News

Dr Qingfei Yin's book reviewed by the LSE Review of Books

Dr Yin's book Cold War transformations – state building in China and Vietnam’s borderlands was reviewed recently in the LSE Review of Books. 

Her work is a new exploration of how China and Vietnam developed their state institutions, governance structures and political identities during the Cold War. This original and meticulously researched work is a landmark contribution to Cold War history, Asian studies, border studies and theories of state formation that extends beyond its geographical focus, according to Luciano Magaldi Sardella.

"The Lives and Legacies of the British Gay Liberation Front Badge, 1970 - 2024"

Two of our Undergraduate students, Pip Fletcher and Noah Petts have had an article published in The Historical Journal, the illustrious academic journal published by Cambridge University Press:

The Lives and Legacies of the British Gay Liberation Front Badge, 1970–2024 | The Historical Journal | Cambridge Core

Their article, entitled “The Lives and Legacies of the British Gay Liberation Front Badge, 1970-2024” originated from Philippa's HY120 summative essay, a research proposal on a different badge, during her first year. Philippa then approached Noah to jointly conduct the research, shifting their focus to the Gay Liberation Front badge. The first stage of research was to produce a paper for the LSE Interdisciplinary Student Research Conference in June 2023, after which they were encouraged by Dr Will Mitchell to transform this initial research into an article. They researched and read for the article throughout their second year, with Dr Mitchell supervising their progress along the way.

The article was largely written in the summer of 2024, between their second and third years, although aspects of the literature review were written throughout their second year. They submitted to The Historical Journal at the end of August 2024 and, after one revise and resubmit followed by a conditional acceptance subject to minor revisions, were accepted in March 2025.

Both Pip and Noah are coming to the end of their BA History here at the Department this summer. Both will be taking up Postgraduate study, with Pip doing a Masters in History (Women’s, Genger and Queer) at Oxford, and Noah doing a Masters in History (Early Modern History), also at Oxford.

Dr Ron Po's new book reviewed by the LSE Review of Books

Dr Ron Po’s Shaping the Blue Dragon: Maritime China in the Ming and Qing Dynasties has recently been reviewed in the LSE Review of Books.

The book has also received generous support from Knowledge Unlatched, and is now fully available as open access. A hardcopy edition remains available as well, with its price significantly reduced thanks to the grant! 

"Why do humans fight wars?"

On 13 May Professor Kristina Spohr was a key-discussant on a 2-hour German MDR radio-show on the history of WAR & WARFARE.

The programme – held on the 500th anniversary of the Peasants‘ Wars and 80 years sincethe end pf WW II – revolved around the question: "why do humans fight wars?"

“La Hora de Merz”

Professor Krisitna Spohr was extensively cited on 4 May 2025, in a feature entitled “La Hora de Merz” in the Chilean newspaper El Mercuro on the major imminent foreign policy and economic challenges facing Germany under new chancellor Friedrich Merz. 

Professor Marc Baer speaks on his forthcoming book

Professor Baer will be giving a talk in the prestigious Mosse Lecture series at the Humboldt University of Berlin.

He will be discussing his forthcoming book, Children of Abraham: The Story of Jewish-Muslim Relations, which will be simultaneously published in several languages.

Read more about his talk HERE

Professor Vladislav Zubok nominated for the 2025 Orwell Prize 

The book “The World of the Cold War” by Stevenson Professor of International History Vladislav Zubok is a finalist for the 2025 Orwell Prize for Political Writing. 

Read more HERE

Dr Elizabeth Ingleson interviewed on Bloomberg UK

Dr Ingleson was interviewed about the recent changes in tariffs between the USA and China, speaking specifically about US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's meeting with Chinese officials in Geneva.

Watch the interview HERE

Professor Hakim Adi has been awarded the Amilcar Cabral Centenary Medallion 

Professor Hakim Adi, one of our Visiting Research Fellows, was awarded the Amilcar Cabral Centenary Medallion back in March for an article he contributed to BBC World Histories Magazine. The article was featured in a global poll, and championed the impact of Amilcar Cabral as one of the greatest leaders in history.

