TSA Winter Symposium - Book Launch in Honour of Alan Dobson

TSA Winter Symposium - Locating the transatlantic in twentieth century politics, diplomacy and culture

Wednesday 28th February 2024, 1pm-5.00pm (UK time)

Online, via Zoom

This event is intended as the first of a recurring annual online Winter symposium hosted by the Transatlantic Studies Association. The intention is to facilitate the sharing of research, based around a particular project or theme, of interest to TSA members in an accessible format that compliments the annual in-person conference, held in July.

It is wholly fitting that the first of these online symposia should be based on a book celebrating the life and work of the TSA’s founding Chair, Alan Dobson. In order to make this event as accessible to as wide an audience as possible, there is no requirement for participants to be members of the Association. Going forward, it is anticipated that TSA membership will be a requirement of attending online symposia. For those who are not currently members of the TSA, we would, of course, strongly encourage you to join so you can gain full benefits (including access to the Journal of Transatlantic Studies) of membership. There is also the option to donate to the TSA to support our work.

All attendees at the symposium will be eligible for a 35 per cent discount on purchase of the volume.

To register for the first TSA Winter Symposium, please email Professor Gaynor Johnson (G.L.Johnson@kent.ac.uk) no later than Friday 23 February 2024. You will be sent a Zoom link to join the meeting.

You can find out more about TSA membership here.

You can donate to TSA here.

Please see below for the full programme:

Introductions: (15 mins for both)

Welcome: Dr Thomas Mills, TSA Chair

The origins of the book: Prof Gaynor Johnson

Panel 1. (1.15pm-2.25pm)

Professor Priscilla Roberts.  'The British Royal Air Force: Operations over Laos against the Ho Chi Minh Trail, 1962', (University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong)

Professor David Woolner. 'The other Royal Dimension to the Transatlantic relationship: FDR and the Dutch and Norwegian Royal Families during the Second World War', (Marist College, USA)

Professor David Ryan. 'Reagan's Incoherence: Nicaragua in the Reagan Doctrine and the End of the Cold War', (University College Cork, Ireland)

Dr Steve Marsh, 'The Anglo-American special relationship: Past, Present, Future, ', (Cardiff University, UK)

Panel 2.  (2.30pm-3.40pm)

Professor David Haglund. The Political Scientist as Historian: Reflections on the Link between Culture, “Status Anxiety” and the American Decision for War, April 1917', (Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

Professor Andrew Williams 'Re-establishing the Honour of France in the Air: Francophone Aviator Literary Figures During the Second World War', (University of St Andrews, UK)

Dr Tony McCulloch. 'Roca-Runciman Revisited: Anglo-American relations and Argentina during the 'Infamous Decade', 1933-1943', (University College London, UK)

Professor David Mayers.  'Quixotic Calling: Robert and Marion Merriman in the Spanish Civil War1', (Boston University, USA)

Panel 3. (3.45pm-4.55pm).

Professor Christopher Jespersen. 'North Georgia, the American South, and Transatlantic Culture and History', (University of North Georgia, USA).

Professor David Clinton. 'John Bassett Moore and the Modest Virtues of International Law’. (Baylor University, USA)

Professor Jeffrey Engel. 'Personalities and Power within the Special Relationship at the Cold War's End', (Southern Methodist University, USA)

Professor Alison Holmes.  'UK-US Relations: Can Subnational Diplomacy Save the “Special Relationship”?', (Humboldt University, USA)

Closing remarks by Gaynor Johnson

Conference “Wings of the Atlantic”, Santa Maria

Have you ever heard about LPAZ? Probably not. LPAZ is the international code of the Santa Maria airport, in the island of Santa Maria, Azores Islands. Also, LPAZ is the name of an association devoted both to preserve the historical heritage of the local airport, when it was a key stopover for transatlantic flights in the 1950s-60s, and to promote the island’s enduring relevance in the transatlantic ecosystem.

On 8-10 September 2022 LPAZ organized, in Santa Maria, the international conference “Wings of the Atlantic: the Azores and the Challenges of the West”. The conference had two main sessions. The first developed around four panel discussions: biological preservation; the history of civil aviation; the mid-Atlantic in 21st century’s international relations; the Azores as a growing hub for space installations. In the second one, delegates went on a “strategic route” of the island’s most important scientific and telecommunication infrastructures: the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Geodetic (within the EU-led RAEGE project) Stations as well as the Santa Maria Radar Antenna and the LPAZ air traffic control center.

TSA was honored to be a partner of LPAZ and other Portuguese institutions in the organization of the conference.

