Dr Kit Kowol

I joined King’s in 2018 as an Early Career Development Fellow in Modern British History having spent three years working as a lecturer in History at Christ Church and St. John’s College (Oxford) and before this as a postdoctoral researcher at Teesside University.

I received my BA (Politics) and MA (Modern History) from Durham University and my DPhil (Politics) from the University of Oxford. During my doctorate I was a visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley.

Outside of academia I have undertaken historically informed research for a number of think-tanks and policy institutes. I have also worked in political consultancy and campaigning in both the UK and US.

Research interests and PhD supervision

• Modern British history
• Political thought and culture, especially Conservatism
• Emotions and politics
• Methods in political history
• The Second World War

My work focuses on the interaction between political thought and political culture in twentieth century Britain. My research—which draws on intellectual, cultural, and emotional history—seeks to both reinterpret the history of modern Britain as well as to rethink our political present. I am currently completing my first monograph on British Conservatism during the Second World War as well as beginning a research project on letters written to defeated political leaders in Britain, Europe, and the USA and the role of grief and loss in politics.

I am also interested in the legacy of the Second World War in Britain, transnational political thought, political radicalism, and the history of emotions.

Selected publications 

• Blue Jerusalem: British Conservatism and the Second World War (forthcoming)
• ‘The Conservative Movement and Dreams of Britain’s Post-War Future’, Historical Journal (January 2018)
• ‘An Experiment in Conservative Modernity: Interwar Conservatism and Henry Ford’s English Farms’, Journal of British Studies (October 2016)
• ‘Renaissance on the Right?: New Directions in the History of Post-War Conservative Party’, Twentieth Century British History (April 2016)

Teaching 

At undergraduate levels I teach various modules on modern British history, the history of warfare, and historical methods. From 2019 I will also be teaching a new special subject on the Second World War and its legacy on British politics and culture.

At postgraduate level I teach a specialist course on historical approaches and contribute to a number of courses on twentieth century Britain.

Expertise and public engagement 

I have undertaken numerous pieces of historically informed policy research, for among others; the National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts (NESTA), the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (RISJ), and the Union of European Federalists. I have also appeared on BBC Radio and written for The National Trust.

I am currently an associate fellow of the think tank Bright Blue and Historian in Residence at the leadership development consultancy, The Corporate Theatre.

For more details, please see my full research profile.