PhD Projects
Cultural criticism and catholic conservatism: an intellectual biography of Dietrich von Hildebrand
Denis Kitzinger (PhD project)
The PhD thesis is an intellectual biography of the conservative Catholic philosopher Dietrich von Hildebrand. Specifically, I examine Hildebrand's response to the historical and intellectual challenges of the twentieth century, for example National Socialism, the Second Vatican Council, relativism and historism. I intentionally focus on Hildebrand's non-academic writings and lectures in the popular and explicitly Catholic press as I also seek to establish Hildebrand's popular influence, in other words the popularity of his ideas, and ask the question to what degree Hildebrand's position was representative of the 'polymorphic' (Heinz Huerten) Catholic milieu. Because I analyze Hildebrand as an intellectual, i.e. someone who addresses a public other than that at which his scholarly activity is aimed and on issues dissimilar to this scholarly activity but of public concern and for this purpose he makes use of available media channels that reach these non-specialist publics, my thesis is set apart from existing scholarship. With my project, which is situated at the intersection of intellectual and social history, I contribute to the study of Catholic history in the twentieth century.
Mail: dk76@st-andrews.ac.uk
The Return of the Nation-State? German Political Culture in Transition, 1985-1998 (PhD project)
Andrew Dodd
Recent historiography has convincingly argued that in the 1980s the Federal Republic of Germany had undergone a process of "self-recognition", moving past its old self-conception as a partial, provisional state with increasing confidence and fashioning a post-national identity. Then, in 1989/90, the Federal Republic opted for a quick and complete national reunification. The conflict between these two developments lays at the centre of the study: just how far beneath the surface did 'the nation' lurk?
The study aims to shed further light on this complex and critical era in German history by moving beyond a recounting of political developments and intellectual debates and examining the media reception of these very same problems and debates. To what degree was this "post-national consensus" a reality outside of elite intellectual circles in the wider public consciousness? When the potential and eventual reality of reunification emerged, what were the anticipations and expectations? What was the reception of alternative views to the process of national reunification as it occurred? How were the realities of the reunified German nation-state received in the years following and what changes in self-conception did the "return of the nation-state" bring? Overarching themes include the role played by generation in changing identities, the idea of a "return to normality", the position of media as both mirror and shaper of public opinion, and the perception of 1989/90 as a a decisive caesura between a "Bonn Republic" and a "Berlin Republic".
Mail: ad454@st-andrews.ac.uk
Like Clockwork: The Development of the Modern Perception of Time in Industrial Britain (1753-1914) (PhD project)
Marie Ventura
The story of time and temporal perception flows through modern history like a subconscious current, always present yet rarely addressed as a topic in and of itself. Instead, it has been studied piecemeal, across a spectrum of disciplines for a variety of purposes. As a result, the history of the development of our modern understanding of time piggybacks rather than propels most studies of British society since the start of the Industrial Revolution.
This study aims to integrate the scattered story of Britain’s 19th Century temporal revolution into a cohesive analysis. The gradual evolution of modern temporal perception is the overarching theme, pinned down at key transitional points by case studies: for example, the influence of the maritime chronometer. Each case is a lens, revealing catalysts that promoted the internalization of abstract, measured time.
Spurred by scientific study, empire, economic competition, and the propagation of mechanical clocks, industrial time trickled through the classes, riding trains to rural areas until it saturated the perceptions of every British citizen. By 1914, the world largely ran on standard time, based at Greenwich Observatory, London. The changing perception of time in industrial Britain is, therefore, a world-embracing subject, making this study a relevant contribution to modern history.
Mail: mv226@st-andrews.ac.uk