Read more about Hakim's contribution HERE

Professor Kristina Spohr speaks at LSE event, "Greenland, Iceland and the meltdown of the old order in the North Atlantic"

The event featured the former President of Iceland, Professor Guðni Jóhannesson, along with Professors Kristina Spohr and Jeffrey Chwieroth, and took place on Tuesday 6 May.

President Trump's determination to increase American influence and presence in Greenland has generated great interest in the future of the world’s largest island and its surrounding regions in the Arctic and the North Atlantic. Iceland is Greenland’s closest neighbour in Europe. In 1944, Iceland declared full independence from Denmark, at a time when Greenland was still a Danish colony. This event focused on the current position and future developments of these two countries in the Arctic and the North Atlantic at large.

Watch the event recording HERE

Dr Ron Po co-organises conference: "Charting Maritime East Asia: State-Building, Networks, and Environment"

In collaboration with Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Xiamen University, Dr Ron Po, representing the LSE, co-organised an international maritime conference entitled “Charting Maritime East Asia: State-Building, Networks, and Environment,” held at Hong Kong PolyU on 2–3 May.

The conference brought together 20 presenters and over 30 additional participants from Beijing, Taipei, Macau, Hong Kong, Hanoi, Leuven, Tokyo, Oxford, Sendai, Paris, and Princeton to discuss evolving ideas and conceptions of maritime (East) Asia. We thank our co-organisers in Hong Kong and Xiamen for making this a successful event, and look forward to further collaborations in the near future.

Professor Steve Casey appears on new documentary

Professor Steve Casey has appeared on the Channel 4 documentary, 24 Hours: The Fall of Nazi Germany.

He spoke about the mood, motives, and pressures inside General Eisenhower's headquarters in the period leading up to Germany's unconditional surrender in the early hours of May 7, 1945.

Watch the documentary on Channel 4 HERE

Prof Vladislav Zubok releases new book, "The World of the Cold War"

On Thursday 1 May, Prof Zubok's new book was released via Penguin.

Why did the Cold War erupt so soon after the Second World War? How did it escalate so rapidly, spanning five continents over six decades? And what led to the spectacular collapse of the Soviet Union?

In this comprehensive guide to the most widespread conflict in contemporary history, Vladislav Zubok traces the origins of the Cold War in post-war Europe, through the tumultuous decades of confrontation, to the fall of the Berlin Wall and beyond.

View the book HERE

Edoardo Vaccari publishes new piece in The Conversation

Edoardo Vaccari has written about the political afterlife of the Ventotene Manifesto, a 1941 call for a federal Europe drafted by anti-fascist prisoners.

In his piece, he examines how Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni’s recent attack on the Manifesto has sparked a polarised debate—revealing how both left and right are weaponising history to serve their present agendas.

Read the article HERE

Professor Steve Casey publishes new article in History Today

To mark the eightieth anniversary of VE Day, Prof Casey has published "Peace and Quiet" in History Today.

Based on research from his forthcoming book, The Skeptic Isle, the article explores how Britain reacted to the end of World War II.

Read the article HERE

Dr Giuseppe Paparella announces publication of new book

Dr Paparella (one of our Visiting Research Fellows) has announced the publication of his new book "Abiding Influence", set to be released in November this year.

By putting nationalism back on center stage, Paparella makes a strong case for looking at the history of American engagement in the Asia Pacific between 1898 and 1972 as a complex succession of interactions—between states, but also between leaders—that are highly contingent and shaped by the nationalist views of the leading US decision-makers over time.

This thoughtful study provides scholars and students with an interpretative key to understand the multifaceted role of the United States in the Asia Pacific, as well as policy recommendations to overcome the security and the credibility challenges posed by the rise of China in the region today.

Dr Ron Po speaks at Harvard

Dr Po was invited to attend an international symposium at Harvard titled “What is China? New Perspectives in New Eras”, held on April 18-19 in Boston. The event brought together both emerging and established scholars in the field. 