Podcast featuring TSA 2022 Keynote Lecturer Professor Jussi Hanhimäki

Professor Jussi Hanhimäki, who provided a keynote lecture at the TSA’s annual conference in Canterbury in July 2022, was interviewed by TSA Chair, Thomas Mills, about Jussi’s book, Pax Transatlantica: America and Europe in the Post-Cold War Era .

Published by Oxford University Press, the book offers a wide-ranging exploration of what Jussi Hanhimäki calls the transatlantic community in the fields of security, economic and politics in the years following the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Jussi M. Hanhimäki is Professor of International History and Politics at the Graduate Institute, Geneva.

The podcast is part of a series produced by the Centre for War and Diplomacy at Lancaster University. The podcast can be found here.

An Obituary for Alan Dobson by Steve Marsh

Obituaries are often mournful pieces, quite reasonably so. But this is not what Alan P. Dobson would have wanted. He crammed into 71 years of life more than many of us could do in two lifetimes. An incredible marriage with his first love, Bev, and three wonderful daughters – Becky, Jess and Naomi. Somehow he managed to nudge them all into special relationships of their own too, bringing into his family Simon, Jarek and Sebastian, together with grandchildren Mya and Christopher. At the same time Alan was one of those annoyingly multi-talented individuals, with passions for singing, hiking, cooking, gardening and painting – at which he was so prolific that he regularly sold work and obviated household redecoration by plastering all of Bev’s wall space with art. Alan was also a keen gardener, an outstanding cook and an appreciator of the medicinal qualities of alcohol. I count myself fortunate to have many times sat in his garden, consumed his cookery and perhaps occasionally sampled his latest choice in fine wine or whiskey – memory is a little fuzzy on the latter.

All of this was done alongside building an outstanding academic career, which is what we best know him for. His intellectual curiosity was as diverse and uncompromising as his pastimes. Interests in political philosophy, political economy and international relations were developed in tandem with those in aviation and cultural history, the latter two brought together personally in a fascination with Biggles. Perhaps one of Alan’s exceptionally few regrets would be his personal collection of 92 volumes falling just shy of the complete series. Alan moved institutions seldom in his academic career, reflecting personal values of loyalty, determination and belief that universities would – or ought to – recognise talent and dedication within their ranks. A PhD at Durham University was followed in 1978 by an appointment in the Department of Political Theory and Government at Swansea University, where he progressed to Reader before taking a Chair in politics at Dundee University in 1999. There he stewarded improved research performances, expansion of his Department and new initiatives that reflected his research interests and an eye for opportunity – such as the Institute of Transatlantic, European and American Studies. In 2011 Alan formally retired, though no-one would have known. His academic output increased, he held honorary professorships in St Andrews and Swansea Universities, edited both the International History Review and the Journal of Transatlantic Studies (JTS), co-developed a new publishing series in transatlantic studies with McGill-Queens University Press and, of course, continued his involvement with the Transatlantic Studies Association (TSA), which he founded in 2001.

Alan’s written academic legacy runs wide and deep. He won numerous prizes and awards, including a senior fellowship at the Norwegian Nobel Institute and a Fulbright Teaching and Research Scholarship at Baylor University. Ten books, three edited collections and over fifty journal articles and book chapters later, he was still going; in March this year we sat together in his home office, planning our next collaboration and indexing what neither of us knew would be our last book together. Alan was a leader in the field in international aviation history, his works including Globalisation and Regional Integration: The Origins, Development and Impact of the Single European Aviation Market, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Civil Aviation 1933-1945: Flying High, Flying Free, and A History of International Civil Aviation: From Its Origins Through Transformative Evolution. It is in relations between Britain and the United States, though, that Alan is best known by scholars and students alike. The titles of published works stand testament to the breadth and depth of his knowledge and expertise: US Wartime Aid to Britain, The Politics of the Anglo-American Economic Special Relationship 1940-84, Peaceful Air Warfare: the United States, Britain and the Politics of International Aviation, and Anglo-American Relations in the Twentieth Century: Of Friendship, Conflict, and the Rise and Decline of Superpowers. However, for an insight into the awareness and humility of the author, look no further than the timely reflective piece he penned for the JTS: ‘The Evolving Study of Anglo-American Relations: the Last 50 Years’ (18: iv, 2020, 415-34).

