I am broadly interested in interrogating IR theory by examining the history of global governance and international thought. My research examines, historically and sociologically, the emergence of the international as a separate domain of political action, and exclusionary conceptions of knowledge and agency that have shaped this domain.
I’m currently working on two projects. One is my first book, based on my doctoral dissertation, which reconstructs the modern history of expert-based global governance. How did expertise emerge as a central ingredient of international cooperation? My answer combines an intellectual history of Saint-Simonian and utilitarian strands of technocratic international thought with case studies of international experiments with expertise: the Suez canal, international telegraphy, and the first World Fairs. Listen to this podcast interview to hear more about that project. The second project is a study of crisis management, and the social and political construction of crisis, at three early-twentieth century international organisations.