Chloë is currently under the supervision of Professor Matthew Jones and Professor Piers Ludlow. She holds a BA in European Studies from King's College London and a Certificate in International Affairs and Strategy from Sciences Po Paris. She graduated from St Antony's College, University of Oxford, with a Master's degree in Global and Imperial History.
Provisional thesis title:
A Place in the World: Negotiating Nuclear Power During African Decolonisation (1958-1963)
My research looks into the relationship between nuclear power and African decolonisation.
It explores how Nigeria, Britain, Algeria, France (and the French Community) thought and spoke about nuclear power, and how they interacted with it during the transition from colonial rule to independence. In doing so, the thesis charts changing power dynamics between actors. It examines the effect of nuclear power on their political projects, and, conversely, the effect of decolonisation on nuclear projects.
Methodologically, my research combines global and diplomatic history to emphasise criss-crossing between France, Britain, Algeria and Nigeria. Overall, this approach gives us a better sense of how, beyond strict East-West or North-South logics, nuclear power fed into the diplomatic tactics of the end of empire, into regional and domestic postcolonial politics, and into the requirements of mid-20th century industrial development.