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Dr Kevin O'Sullivan BA Ph.D
Contact Details
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Biography:
| My main research and teaching interests are in international history, especially the areas of empire, globalisation, development, and NGOs. I am particularly interested in how our ideas of the 'West' changed in an era of decolonisation, and how those themes were experienced from its peripheries - in Ireland, Canada and Northern Europe. Those questions are reflected in my teaching at undergraduate (modules on decolonisation, aid, and Ireland in a global context) and postgraduate (NGOs and the making of the twentieth century) levels. They also find echoes in my research career to date. My first book, Ireland, Africa and the End of Empire: Small State Identity in the Cold War was published in 2012 by Manchester University Press, and I have written on Irish and international history in the Journal of Genocide Research, Irish Historical Studies, Policy & Practice, Irish Studies in International Affairs, and several edited collections. I am currently working on a new book, provisionally titled 'The NGO Moment: the Globalisation of Humanitarianism, 1968-85', that examines the social, ideological, and cultural bases of humanitarianism in the West, including case studies of British, Canadian and Irish NGOs. As part of that project, I organise an international research network titled Non-state humanitarianism: From colonialism to human rights that brings history and historians into conversation with the practical world of humanitarian aid. The network, funded initially by a British Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) research networking grant, has convened four workshops to date: three hosted by its key academic partners (NUI Galway, University of Birmingham, ZZF Potsdam) and a fourth by one of its NGO collaborators, Save the Children. In addition to that AHRC grant, my research to date has won funding from the Irish Research Council (New Foundations grant, two postdoctoral fellowships, and a postgraduate studentship), NUI Galway (Millennium Fund), and Trinity College Dublin (postgraduate studentship). I am also currently an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham, where I spent a year as a Marie Curie Fellow (2011-12), and have previously held a Visiting Research Fellowship at Carleton University, Ottawa (2014). Before arriving in Galway in 2012, I was an Irish Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow at UCD School of History and Archives (2009-2011) and completed my PhD at Trinity College Dublin in 2008. In 2011 I was seconded to Irish Aid and the Higher Education Authority to work on their joint 'Programme of Strategic Co-operation Between Irish Aid and Higher Education and Research Institutes'. Outside the university context, I am also involved in a number of collaborative activities. In 2012, my interest in the intersections between Irish and international history led me to become a founding member of 'Transnational Ireland', an international research network concerned with exploring the history of modern Ireland using a transnational approach. In the same year I became a committee member of the Voluntary Action History Society and in 2014 I joined the committee of the Irish Association of Professional Historians. Continuing my interest in public engagement, I am also co-convenor of the cross-sectoral Development Studies Association Ireland Civil Society Study Group; have been involved in academic/practitioner conversations organised by the AHRC, Save the Children, and others; am a member of the International Reference Group for HumanitarianHistory.org; and have appeared on radio on several occasions for Newstalk and RTÉ. |
Research Interests
| Core research interests: International History; the history of decolonisation; the social, cultural and political legacies of imperialism in Europe; humanitarianism; NGOs; globalisation; contemporary Irish history in a global context. Current research: My current research focuses on the history of humanitarianism, aid and development assistance. Having published several articles on different aspects of the official aid system, I am currently working on a new book, provisionally titled 'The NGO Moment: the Globalisation of Humanitarianism, 1968-85', that examines the social, ideological, and cultural bases of humanitarianism in the West, including case studies of British, Canadian and Irish NGOs. Why did this period provide such fertile ground for the emergence of the humanitarian sector? What factors drove its expansion? And what can the NGO experience tell us about the history of globalisation and its impact on Western society? |
Research Projects
