Professor Tom Buchanan celebrates 25 years



Professor Tom Buchanan reached a milestone on 1 October 2015 - the completion of his twenty-fifth year with the Department for Continuing Education.

The anniversary coincides with the publication of his latest book: War in the Balkans: Conflict and Diplomacy before World War I.

Tom joined the Department in 1990 as a University Lecturer in Modern History and Politics. In 2014 he was awarded the title of 'Professor of Modern British and European History' as a reflection of his outstanding academic research, which is mainly concerned with the interface between Britain, Europe and the wider world during the twentieth century.

Initial research on the Spanish Civil War lead Tom into other areas, such as the relationship between Britain and China, and the rise of human rights activism. His publication history reflects his wide-ranging interests.

  • The Spanish Civil War and the British Labour Movement (Cambridge University Press, 1991)
  • Political Catholicism in Europe, 1918-1965 (co-editied, with Martin Conway), (Oxford University Press, 1996)
  • Britain and the Spanish Civil War, (Cambridge University Press, 1997)
  • Europe's Troubled Peace, 1945-2000 (Blackwell's, 2005)
  • The Impact of the Spanish Civil War on Britain: War, loss and memory (Sussex Academic Press, 2006)
  • East Wind: China and the British Left: 1925-1976 (OUP, 2012)

Tom's latest book (co-edited with fellow Oxford historian James Pettifer) focuses on the Balkan Wars of 1912-13, and is the product of a conference that Tom co-organised in 2012 at Oxford University's History Faculty, supported by a Fell Fund grant.

War in the Balkans: Conflict and Diplomacy before World War I, is published by IB Taurus. The publisher's website says that the new book:

'...seeks to shed new light on the Balkan Wars through approaching each regional and ethnic conflict as a separate actor, before placing them in a wider context. The Balkan Wars saw the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, the end of the Bulgarian Kingdom (then one of the most powerful military countries in the region), an unprecedented hardening of Serbian nationalism, the swallowing up of Slovenes, Croats and Slovaks in a larger Balkan entity, and thus set in place the pattern of border realignments which would become familiar for much of the twentieth century.'

In addition to his research Tom is Director of Studies in History and Politics, and Co-Director of our Foundation Certificate in History, and is very well known (and revered) by more than two decades of students for his teaching ability.

On the occasion of Tom's being awarded his Professorship, Valery Rose, alumna on the Foundation Certificate in History who first met Tom in 2005, remarked, 'As a direct result of Tom's teaching, several members of our year group went on to study History at degree level and beyond, and we all emerged with a much richer appreciation of what historical study has to offer.'

Professor Jonathan Michie, the Department's Director, said, 'Tom Buchanan has made an immense contribution to the Department for Continuing Education, Kellogg College, the University of Oxford, and academia and public life more generally over the past quarter of a century - and continues to do so today, as strongly if not more strongly than ever. His research leadership, publications, teaching, and public lecturing are all well received and greatly appreciated.'

We at the Department congratulate Professor Tom Buchanan on the completion of 25 years of service, and look forward to many more years to come.

Published 23 October 2015