Dr Kevin O'Sullivan BA Ph.D
Contact Details
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Biography:
| My main research and teaching interests are in the history of decolonisation, the social, cultural and political legacies of imperialism, post-imperial European identities, international politics, and modern Irish history. I currently teach undergraduate modules on globalisation, humanitarianism, Irish identity and the development of the Irish state in a global context, while I also contribute to the postgraduate programme with seminars on the same subjects. My work on decolonisation and its consequences has led me to take a particular interest in two fields in particular: the history of humanitarianism, and the history of NGOs. 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. I am currently working on another project, provisionally titled 'The Humanitarian International: Aid, NGOs and Western Society, 1968-85', which examines the cultural, social and political phenomena that inspired the rapid expansion of the NGO sector in Western Europe, including case studies of Britain, France and Ireland. As part of that project, I am currently co-investigator on an international research network titled Non-state humanitarianism: From colonialism to human rights that draws together academics and stakeholders from the humanitarian sector to develop a strongly collaborative and mutually beneficial framework for the study of non-state humanitarianism. The network, funded by a British Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) research networking grant, consists of four workshops hosted by each of its key institutional partners (NUI Galway, University of Birmingham, University of Manchester, ZZF Potsdam) over the course of 2013. I am also one of the founding members of 'Transnational Ireland', an international research network concerned with exploring the history of modern Ireland using a transnational approach. As well as being a member of faculty at NUI Galway, I am also an honorary research fellow at the University of Birmingham, where I spent a year as a visiting fellow (2011-12). I was previously an Irish Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow at UCD School of History and Archives (2009-2012) 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'. I have also worked as a researcher for KMF Productions on RTÉ's What in the World? television series, including documentaries on oil wealth in Angola and the legacies of the South-East Asian wars of the 1960s and 1970s on contemporary Laos. |
Research Interests
| Core research interests: The history of decolonisation; the social, cultural and political legacies of imperialism in Europe; humanitarianism; NGOs; post-imperial European identities; international politics; globalisation; modern Irish history. Current research: My first book, Ireland, Africa and the End of Empire: Small State Identity in the Cold War, 1955-75 (Manchester University Press, 2012), analyses how the shifting fortunes of a distant continent - Africa - played a vital role in shaping the policies and identities of a group of small Western states in a crucial period for the history of the Cold War. It shows how African voices and African concerns re-shaped the international agenda and with it radically re-shaped the role played by small and middling powers like Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. More recently, my research focus has turned to the history of humanitarianism, aid and development assistance. Having published several articles on different aspects of the official aid system, my current project, titled 'The humanitarian international: Aid, NGOs and Western society, 1968-85', explores the rise of humanitarian NGOs in Europe. Focussing on case studies of the aid sector in three European states - Britain, France and Ireland - that project is driven by a series of important questions: 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? In addition to my academic work, I have also been engaged in a number of other research projects. In 2011 I produced a review of Irish Aid and the Higher Education Authority's university research capacity building programme, Programme for Strategic Co-operation between Irish Aid and Higher Education and Research Institutes. I have also appeared on Newstalk and RTÉ to discuss aspects of my research and have previously worked as a researcher for KMF Productions' RTÉ television series, 'What in the World?', including documentaries on Angola (which I visited in 2007) and Laos. |
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 (2013) 'A global nervous system: The rise and rise of humanitarian NGOs' In: Marc Frey, Soenke Kunkel and Corinna Unger (eds). International organizations and development, 1945 to 1990 [forthcoming]. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [Details] |
| Kevin O'Sullivan (2013) 'EC membership, development aid and Irish foreign policy' In: Thorsten Olesen and Helge Pharo (eds). Aid norms and aid realities: Foreign aid and its dynamics [forthcoming]. 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 (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] |
Honours and Awards
| 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: Irish Historical Society, Function/Role: Member |
| Association: Development Studies Association of Ireland, Function/Role: Member |
| Association: Development Studies Association, Function/Role: Member |
| Association: Voluntary Action History Society, Function/Role: Member |
Conference Contributions
| 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 : Voluntary Action History Society, main committee |
Employment
| Employer: University of Birmingham Position: Honorary Research Fellow (Visiting Fellow, 2011-2012) |
| Employer: Irish Aid / Higher Education Authority Position: Secondment |
| Employer: University College Dublin Position: Postdoctoral Research Fellow |
Education
| Year 2008 Institution: Trinity College Dublin Qualification: Phd Subject: History |
| Year 2004 Institution: Trinity College Dublin Qualification: BACHELOR OF ARTS Subject: History and Political Science |
Languages
| Gaeilge: |
| French: |
Community Engagement
| Interview |
| 'Talking History' (Newstalk) |
| The History Show (RTÉ Radio 1) |
| What in the World? (KMF Productions/RTÉ) |
| Pue's Occurrences: The Irish history blog |
Teaching Interests
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Areas of specialisation Areas of interest |
Recent Postgraduates
Modules Taught
Internal Collaborators
| Member, Geopolitics and Governmentality research cluster. Member, Power, Conflict and Ideologies research cluster. |
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. |