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Project: Kevin O'Sullivan MF Project ( RM1409) Start/End Dates: 01-OCT-14 / 31-AUG-16 |
Books
Kevin O'Sullivan (2012) Ireland, Africa and the end of empire: Small state identity in the Cold War, 1955-75. Manchester: Manchester University Press.  [Details] |
Book Chapters
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2014) 'A global nervous system: The rise and rise of European humanitarian NGOs' In: Marc Frey, Soenke Kunkel and Corinna Unger (eds). International organizations and development, 1945-1990. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. [Details] |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2013) 'EC membership, development aid and Irish foreign policy' In: Thorsten Olesen and Helge Pharo (eds). Saints and sinners: official development aid and its dynamics in a historical and comparative perspective. Oslo: Oslo University Press. [Details] |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2005) 'The cause of nationality is sacred in ... Africa as in Ireland: Ireland and sub-Saharan Africa at the United Nations, 1960-75' In: Michael Kennedy and Deirdre McMahon (eds). Obligations and responsibilities: Ireland at the United Nations, 1955-2005. Dublin: IPA. [Details] |
Peer Reviewed Journals
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2014) 'Humanitarian encounters: Biafra, NGOs and imaginings of the Third World in Britain and Ireland, 1967-70'. Journal Of Genocide Research, 16 (2-3):299-315. [Details] |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2013) 'Ah, Ireland. The caring nation: Foreign aid and Irish state identity in the long 1970s'. Irish Historical Studies, . [Details] |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2011) 'History and the development aid debate in the Republic of Ireland'. Policy And Practice: A Development Education Review, 12 :110-123. [Details] |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2010) 'Irish diplomatic history in the twenty-first century: After the gold rush'. Irish Economic And Social History, 37 (1):105-116. [Details] |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2007) 'Biafra to Lomé: The evolution of Irish government policy on official development assistance, 1969-75'. Irish Studies In International Affairs, 18 :91-107. [Details] |
Other Journals
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2010) 'Across the gaping earth blasted by hatred: Concern in Bangladesh' History Ireland 18 (4) :46-49. [Details] |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2006) 'The wind of change: Decolonisation in British West Africa' History Ireland 14 (4) :40-45. [Details] |
Book Review
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2013) Review of Daniel P. L. Chong, Freedom from poverty: NGOs and human rights praxis (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2010). Book Review [DOI] [Details] |
Honours and Awards
| Year: 2014. Title: Visiting Research Fellowship, Carleton University (Ottawa) |
| Year: 2013. Title: PI, 'Sources and Uses of Humanitarian History' |
| Year: 2013. Title: Co-investigator, International Research Network: 'Non-State Humanitarianism: From Colonialism to Human Rights' |
| Year: 2011. Title: IRCHSS CARA Postdoctoral Mobility Fellowship |
| Year: 2011. Title: Honorary Research Fellowship, University of Birmingham |
| Year: 2005. Title: IRCHSS Postgraduate scholarship |
| Year: 2009. Title: IRCHSS Postdoctoral Research Fellowship |
Associations
| Association: Voluntary Action History Society, Function/Role: Member |
| Association: Irish Association of Professional Historians, Function/Role: Member |
| Association: Voluntary Action History Society, Function/Role: Member |
| Association: Irish Historical Society, Function/Role: Member |
| Association: Development Studies Association of Ireland, Function/Role: Member |
| Association: Development Studies Association, Function/Role: Member |
Conference Contributions
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2015) Teaching Voluntary Action History: Critical Thinking and the History of NGOs. [Plenary Lecture], Teaching the History of Voluntary Action: International and Transnational Perspectives, Queen Mary, University of London , 28-FEB-15 - 28-FEB-15. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2014) Lessons from the Past: NGOs, Power, and the Impact of the 1970s on the Contemporary Development Sector. [Invited Oral Presentation], Bridging the Gap: Translating Development Research Into Practice (Development Studies Association Ireland Annual Conference 2014), Education & Research Centre, Our Lady's Hospice, Harold's Cross, Dublin , 27-NOV-14 - 28-NOV-14. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2014) ‘1968 and all that: NGOs in Ireland and Britain and the influence of the global South’. [Conference Paper], Fourth European Congress on World and Global History, École Normale Supérieure , 05-SEP-14 - 05-SEP-14. