Dr Alex Clarkson

Born in Canada, after completing his schooling in Hanover, Germany, Alexander Clarkson studied Modern History at Balliol College, Oxford. After graduating in 2000, he went on to complete his doctorate at the University of Oxford in September 2006. He also taught for a year as a Lecturer in Modern History at New College, Oxford, before joining the European and International Studies Department at King’s College London in 2007.

Research Expertise and PhD Supervision

• European borders
• Migration studies
• German politics
• Contemporary history

Alexander Clarkson’s research and teaching involve two core areas of focus. The first examines the impact transnational diaspora communities have had on the politics of Germany and Europe after 1945. This includes particular focus on how diasporas connected to Ukraine, Algeria, Iran, Croatia, Turkey, Syria, Libya and Lebanon have generated interactions between the politics of their countries of origin with the politics of their countries of settlement in the European Union.

The second area of focus is on how the European Union’s border system has involved an increased emphasis on militarisation that has affected its relationship with neighbouring states in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Maghreb and Sahel regions.

Alexander welcomes applications for PhD topics related to any of his research interests.

Teaching

Alexander Clarkson’s teaching covers the history of Germany in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries as well as the emergence of the European Union’s border system. His modules focus on how social and territorial change affects political and military developments on the local, national and supra-national levels. Other key issues that are explored in his courses include the impact of mass immigration and the continuing political debate over European identity.

Undergraduate modules:

• 4AAOB109 The Making of Modern Europe: Historical, Political and Sociological Approaches
• 4AAOB122 The Emergence of the Modern German State
• 6AAOB326 Immigration Identity and the Securitization of Europe’s Borders