Full details on this event HERE

Professor Kristina Spohr speaks at 10th Delphi Economic Forum

On 9-10 April 2025, Prof Spohr spoke at the 10th Delphi Economic Forum on two panels. She discussed with fellow historians from Germany and Greece ‘The Weight of History in Today’s Fragmented World’, and discussed with former U.K. Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter and Ukrainian parliament’s Deputy Chairman Hryhoriy Nemyria ‘Victory’s Many Faces: Exploring the Potential Outcome for Ukraine’.

Read more HERE

Watch her speak HERE

Following these talks, Prof Spohr's contributions were quoted in Greek media on 11 April.

Professor Kristina Spohr speaks at inaugural CHIOS x Körber Roundtable 

On 8 April 2025 Prof. Spohr spoke in Hamburg at the inaugural CHIOS x Körber Roundtable. 

'Zeitenwende Challenges and Paths to Renewed Order: The Lessons of History and Strategies for the Future' offering an impulse statement on Baltic, Nordic, and Arctic perspectives.

Read more HERE

Read review of Dr Elizabeth Ingleson's book "Made in China"

Dr Ingleson's recent book "Made in China: When US-China Interests Converged to Transform Global Trade" has had a new review published by the LSE Review of Books.

You can read the review HERE

Professor Vladislav Zubok's upcoming book receives glowing reviews!

Prof Zubok's upcoming book "The World of the Cold War" (set to be released on 1 May) has received reviews in London Review of Books, The Telegraph, and the Financial Times.

You can view these reviews here:

• London Review of Books
• The Telegraph
• Financial Times

Professor Steve Casey has published a new article: "Remembering Roosevelt - a president who made America great again"

In his recent article, Prof Casey looks at the current effort to destroy what remains of FDR’s legacy and how it threatens to weaken the US and fuel global instability. The 80th anniversary of his death is an ideal moment to remember his achievements. 

Read the full article HERE

Prof Kristina Spohr has contributed the first “Opinion” in a five-part MSNBC Daily series on NATO’s future

She explains: “Russian hybrid warfare is already an established fact. And the Kremlin’s continuous and erroneous claims of NATO’s wrongful expansion is merely one key prong in this political conflict. Besides Ukraine’s destruction, Putin wants to see Euro-Atlantic community wrecked. ... Unfortunately, Putin has also found useful idiots in the West, willing to aid and abet his nefarious campaign.”

Read her article HERE

Dr David Motadel publishes chapter in new book 

'Soviet and U.S. involvement in the colonial world' was published in the book ‘The Greater Second World War: Global Perspectives’ (Cornell University Press).

Over the course of the Second World War, two states that considered themselves to be explicitly anticolonialist, the United States and the Soviet Union, emerged as the world’s hegemonic powers, eventually replacing Europe’s colonial overseas empires.

Exploring the roots of the global Cold War, Dr Motadel looks at the emergence of the bipolar political landscape in the colonial world during the Second World War.

Link to Dr David Motadel's chapter HERE

Link to the book HERE

Recordings of Professor Kristina Spohr's talks at the Council of Europe's "Observatory for History Teaching in Europe" are now available online!

In December 2024, Professor Spohr delivered her keynote "History at all costs?" at the OHTE's Annual Conference.

You can now find the recording HERE

One of our alumni has had an article published in The Historical Journal.

One of our alumni, Harry McGuire, has had their thesis published in the Historical Journal (Cambridge University Press): "British Military Bands, Propaganda, and Diplomacy, 1872–1918".

Harry was supervised by Dr David Motadel.

Read Harry's article HERE

LSE ranks no. 6 in the world for history!

The LSE has been ranked no. 6 in the world for history in the 2025 QS World University Rankings.

Over 250 universities have been included in this year’s history ranking, with strong representation from English-speaking countries. 

View the rankings HERE

Dr Mayhew's new book receives 'Honourable Mention' in 2024 Tomlinson Prize

Last month the WW1 Historical Association awarded Alex Mayhew’s Making Sense of the Great War ‘Honourable Mention’ in their 2024 Tomlinson Prize for the best work of history in English on World War One.