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2014) 'Humanitarian histories: the state of the field’. [Plenary Lecture], Canadian Humanitarian History Network Workshop, Carleton University, Ottawa , 09-JUL-14 - 09-JUL-14. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2014) Dislocating Ireland: teaching twentieth century Irish history through a transnational lens. [Conference Paper], Latitudes: Irish Studies in an International Context (ACIS/CAIS Conference 2014), University College Dublin , 13-JUN-14 - 13-JUN-14. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2014) Fighting for justice or feeding the world? NGOs and the New International Economic Order. [Oral Presentation], Kandersteg Seminar, Remarque Institute, New York University, Remarque Institute, New York University (Kandersteg Workshop) , 30-APR-14 - 03-MAY-14. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2014) Common Humanity? Humanitarianism as Globalisation in the NGO moment (1968-85). [Invited Lecture], History of International Organisations Network Seminar, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva , 10-APR-14 - 10-APR-14. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan, Matthew Hilton and Juliano Fiori (2014) Co-investigator of network. [Conference Organising Committee Member], Between the global and the local in humanitarian action: Workshop 4 of 'Non-state Humanitarianism: From Colonialism to Human Rights' Network, Save the Children UK offices, London , 07-APR-14 - 08-APR-14. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2014) Progressive pragmatists: Ireland, the 'like-minded' states and the search for a new international economic order, 1974-82. [Oral Presentation], The Neutrals and Non-Aligned in the Global Cold War, University of Lausanne , 13-MAR-14 - 15-MAR-14. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2013) Diplomacy of the stomach: humanitarianism, NGOs and the Cold War. [Invited Oral Presentation], Trinity College Dublin War Studies Seminar, Trinity College Dublin , 12-DEC-13 - 12-DEC-13. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan and Matthew Hilton (2013) Co-investigator of network. [Conference Organising Committee Member], Humanitarianisms in Context: Workshop 3 of 'Non-state Humanitarianism: From Colonialism to Human Rights' Network, ZZF Potsdam , 28-NOV-13 - 29-NOV-13. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2013) Developing a transnational Irish history syllabus. [Conference Organising Committee Chairperson], Teaching Transnational History: Transnational Ireland research network, Workshop 4, National University of Ireland Galway , 31-AUG-13 - 31-AUG-13. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan and Matthew Hilton (2013) Co-investigator of network. [Conference Organising Committee Chairperson], Sources & Uses of Humanitarian History- Workshop 2 of 'Non-state Humanitarianism: From Colonialism to Human Rights' Network, National University of Ireland Galway , 20-JUN-13 - 21-JUN-13. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2013) Humanitarian Encounters: The legacy of Biafra for our understanding of the global south. [Invited Oral Presentation], Sources & Uses of Humanitarian History- Workshop 2 of 'Non-state Humanitarianism: From Colonialism to Human Rights' Network, National University of Ireland Galway , 21-JUN-13 - 21-JUN-13. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2013) Historicising NGO humanitarianism: What we need to learn from the past, and why. [Invited Oral Presentation], RIA International Affairs Conference 2013: The Changing Face of Africa, Royal Irish Academy , 31-MAY-13 - 31-MAY-13. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2013) NGOs and the globalisation of Ireland. [Invited Oral Presentation], Voluntary Action History Seminar, Institute of Historical Research, London , 20-MAY-13 - 20-MAY-13. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2013) Doing Transnational History: Roundtable Discussion. [Conference Organising Committee Member], Transnational Ireland: Network Workshop, Trinity College Dublin , 26-APR-13 - 26-APR-13. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2013) All kinds of everything: NGOs and the globalisation of Ireland, 1960-2000. [Oral Presentation], TCD Contemporary History Research Seminar, Trinity College Dublin , 20-MAR-13 - 20-MAR-13. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2012) 'Feed the World' or start a revolution? NGOs, rights, aid and development, 1968-85. [Invited Oral Presentation], Ulster Society for Irish Historical Studies Seminar, Queen's University Belfast , 13-DEC-12 - 13-DEC-12. