About
Leave a commentAndrew W. M. Smith is a Senior Lecturer in Contemporary History at the University of Chichester. In the past he has also worked as a Teaching Fellow at University College London, and an Associate Lecturer at Brunel University London, Queen Mary, University of London and the University of Chichester. He studied Modern History at The University of St Andrews (MA (hons First Class), 2007; MLitt (Distinction), 2008 and attained a PhD (London), 2012 from Queen Mary, University of London after a period of research supervised by Professor Julian Jackson.
Recent book projects include:
- Terror and Terroir: The Winegrowers of the Languedoc and Modern France (Manchester University Press, September 2016)
- Britain, France and the Decolonization of Africa: Future Imperfect? Edited volume with Chris Jeppesen (UCL Press, March 2017)
His thesis was entitled, The Comité Régional d’Action Viticole (CRAV): Regional identity, violence and the challenges of modernisation in the Languedoc (1944-1992). This focused on the development of the wine industry in the French Languedoc during the Twentieth Century. In particular, the ways by which identity and politics have been moulded by the realities of economic development. The thesis attempts to unpick the contentious issues of regionalism (and regional nationalism), class conflict and violence by studying the experience of militant winegrowers and their relationship to Trade Unions, the forces of order and the general public.
His research focusses on concepts of centre and periphery, analysing various contexts in which this relationship has shaped historical events and international development. He has also looked at the relationship between the colonial periphery and the Metropolitan centre, analysing how legal and economic reforms ushered in by the 1956 Loi Cadre laid the foundation of the neo-colonial relationship. Tracing the networks and relationships of actors in the centre and periphery during these decision making processes shaped an understanding of the vested interests and para-political influences brought to bear on crucial reforms.
He recently completed a project in conjunction with the University of Chichester and the Military Aviation Museum at RAF Tangmere, analysing clandestine flights to support resistance in France during the Second World War and the cross-border transfers they invoked. He also recently worked on a large collaborative project with the Open University, helping to analyse the concept of Cultural Value through an investigation of funding reviews for the British Council and BBC World Service.