Alex’s book will be released in paperback in May/June.

Find a link to the book HERE

Professor Kristina Spohr speaks at the Centre for Geopolitics

On 19 Feb. 2025, Prof. Spohr discussed “The geopolitics of Greenland: Past, present, and future” with  S. Olsvig (Intl Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council), Prof. R. C. Powell (Scott Polar Institute, Cambridge Univ.) and Dr R. Nielsen (Univ. of Greenland). She explained why Trump’s landgrab rhetoric regarding Greenland was not just a concern for Nuuk & Copenhagen/ NATO, but of global import.

Prof Spohr’s comments were cited in the Danish Daily Kristligt Dagblad. She pointed out, having travelled to Inuit communities on the Bering Strait and Chukchi Sea, that by comparison Greenlanders were socio-economically much better off, benefitting from the Nordic welfare model.

On the dame occasion, Prof. Spohr was also interviewed and cited by Latvian journalist Ilza Kalve in Latvijas Avīze. 

Watch the video HERE

Read her comments HERE

Read her interview Is Greenland for sale?

Dr Jake Subryan Richards has won the Sir Julian Corbett Prize in Modern Naval History for 2024 

Jake won the award for for an essay entitled: “Remaking the Middle Passage: Naval Suppression and Captive Resistance in Atlantic Africa, 1807–1850”.

Based on findings from his forthcoming book, The Bonds of Freedom (Yale University Press), the essay argued that the dynamics of suppression replicated the conditions of a transatlantic crossing for captive people. 

Professor Kristina Spohr speaks on German news station

Prof. Kristina Spohr analyses on Deutsche Welle/PBS prime-time news the state of Euro-Atlantic relations in the aftermath of Germany's federal elections that saw Friedrich Merz (CDU) win.

Watch the segment HERE

Professor Kristina Spohr's lastest El Pais column in out!

In her column entitled 'Chancellor-elect Friedrich Merz's historical responsibility' she explains why it is imperative for Berlin to lead Europe alongside London and Paris, as Europe is confronted with an unreliable, bullying US NATO ally.

Read the article HERE

Dr Imaobong Umoren takes on the role of lead editor of the LSE-CUP International Studies book series

The LSE International Studies series comprises a boutique and award-winning collection of books dealing with international transdisciplinary matters, published by Cambridge University Press in association with the London School of Economics.

Read more HERE

Dr David Motadel edits new book

We are delighted to announced the publication of GLOBALIZING EUROPE: A HISTORY (Cambridge University Press), edited by David Motadel.

The book explores modern Europe's entanglements with the wider world, considering the continent not only as an engine but also as a product of global transformations.

View details on the book HERE.

"Embroidering Memory and Resistance"

Dr Tanya Harmer hosted an embroidery workshop on 7 February for students entitled: Embroidering Memory and Resistance.

Led by Gloria Miqueles the workshop saw students learn about the relationship between anti-dictatorial resistance and art and got to experiment use interdisciplinary methodologies to explore ideas of protest and resistance in the the past and the present.

One of our Alumni wins Latin American Studies Association book award

Dr Eline van Ommen, has won the Luciano Tomassini Latin American International Relations Book Award from the Latin American Studies Association.

Eline's book is Nicaragua Must Survive: Sandinista Revolutionary Diplomacy in the Global Cold War.

Dr Eline van Ommen is a PhD alumna. She holds BA in History from the University of Groningen and a MSc Empires, Colonialism, and Globalisation (with Distinction) from the LSE.

Prof Kirsten Schulze wins research grant

Congratulations to Prof. Kirsten Schulze who has been awarded a Saw Swee Hock Southeast Asia Centre research grant.

Her new project ‘When the Spice Islands were British’ examines the Moluccas during the period of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.