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2012) History, IR Theory and Small State Identity in the Long 1970s. [Invited Oral Presentation], Transnational Ireland: Methodologies Workshop, University of Edinburgh , 07-DEC-12 - 07-DEC-12. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2012) From the 'search for justice' to 'Feed the World': NGOs, rights and development, 1968-85. [Oral Presentation], Humanitarianism: Past Present and Future, University of Manchester , 08-NOV-12 - 10-NOV-12. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan and Matthew Hilton (2012) Non-state humanitarianism: From colonialism to human rights. [Conference Organising Committee Member], Saving Humans: An inter-disciplinary workshop, University of Birmingham , 14-JUN-12 - 14-JUN-12. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2012) Of rice and men: Writing the history of non-governmental aid in the post-1945 era. [Invited Oral Presentation], Beyond the island: Transnational approaches to history, National University of Ireland, Galway , 20-APR-12 - 21-APR-12. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2012) Of rice and men sans frontieres: Aid, NGOs and Western society since 1945. [Invited Oral Presentation], Making connections: Transnational histories of welfare workshop, Oxford Brookes University , 21-MAR-12 - 21-MAR-12. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2012) Roundtable discussion on histories of non-state humanitarianism. [Conference Organising Committee Chairperson], Non-state humanitarianism: Networking meeting, University of Manchester , 16-MAR-12 - 16-MAR-12. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2012) Transnational welfare history: where next? (panel discussant). [Invited Oral Presentation], Making connections: Transnational networks in European welfare history workshop, Oxford Brookes University , 29-JUN-12 - 29-JUN-12. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2012) A global nervous system: The rise and rise of humanitarian NGOs. [Invited Oral Presentation], Transnational Ireland Workshop, Trinity College Dublin , 08-SEP-12 - 08-SEP-12. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2011) Ah, Ireland. The caring nation: Foreign aid and Irish identity. [Invited Lecture], Irish Studies seminar series, Mater Dei Institute, Dublin , 08-MAR-11 - 08-MAR-11. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2011) The challenges of contemporary history in Ireland - roundtable discussant. [Invited Oral Presentation], Irish Historical Society seminar series, Boston College, Dublin , 25-JAN-11 - 25-JAN-11. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan, Juliana Adelman, Lisa-Marie Griffith, Christina Morin (2011) A symposium on web legitimacy. [Conference Organising Committee Member], Honest to blog, Trinity College, Dublin , 04-MAR-11 - 04-MAR-11. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2011) Small states, foreign aid and the Cold War. [Oral Presentation], War Studies seminar series, Trinity College Dublin , 17-FEB-11 - 17-FEB-11. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2010) People are dying NOW. Give us the money NOW. Foreign aid and Irish identity. [Oral Presentation], Contemporary Irish history seminar, Trinity College Dublin , 17-FEB-10 - 17-FEB-10. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2010) From Biafra to Vietnam: Towards a history of Irish foreign aid. [Invited Oral Presentation], Development Studies Centre seminar series, University College Dublin , 19-FEB-10 - 19-FEB-10. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2010) In need of assistance? The EC and Irish foreign aid. [Invited Oral Presentation], Aid norms and aid realities workshop, University of Copenhagen , 05-MAR-10 - 06-MAR-10. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2010) Postcolonial humanitarians? A history of Irish aid. [Invited Oral Presentation], Development Studies Association Ireland, annual conference, Trinity College, Dublin , 13-SEP-10 - 13-SEP-10. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan, Ciara Meehan (2010) Roundtable discussion on the practice of oral history. [Conference Organising Committee Member], In their own words, University College Dublin , 29-APR-10 - 29-APR-10. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2010) Concern for Africa: NGOs and the humanitarian response. [Invited Oral Presentation], Ireland and Biafra conference, National University of Ireland, Galway , 30-SEP-10 - 01-OCT-10. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2010) Born missionaries? Geldof, Robinson, aid and the Irish. [Conference Organising Committee Chairperson], Ireland since 1966: New perspectives, University College Dublin , 11-NOV-10 - 11-NOV-10. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2010) Postcolonial humanitarians? A history of Irish foreign aid. [Invited Lecture], Trocaire internal staff seminars, Trocaire offices, Maynooth , 01-DEC-10 - 01-DEC-10. