she chaired and moderated a conversation between Susanne Baumann (Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United Kingdom) and Andrew Mitchell (HM Ambassador to Germany) on British-German affairs. 

On the second day of the Symposium, she discussed with ex-Chancellor Olaf Scholz Germany’s “Zeitenwende,”  the current challenges for European security, and the ongoing transformation of world order. 

Professor Piers Ludlow contributes new chapter 'Roy Jenkins: the frustrations of pro-European constancy'

Prof Ludlow's chapter appears in a recently released book, 'The Labour Party and European Integration: A Biographical Approach' (pp. 174 - 191).

Roy Jenkins stands out from many other Labour politicians because of the consistency of his European beliefs. From the late-1950s onwards, Jenkins championed the cause of Britain in Europe through his public speaking, his political actions, and his extensive writing. 

The overview the chapter will provide of Jenkins’ lengthy career will underline both the importance and the consistency of his European creed – and the fashion in which this differentiated him from most other Labour politicians of his era.

Welcome Dr Caitlín Doherty, the inaugural David McClure Visiting Fellow!

We extend a warm welcome to Dr Caitlín Doherty who will be joining us for the 2026-27 academic year as the inaugural David McClure Visiting Fellow. The fellowship, generously supported by the David McClure Trust Fund, assists writers and scholars who are committed to producing a significant, original non-fiction book or work for a mass readership. The fellowship will enable the creation of work intended for a general audience, that is rigorously researched, non-partisan, and of contemporary relevance. 

Caitlín is a reporter and critic. She studied English Literature and the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge and has a PhD in the history of aviation. After graduating, she worked as an editor at Verso Books, then New Left Review. She writes regularly for NLR and the New Statesman, and has been published by Harper’s, The Baffler, Film Comment, New Internationalist, and Jacobin. 

Caitlín's work combines local narrative with global history, and focuses on European politics, economics, technology and culture. During the fellowship she will complete a study of the Swiss town of Davos, to be published by Faber & Faber and One Signal. She is thrilled to join the academic community of LSE and to have the opportunity to work with the renowned International History department.

Dr Roham Alvandi writes new essay for Engelsberg Ideas entitled 'The stakes of a Pahlavi restoration'

Dr Alvandi argues that Iran’s last Shah presided over rapid economic growth, social transformation, and expanding opportunity, particularly for women. Yet the unresolved political legacy of Pahlavi rule continues to haunt Iran’s opposition.

Read his essay HERE

Dr Dina Gusejnova organises roundtable discussion: 'Education in the Age of Global Insecurity: Dilemmas of foreign policy in the face of war and authoritarianism'

Dr Gusejnova hosted a critical discussion at LSE as part of the Grimshaw Society Annual Symposium for the visit of Eleni Vossou from the European External Action Service.

This expert panel spoke on how conflict, authoritarian repression, and digital technologies threaten education and knowledge communities worldwide. They examined the intersections of international relations and education, focusing on policy implications from the Russian war against Ukraine, authoritarianism in Russia, Syria, and beyond.

Our distinguished speakers — including experts from LSE, Cambridge, the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, and the European External Action Service — explored how grassroots initiatives protect democratic values, debate sanctions on educational institutions, and consider obligations of international bodies toward epistemic communities at risk.

Dr Roham Alvandi makes appearance on CNN

Dr Alvandi spoke to CNN’s Eleni Giokos today about uprising in Iran against the Islamic Republic. He provided some historical perspective on the Iranian Revolution and President Jimmy Carter’s approach to Iran in 1979, in contrast with President Trump’s policy of sable rattling today.

Watch the interview HERE

Professor Kristina Spohr quoted in recent Sydney Morning Herald article on the Europe, Trump, and the Greenland brawl

She stated: "Europeans have to hold on to the principles of sovereignty, territory, integrity and self- determination – for the Greenlanders, the Danes and themselves altogether. Because only that ensures an international order where small and middle-sized powers are respected. And, for Arctic security at large, from Alaska and Greenland to northern Norway and Finland, it is imperative that allies cooperate and collectively build up their deterrence and defence capabilities vis-à-vis their imperialist and belligerent Russian neighbour and an increasingly assertive China." Spohr concluded that the erratic US president Trump "only understands clear red lines and therefore Europeans, as part of the EU and NATO, cannot allow themselves to be bullied."

Dr David Motadel and Dr Roham Alvandi are co-editors of new book 'The Making of Iranian Modernity'

The new volume celebrates Professor Houchang E. Chehabi, one of the leading scholars in the field of Iranian Studies. Since the 1980s, Chehabi’s interdisciplinary body of work has made major contributions both to the study of modern Iran’s social and cultural history, as well as to the understanding of Iran’s broader political evolution and place in the world. 

View full details on the book HERE

Dr Jeff Hawn pens new article 'The Decline of Russia's Railroads' in online magazine Riddle

Dr Hawn's analysis of the declining condition of the state owned Russian railroads, points to broader systemic issues within the economy. In this analysis Jeff identifies that the Russian railroads which are a vital part of the broader Russian economy are in severe finicial trouble and beginning to see very tangible impacts on operations. With as much as 20% of rolling stock idle even as profits collapse by up to 90%. The railroads are still moving thanks to forced loans from Russian banks, but as Russia's currency reserves run dry and no clear solution appears. It seems likely Russia's railroads and its broader economy are facing a renewed crisis. 