Dr Roham Alvandi speaks on BBC Persian

On the 50^th anniversary of the 1975 Algiers Accord between Iran and Iraq, Dr Roham Alvandi spoke with Khashayar Joneidi of BBC Persian about the enduring legacy of the deal struck between the Shah of Iran and Saddam Hussein at the OPEC summit in Algiers.

You can view the segment HERE

One of our MSc graduates has won the LSE Middle East Centre Dissertation Prize 2024!

Anne-Sophie Gull won 1st place for her dissertation 'Shaping British Perceptions and Policy Towards Persia at the Turn of the Twentieth Century'.

Sophie graduated from LSE with an MSc in International History. She currently works in private equity and hopes to pursue a career in academia in the long-term, focusing on imperial knowledge production in Victorian Britain.

Dr Roham Alvandi appears in new documentary

Manoto Television has released a seven-part Persian-language documentary series on ‘1970s Iran: A Decade of Transformation,’ featuring Dr Roham Alvandi. The series deals with seven topics in Iran’s foreign policy under the Shah: Bahrain, Dhofar, oil, the Soviet Union, the United States, Israel, and human rights. 

Check out the advertisement for the new series HERE

Dr Ron Po takes students from HY120 and HY330 on archive visit

On 20 February, students from HY120 and HY330 had the opportunity to explore the LSE Library’s archival collection. Many thanks to Dr Gillian Murphy for guiding us through primary materials on the First World War, the Second World War, and early twentieth-century China. We look forward to more visits like this in the future!

Student Workshop at the National Maritime Museum

In February, Dr. Alex Mayhew took several of his UG and MA students to a bespoke workshop at the National Maritime Museum led by KCL historian Dr. David Morgan-Owen.

They encountered a range of primary sources related to the conduct and experience of the First World War.

Dr Alex Mayhew awarded 'Honorable Mention' in 2024 Tomlinson Prize

The WW1 Historical Association awarded Dr Mayhew's Making Sense of the Great War 'Honourable Mention' in their 2024 Tomlinson Prize for the best work of history in English on World War One.

Alex's book will be released in paperback in May/June of this year.

Link to book HERE.

Professor Kirsten Schulze presents at international workshop on global security threats

Kirsten Schulze gave a presentation on ‘Indonesian militant Islamists and their international connections’ at the workshop on ‘Navigating Global Security Threats: Terrorism, Radicalisation, and Emerging Technologies’ held by the Center for Excellence for National Security in Singapore, 25-26 February 2025.

Modernizing a giant: assessing the impact of military-civil fusion on innovation in China’s defence-technological industry

A recent article by LSE-PKU double MSc in International Affairs student Alexandre Dupont-Sinhsattanak examines the impact of China’s military-civil fusion, which aims to modernize the defence industry and boost innovation. While there is growing private involvement and greater efficiency, nonetheless, state-owned conglomerates continue to dominate.

You can read the article in full here: Modernizing a giant 

Q&A with Imaobong Umoren and Sumi Madhok on the International Studies Book Series

Imaobong Umoren (LSE International History) and Sumi Madhok (LSE Gender Studies) are in conversation with the LSE Review of Books on their role as editors of the International Studies Book Series. They discuss the series's aims, why transdisciplinary and transnational research matters, and books to look out for in 2025.

Read the interview here: Q&A with Imaobong Umoren and Sumi Madhok

Dr Sajjan M .Gohel publishes article in Foreign Policy

In the power vacuum following the fall of Assad, groups fighting for dominance in Syria include a faction with a draconian approach to women's rights. Modern history is replete with examples of misogyny as the ideological cornerstone of oppressive regimes. In his article Dr. Sajjan M. Gohel argues that if Syria does not prioritize women’s rights the country's security and stability risks regressing further, which could have regional and global consequences. History is replete with examples where misogyny became the cornerstone of emerging draconian regimes and militant groups operating in ungoverned spaces.

Read the full article here: Without Women’s Rights, Syria Risks Failed-State Status

Dr Alex Mayhew speaks at the National Army Museum

On Friday 7 February, Dr Mayhew will be giving a public lecture at the National Army Museum. He will discuss the ways in which First World War soldiers navigated the crises that confronted them and crafted meaningful narratives about their service.

