Research in PHIR
The Department has four broad research clusters: European Union and area studies, International Relations, Modern history and Politics and Political Theory. These clusters have particular expertise in the international relations of the European Union, policy-making in the EU and its member states; intelligence and security studies; contemporary political theory – with interests in gender, multiculturalism, democratic theory and the study of anarchism – and modern Austrian, British and German history. The recent expansion of the Department has widened the geographic scope of our research interests and current research includes work on Southern Africa and Asia and EU relations with Brazil, Russia, India and China.
The Department enjoys productive research links with other departments in the University, notably the Business School, English and Drama, Geography, Sports and Exercise Science and Social Sciences. Inter-departmental research is also facilitated through the University-wide history research network. Two peer-reviewed journals - The Journal for Contemporary European Studies and Anarchist Studies - are edited in the Department. Academic colleagues serve on the editorial boards of a number leading journals and are active in a range of national and international academic associations including the American Political Science Association, the British International Studies Association, European Consortium for Political Research, the International Political Science Association, the Political Studies Association and the Victorian Studies Association.
Current major research projects:
The Diplomatic System of the EU, a Jean Monnet Programme of the European Commission, http://dseu.lboro.ac.uk/ (Prof. Dave Allen and Prof. Mike Smith)
Dynamics of Institutional Co-operation in the European Union (INCOOP), funded under the European Commission Marie Curie Seventh Framework Programme http://www.in-coop.eu/welcome (Prof. Dave Allen and Prof. Mike Smith)
Women’s Autobiography in Islamic Societies, an AHRC-funded network project (Dr. Siobhan Lambert-Hurley)
The British in South Africa: Continuity or Change
This project aims to explore the extent to which continued British expatriate presence in South Africa’s changing political context has been accompanied by a meaningful shift in political and social positions, in accordance with the country’s aim to construct an egalitarian and multicultural ‘Rainbow Nation’.
(Dr Daniel Conway)
For more details on individual research and publications, view our staff pages