Dr Liam Ryan
Teaching Fellow in Twentieth-century British History
My main research interests lie in the political, intellectual and cultural history of twentieth-century Britain. I am especially interested in political culture and approaches to politics that register the importance of popular culture, civil society, social identities and everyday life. Other areas of interest include the history of the Conservative Party, socialism and the relationship between secularism and Christianity in the twentieth century.
Research Interests
- Twentieth-Century British History
- Political History
- Intellectual History
- Cultural History
My work marries close attention to parties and political language with broader definitions of the political which foreground the embeddedness of power relations in society and culture. My monograph, Enemies of the Red Flag: Anti-Socialism in Britain, 1900-1940, argues that opposition to socialism was a genuinely popular phenomenon that crossed divisions of party, class and ideology in twentieth-century Britain. My next research project examines the history of audit as a governing practice in late twentieth century Britain, with a particular focus on the 'rituals of verification' (Power) that re-shaped professional norms in the public sector in the 1980s and 1990s. I have published in the areas of political history, the history of political thought and labour history.
