Professor Simon Smith
| Biography | Simon C. Smith is Professor of International International History in the School of Humanities at the University of Hull. He is an expert on British imperialism and decolonization in the Middle East and the Mediterranean, as well as post-war Anglo-American relations. His current research focusses on slavery and the slave trade in the Arab world. In furtherance of this he was based at the Wilberforce Institute in 2023-4. He has published nine books including a trilogy of monographs on the modern history of the Persian Gulf . His OUP/British Academy study, Kuwait, 1950-1965: Britain, the al-Sabah and Oil, and his CUP book, British Imperialism, 1750-1970, have both appeared in translation. In addition, he has published widely in leading academic journals, including Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History, Middle Eastern Studies, Contemporary British History, and Journal of Transatlantic Studies. He is also on the Editorial Board for a number of journals including Middle Eastern Studies. He was part of the team which delivered the ground-breaking British Documents on the End of Empire Project. This prestigious series, for which he produced the volume on Malta, was supported by the British Academy, the Leverhulme Trust, and the AHRC. As regards Knowledge Exchange, his expertise has been drawn upon extensively by the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office for which he has delivered numerous talks and briefing papers on the modern history of the Gulf. |
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| Teaching and Learning | Revolutions (level 4); The First Superpowers (level 5); Co-produced module (level 6); Fear and Terror (level 6); Capstone Project (level 6); Power, Authority, and Freedom (level 7). |
| Scopus Author ID | 16029405900 |
| PhD Supervision Availability | Yes |
| PhD Topics | I welcome applications to work with me on post-war Anglo-American relations, imperialism and decolonization, the emergence of the modern Middle East, slavery in the Gulf. Recent successfully completed PhDs: Joseph Slack, ‘Challenging Continuity: The Politics of the East India Company and the Government of India towards Russia in the Era of the Great Game, 1838-1880’ (PhD, 2019-24). Current PhD students: David Brooks, 'Patronage and Capability in The Office Corps of the Royal Navy 1815-1870'. Tara Broadley, ‘Travellers to Egypt, the Middle East and South East Asia’ . |