Read the article HERE

Professor Kristina Spohr spoke live on Firstpost to discuss Trump's Davos speech

She condemned his aggressive rhetoric, his bully-boy tactics, and totally destructive political actions that are rupturing the international legal world order and threatening to tear the transatlantic alliance apart.

She highlighted the importance of summitry and face-to-face encounters such as at Davos, especially to achieve some cooling of the inter-allied tensions over his complete obsession, his necessity to “get Greenland”  at all cost for the US security.

She ended by adding that, if anything, Trump - the  “great disruptor “ - is playing into Russian and Chinese hands – as the Putin’s war continues in Ukraine and China is vying for Taiwan.

Watch her speak HERE

Professor Kristina Spohr discusses how Trump's ego is pushing NATO to the brink in her latest El Pais column

In "Power, Profit, & Personal Psychology” she examines how Trump’s ego and his obsession to demonstrate power & to “own” is pushing NATO (and the EU) to the brink.

She asserts that If Europeans believe in an international legal and institutional order they will have to put their Euros (or pounds) where their mouth is and hit back at Trump economically. They will have to call his bluff, otherwise NATO/EU will look hollow and Greenlanders will be  the victims of a miserable sell-out, as their Arctic homeland, Kalaallit Nunaat, is turned into a US mineral extraction pit.

Preserving this unique Arctic nation and country, preserving our hard-won laws, norms, and principles in Europe, at all cost – that must be the political duty of Europe’s leaders. They must remind Americans that the USA's  postwar strength and vast appeal lay in being an empire by invitation not an empire by imposition.

Read her column HERE

Professor Kristina Spohr appears in TV interview to discuss the current political situation in the Arctic

Professor Spohr gave an extensive TV interview on India's Firstpost global news outlet ahead of last week's meeting between Greenland’s and Denmark’s Foreign Ministers with US Vice President and Secretary of State in Washington.

She stressed the utmost importance of face-to-face talks at the highest levels at a time when temperatures and tensions rise as viewpoints are expressed 24/7 by megaphone diplomacy via social media. Equally she underlined the significance for NATO allies to reassess jointly the present security situation in the Arctic.

Watch her interview HERE

Professor Kristina Spohr weighs in on the Trump Greenland annexation discussion with two new articles

Professor Spohr has been busy commenting extensively on the world’s latest geopolitical hotspot Greenland in German media interviews.

She states: "With Trump’s bold Greenland-annexation talk, we are witnessing a brutal show of force and an act of intimidation against the Inuit and Europeans. This is plainly about his ego, resources, and profits; and a demonstration of American superpower. To channel the turmoil and avoid escalation, it is imperative", Spohr argues, "for Europeans to use NATO for intensive and proactive diplomacy – for the Greenlanders’ (and Arctic) security and defense firmly belongs within the Alliance."

Read her articles here:

• Free article available HERE
• Paid article available HERE

Dr Leo Shipp’s recent book received an excellent review in the journal Cultural and Social History

Dr Shipp's book 'The Poets Laureate of the Long Eighteenth Century, 1668–1813' received a glowing review in Cultural and Social History. 

His book discusses how the office of the poet laureate of Britain was a prominent, relevant and respectable institution throughout the eighteenth century. First instituted for John Dryden in 1668, the laureateship developed from an honorific into a functionary office with a settled position in court (c.1689–1715), and was bestowed upon Robert Southey in 1813, whose tenure eventually transformed the office. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, this book examines the office’s institutional changes and public reception, the mechanics of each laureate’s appointment, and the works produced by the laureates before and after their appointments. It argues that the laureateship played a key part in some of the most vital trends in eighteenth-century culture.

Read the review HERE

Dr Charlotte Eaton has published a new article in the Journal of Latin American Studies

Dr Eaton (one of our Fellows) has published a new article entitled, ‘El peligro rojo’: Republican refugees and the construction of the ‘undesirable immigrant’ in Colombia, 1936–42.

The article examines the national and international context within which Colombian immigration policy developed in the mid-twentieth century, as well as the multiple actors who contributed towards its formulation. Focussing on Republican refugees from the Spanish Civil War, it traces how and why policymakers and public opinion in Colombia began to see these groups as potentially harmful to society. It also explores the various actions that these émigrés took to circumvent the various restrictions placed against them.

Read the article HERE

Dr Ron Po publishes new article

Dr Ron Po kicks off the new year with a new article in the International Journal of Maritime History: “Saving souls from the depths: The Society for Rescuing the Drowning (Zhengnitang) in Late Imperial China.”

It is open access and available HERE

The piece examines how organised life-saving along rivers in the nineteenth-century Qing Empire grew out of moral practice, local philanthropy, and everyday encounters with maritime danger, and considers how such Chinese initiatives can be situated within broader global approaches to maritime rescue at the time.