David A. Williams is a researcher of nationalism, national identity and patriotism. He works within the fields of maritime history, visual culture, and history. Specifically, his research examines the role of visual culture, and history, in identity making processes, and in the discourses and narratives of nationalism and patriotism. He is split between the Department of History Department of War Studies.

His research examines the components of visual culture in their first order messages and signs. These are examined in their meanings as relating to theories of nation and identity by analysing how they construct messages of nation. This approach looks to understand why and how components of visual culture create specific second order messages relating to narratives of nation, identity, nationalism or patriotism. Ultimately, this reveals how they construct different views and understandings of nation and identity.

David is also particularly interested the use of histoires and concepts of nation, in political groups to situate and validate themselves and their views. He is broadly interested in the maritime space and the use of cultural landscapes as well as oceanic literary or "Seablindess."

Thesis

England and the Sea: Visualising the Nation in Art within the Maritime Cultural Landscape c.1830-1914.

Supervision

Principal Supervisor: Professor Paul Readman (Professor of Modern British History)Secondary Supervisor: Dr Pablo de Orellana (Senior Lecturer in International Relations)Professor Andrew Lambert (Laughton Professor of Naval History)

Research interests

David's research interests span the long 19th century into contemporary issues regarding the topics of;

• Nationalism and Patriotism: discourses, narratives and the use of history
• Identities: theory, identity-making and identity-based practices
• Oceanic literary: cultural and social interactions with the maritime world
• Naval and maritime history.
• Cultural landscapes

Publications, Projects, Exhibitions

'Photographic Imaginaries of the Countryside: Transformations in Understanding Rural Europe, 1827-1914' (Circle-U: Université Paris Cité, King's College London, University of Pisa, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin) Status: On-going.

Migration and Britian,’—Royal Museums Greenwich: The National Maritime Museum, London, UK—Learning Programme Designer, 2022.

Williams, David A. "Victorian Identity and the Sea: Imagining the Nation in Banal Maritime Art" in Roberts, Emma (ed). Art and the Sea (Liverpool University Press, 2022).

Williams, David. The Early Modern Inns of Court and the Circulation of Text. London: Middle Temple Library, 2019 (Exhibition Catalogue).

The Early Modern Inns of Court and the Circulation of Text.' London, Middle Temple Library, London, Curator, 04/01-29/08/2019.

Isolate Curate,' London, Tate Modern Exchange, Online, Curator, 01/03-01/08/2021

Teaching

Level 5 Seapower Nations and Strategy (Dept. War Studies)

Level 4 Culture and Identity (Dept. CMCI)Level 4 Making the Modern World (Dept. History)

Level 4 Britian: Institutions, Power & People (Summer Programmes)

Research Groups

Laughton Naval History and Maritime Strategy Unit

Corbett Seapower Centre

Art and Conflict Hub

Empire and Decolonisation Hub