Susannah Bain

Research Topic

History-writing, communication and the making of political connections in Italy, c. 1270-1347

Supervisor: Catherine Holmes and Philippa Byrne

My thesis explores the relationship between history-writing and political connections during a period of immense political unrest across Italy and the Mediterranean region. It examines works from Genoa, Asti and Sicily alongside other materials related to political processes (letters, books of treaties), showing how authors cultivated senses of intra- and trans-regional space and connections to influence political activity. Beyond this, I am interested connections and mobility in the medieval Mediterranean region more broadly and 'Global' medieval history. I also enjoy thinking about comparative and environmental approaches to the study of the past.

I organised the 'Identity Abroad in Central and Late Medieval Europe and the Mediterranean Region' conference in January 2022, which explored the construction, expression, and practical implications of ‘identity’ among individuals and groups who chose or were forced to move ‘abroad’ permanently or temporarily in the central and late middle ages. We are currently working on the next steps of the project. 

I am co-organiser of the Environmental History Working Group: an informal forum open to all (including undergraduates) in which we discuss research and ways of approaching History from environmental perspectives. In relation to this, I co-organised 'Uprooting the Anthropocene:(Re-)Centring Trees in Tree-Human Relationships' in July 2021. Sponsored by TORCH, the one-day conference considered how trees engage/have engaged with humans and nonhuman others, prioritising tree agency and tree-ish perspectives. 

I teach tutorials on the later middle ages and the Crusades, as well as second- and third-year Disciplines classes on approaches to the study of History.

Before arriving at Oxford for my Masters, I completed my undergraduate degree at UCL (University College London). My doctoral research is kindly supported by the Oxford-David Jones Graduate Scholarship and the Arnold, Bryce, and Read Writing Up Fund. I am an Early Career Member of the Royal Historical Society.