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2010) Ireland, Africa and the end of Empire. [Invited Lecture], St Patrick's College, Drumcondra, History Society seminars, St Patrick's College, Drumcondra , 15-DEC-10 - 15-DEC-10. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2010) While the actors are still on stage: Interviews and the history of the recent past. [Invited Oral Presentation], Private stories: Public histories, University of Limerick , 23-APR-10 - 23-APR-10. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan, Juliana Adelman, Lisa-Marie Griffith, Christina Morin (2010) A symposium on arts, culture, heritage and humanities online. [Conference Organising Committee Member], Blogging the humanities, Trinity College Dublin , 03-JUN-10 - 03-JUN-10. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2009) Unmistakably European: Irish state identity and the decolonisation of Africa. [Oral Presentation], The ends of empire conference, National University of Ireland, Maynooth , 18-JUN-09 - 20-JUN-09. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2008) Two way street: Ireland, EC membership, and development aid. [Invited Oral Presentation], Foreign aid: projects and policy in a historical and comparative context, University of Aarhus , 09-OCT-08 - 12-OCT-08. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2008) Like a colossus? Ireland and the emergence of independent sub-Saharan Africa. [Oral Presentation], History research seminar, National University of Ireland, Galway , 16-JAN-08 - 16-JAN-08. |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2007) Aid to developing countries: Irish official development assistance in the 1970s. [Invited Oral Presentation], Who gives aid to whom, and why (and how much)?, University of Leiden , 09-NOV-07 - 09-NOV-07. |
Committees
| Committee : Civil Society Study Group, Development Studies Association Ireland |
| Committee : Irish Association for Professional Historians |
| Committee : Voluntary Action History Society, Executive committee |
| Committee : International reference group for www.humanitarianhistory.org |
Community Engagement
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Making History Work: History and Overseas Humanitarian Policy Type: Other From/To: 18-MAR-14-18-MAR-14 |
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'Talking History' (Newstalk) Type: Outreach From/To: 11-JUL-10-15-AUG-10 |
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The History Show (RTÉ Radio 1) Type: Outreach From/To: 20-FEB-11-01-MAY-11 |
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What in the World? (KMF Productions/RTÉ) Type: Outreach From/To: 01-JAN-06-31-DEC-09 |
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Pue's Occurrences: The Irish history blog Type: Outreach From/To: 01-APR-09-31-JAN-12 |
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History at Galway Type: Outreach From/To: 20-JUN-13-31-OCT-15 |
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Humanitarian and Leadership Academy Type: Other From/To: 17-JUL-13-17-JUL-13 |
Teaching Interests
| Areas of specialisation History of decolonisation; social, cultural and political legacies of empire; humanitarianism; Ireland and the wider world; construction of modern European identities; history of NGOs. Areas of interest Africa since 1870; twentieth century Ireland; globalisation; human rights; Britain since 1945; France since 1945. Modules Currently Taught: Undergraduate:
Postgraduate:
Contribution to team-taught modules:
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Internal Collaborators
| Member, Geopolitics and Justice research cluster. Member, Conflict, Rights and Security research cluster. Co-organiser, Transnational Encounters: From the Local to the Global priority research area, Moore Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences. |
External Collaborators
| Professor Matthew Hilton (PI; University of Birmingham), Professor Bertrand Taithe (University of Manchester), Dr Maren Mohring (ZZF Potsdam), Dr Eleanor Davey (Overseas Development Institute, London) - key partners on AHRC-funded 'Non-state humanitarianism: From colonialism to human rights' network. Dr Enda Delaney (University of Edinburgh), Dr Sarah Roddy (University of Manchester), Dr Ciarán O'Neill (Trinity College Dublin), Dr Niall Whelehan (University of Edinburgh), Dr Jonathan Wright (Queen's University Belfast) - co-founding members of the 'Transnational Ireland' research network. Member of two Development Studies Association of Ireland inter-disciplinary study groups: NGO/Civil Society Study Group; Humanitarian Action Study Group. |
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