Sign up for the event here: Making Sense of the Great War: Crisis, Englishness and Morale | National Army Museum

You can read more about this in Dr. Mayhew’s recent book 'Making Sense of the Great War'. It is due to be released in paperback in the coming months.

Link: Making Sense of the Great War

Dr David Motadel publishes an article in The Guardian

Dr Motadel's piece "Are we at the turning point in world history" has been published in The Guardian.

David writes how political leaders increasingly caution that we are facing a historical ‘inflection point’, but among historians the idea of turning points is contested.

Read the article HERE

Dr Ron Po speaks at the University of Cambridge

Dr Ron Po will be giving a talk at Cambridge this Thursday 30 January for the China Research Seminar Series.

The lecture, entitled “From Sea to Splendour: Shark Fin and the Rise of Marine Luxuries in Eighteenth- and Early Nineteenth-Century China”, is open to all. Please feel free to attend if you're in the area and help spread the word.

More details on the event HERE

Have you read the International History Blog?

The Department runs a blog featuring articles from academics, students and other experts in the field of International History.

Recently, Joss Harrison, an ex-student of the Department and current researcher at the LSE Phelan US Centre published a post "To the victor go the spoils: Analysing Trump-era foreign policy as an antebellum project". This was edited by one of PhD students, Jack Roush.

You can keep up with our Blog HERE

Dr Tanya Harmer's book "Beatriz Allende: A Revolutionary Life in Cold War Latin America" released in Spanish

Dr Tanya Harmer's biography of Beatriz Allende - the revolutionary doctor and daughter of Chile's socialist president, Salvador Allende - has been released in Spanish.

This is an important step in ensuring her work is more accessible to those in Latin America, as this biography sheds light on a major period in Chilean and wider Latin American history.

You can view the Spanish edition here and the English editon here.

Our Alumni Achieve Big Things!

Dana Denis-Smith, who completed her BSc in the Department between 1997 - 1999, has been awarded Officer of Order of the British Empire in the King's New Years Honours List. This was in recognition of her services to women in law.

Dana is the founder of The First 100 Years and the Next 100 Years campaigns and is CEO of outsourced legal services provider Obelisk Support.

Dr Qingfei Yin publishes new book, "State Building in Cold War Asia: Comrades and Competitors on the Sino-Vietnamese Border"

We are delighted to announce that Dr Qingfei Yin has recently published he new book!

Her work looks to depart from conventional studies of border hostility in inter-Asian relations, exploring how two revolutionary states – China and Vietnam – each pursued policies that echoed the other and collaborated in extending their authority to the borderlands from 1949 to 1975.

Link to the book HERE

The Friends of the Women's Library Prize for 2024

Congratulations to Sarah Engelman (one of our current Masters students) who has won the The Friends of the Women's Library Prize for 2024.

The Women’s Library is the oldest and largest library in Britain devoted to the history of women’s campaigning and activism.

She won this prize for her masters dissertation, "The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom and the Question of Conscription and Conscientious Objection in Great Britain and the United States, 1915-1945".

Dr David Motadel co-edits new book

We are thrilled to announced the publication of UNCONQUERED STATES (Oxford University Press), co-edited by David Motadel. In the heyday of empire, most of the world was ruled, directly or indirectly, by the European powers. The book explores the ways in which non-European powers such as China, Ethiopia, Japan, the Ottoman Empire, Persia, and Siam managed to keep European imperialism at bay.

Join the book launches in Honolulu (Wednesday, 28 February 2025, 5pm, Imin Conference Center, University of Hawai'i) and London (LSE, tba) later this year.

Link to book HERE

Ryoya Mizuno publishes new work in the Historical Journal

One of our PhD students, Ryoya Mizuno, has published a new article in the Historical Journal (Cambridge University Press) titled "Reconsidering Arnold J. Toynbee’s World History in Mid-Twentieth-Century Japan". 

Read the article HERE