Alan was first and foremost a family man and thought very much of the TSA as his extended family. He conceived, nurtured and then supported the Association in much the same way that a parent transitions through the life of a child. He drove a vision of transatlantic studies that was comprehensive and disciplinarily broad, combining initial Association strengths in international security and diplomatic history with expansion into other fields including culture, literature and identity studies. Alan was especially proud of the Association’s diversity, inclusivity and reputation as one of the friendliest conferences available to established and new scholars alike. He led by example, good humour and grit, honour and integrity. His support of young scholars was legendary, even if they might have to field a trademark three-part question that could take five or more minutes to ask and leave the recipient hoping he’d inadvertently talked through to the end of the panel session. Alan championed as much financial support for these scholars as possible through the Association and was unfailingly generous in sharing his time and experience. Those of us who progressed into the academic profession under his supervision were particularly exposed to his rigour and standards, these being sometimes frustrating and invaluable in equal part.

Many people spread far and wide around the world will rightly miss Alan P. Dobson, and share prices may dip in the distilleries. But when our last book together is published later this year, I for one will instead raise a silent glass of gratitude for the many years of fun, friendship and learning we shared together.

 Steve Marsh, Cardiff University, UK

A Message on the Death of Alan Dobson

It was with great sadness that I learnt of the death of Alan Dobson. Alan was the inaugural Chair of the Transatlantic Studies Association, following its creation in 2002. He served as Chair of the TSA until 2013 and as editor of the Journal of Transatlantic Studies from its founding in 2001 until his death.

Alan was foundational to the modern study of transatlantic relations and an inspirational scholar. He was a true gentleman and a dear friend to many TSA members.

He remained centrally involved in the TSA until the end of his life, serving on the Management Committee and convening panels at the annual conference.

His passing is an enormous loss to the international community of scholars working in the field of transatlantic studies and I know many will be devastated to receive this news.

A full obituary will be communicated to TSA members in due course, and we will work as an Association to honour his memory in a fitting manner, including at this year’s annual conference in Canterbury.

With all best wishes,

Thomas Mills, TSA Chair

Conference Registration, Dinner and Accommodation Booking Open

Registration for the TSA 2022 conference is now open. The deadline for registering is 20 June.

Delegates presenting at the conference must be registered by 20 June in order to be listed in the conference programme.

When registering for the conference you can also book a place at the Conference Dinner, which will take place at the Canterbury Cathedral Lodge on the evening of Wednesday 6 July.

Places are limited and the deadline for booking is 1 June.

A limited number of places are available at a discounted rate for ‘student / unwaged’ delegates on a ‘first-come-first-served’ basis.

Please book early to enjoy what will mark the finale of the conference, including the announcement of a number of prizes and awards.

Accommodation for the conference is available on the University of Kent campus using a promotional code. Further accommodation options are available in Canterbury city.

In the case of both, early booking is highly advised.

Please go to the Conference folder on the TSA website for more information about all of the above.

In Memory of Serge Ricard – a Statement from the TSA Management Committee

TSA members will be saddened to learn of the death of Serge Ricard on 9 February 2022. Serge Ricard was Emeritus Professor of American Civilization at Sorbonne Nouvelle University, Paris III.

Serge was an active member of the Transatlantic Studies Association for many years. As well as serving on the TSA Management Committee and writing and reviewing articles for the Journal of Transatlantic Studies, Serge presented a keynote lecture at the association’s annual conference in Dundee in 2008 on the subject of 'Theodore Roosevelt: Imperialist or Global Strategist in the New Expansionist Age?'

Serge Ricard was a widely recognised authority on US foreign policy in the Gilded Age with a particular specialism on the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. His publications include Theodore Roosevelt: Principles and Practices of a Foreign Policy (1991), The Manifest Destiny of the United States in the 19th Century: Ideological and Political Aspects (1999) and the comprehensive anthology, A Companion to Theodore Roosevelt (2011).

Serge Ricard was an esteemed scholar and a good friend to both the TSA and the Journal of Transatlantic Studies and will be sadly missed.

Podcast featuring former DC Watt prize winner Stephen Bowman

Stephen Bowman, winner of the TSA’s DC Watt prize (awarded for the best paper presented by an early career scholar) in 2013, was interviewed by TSA Vice-Chair, Thomas Mills, about Stephen’s book, The Pilgrims Society and Public Diplomacy, 1895-1945.

Published as part of Edinburgh University Press’s ‘Studies in Anglo-American Relations’ series, the book explores the role of the elite dining club which developed an important role in the broader political relationship between the US and Britain in the first half of the twentieth century.

Stephen Bowman is a Lecturer in British Political History at Stirling University. Stephen works primarily on political and economic relations between the United States and Great Britain in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

The podcast is part of a series produced by the Centre for War and Diplomacy at Lancaster University. The podcast can be found here.