Prof James Crossland
Humanities and Social Science
Faculty of Arts Professional and Social Studies
Email: J.N.Crossland@ljmu.ac.uk
Telephone: 0151 231 3339
I am a Professor of International History, whose present interests lie in the history of terrorism, intelligence and propaganda. I am also a specialist in the history of international humanitarian law and the Red Cross movement, in particular its formative years (1860s-1914). Beyond my research endeavours, I am Co-Director of LJMU's Centre for Modern and Contemporary History and acting Associate Dean of Research for the Faculty of Arts, Professional and Social Studies.
My third and most recently published book, "The Rise of Devils: Fear and the Origins of Modern Terrorism" (Manchester University Press, 2023), examines the development of international terrorism across the transatlantic world during the late nineteenth century. This book is part of a wider project that explores the political and societal impacts of fear narratives and fake news. As part of this research, in December 2022, I was awarded a Leverhulme Research Project Grant (£113,000) to look into the role of conspiracy theories, colonial anxieties and prejudice in shaping the institutional culture of the British intelligence community and the development of counter-terrorism doctrine in the 1920s. This project will be completed in 2026.
My other on-going project is a study of strategic propaganda during the 1930s and 1940s, from which the key output is a biography of an historical figure whom I have long had an interest in - Sir Robert Bruce Lockhart, the wartime head of the clandestine propaganda organisation, the Political Warfare Executive. This book, "Rogue Agent: From Secret Plots to Psychological Warfare, the Untold Story of Robert Bruce Lockhart" will be published by Elliot & Thompson in 2024.
My current PhD students are:
Lukasz Grzymski - Paranoia, Anxiety, Prejudice: The Colonial Experience and Britain's Intelligence Community, 1883-1929
Louise Rimmer - Terrorism in Fiction
I am open to PhD supervisions in the following areas:
- Terrorism/political violence
- Wartime humanitarianism and Red Cross history
- Intelligence studies
- Propaganda
- Cultures of warfare from the period of 1800s-1940s.
I lead the following modules:
- The Age of Terror, 1850-1914 (Level 5)
- Laws of War (Level 6)
- Theories, Philosophies and Approaches to History (Level 7)
Degrees
2010, Murdoch University, Australia, PhD
2007, University of Western Australia, Australia, BA Hons
Highlighted publications
Crossland J. 2023. The Rise of Devils: Fear and the Origins of Modern Terrorism Manchester University Press 9781526160676 Publisher Url
Crossland J. 2020. The Red Cross Movement: Myths, Practices and Turning "Points Crossland JN, Wylie N, Oppenheimer M. , eds. Manchester University Press 9781526133519 Publisher Url
Crossland JN. 2018. War, Law and Humanity: the Campaign to Control Warfare, 1853-1914. Bloomsbury 9781350041233 Publisher Url
Crossland J. 2014. Britain and the International Committee of the Red Cross, 1939-1945 Palgrave 978-1-137-39957-1 Publisher Url
Books (authored)
Crossland J. 2024. Rogue Agent: From Secret Plots to Psychological Warfare, the Untold Story of Robert Bruce Lockhart (forthcoming Elliot & Thompson, 2024) Elliot & Thompson Author Url
Crossland J. 2023. The Rise of Devils: Fear and the Origins of Modern Terrorism Manchester University Press 9781526160676 Publisher Url
Crossland J. 2020. The Red Cross Movement: Myths, Practices and Turning "Points Crossland JN, Wylie N, Oppenheimer M. , eds. Manchester University Press 9781526133519 Publisher Url
Crossland JN. 2018. War, Law and Humanity: the Campaign to Control Warfare, 1853-1914. Bloomsbury 9781350041233 Publisher Url
Crossland J. 2014. Britain and the International Committee of the Red Cross, 1939-1945 Palgrave 978-1-137-39957-1 Publisher Url
Chapters
Crossland J. 2023. 'The Original “Spectacular”? The Intentions and Impacts of the 1858 Orsini Bombing' Wrightson (ed.) G. Terrorism Through the Ages (Brill) 9789004547803 Publisher Url
Crossland J, Rønnebu GL. 2020. 'The Red Cross “Shield”: The Semiotic Duality of the Red Cross during the Occupation of Norway, 1940-1945' Jacob (ed.) F. War and Semiotics Signs, Communication Systems, and the Preparation, Legitimization, and Commemoration of Collective Mass Violence (Routledge) 9780367504069 Publisher Url
Crossland JN. 2020. 'The Americans Lead the Way: The United States Sanitary Commission and the Development of the Red Cross, 1861-1871' in Crossland J, Wylie N, Oppenheimer, eds. M. The Red Cross Movement: Myths, Practices and Turning Points (Manchester University Press) 978-1-5261-3351-9 Publisher Url
Internet publication
Crossland J. 2023. 'How To Make A Devil: The Legend of Ravachol, the Terrorist "Mastermind" of the Fin de Siècle', History Today, Vol.73, Issue 7 Publisher Url
Crossland J. 2021. 'A Rebel with Every Cause: The Extraordinary Insurrections of Gustave Paul Cluseret', History Today, Vol.71, Issue 10 Publisher Url
Crossland J. 2021. 'The Women who Ended an Emperor', History Workshop Journal, Publisher Url
Crossland J. 2021. 'The First Bomb Disposal Expert: Colonel Vivian Majendie and the Original ‘"War on Terror’", The Conversation, Publisher Url
Crossland J. 2020. 'The Enemies Within: Reflections on a Terrorist Spectacular', History Today, Vol.70, Issue. 9, Publisher Url
Crossland J. 2018. 'Fake News is Old News: Britain's Psychological Warfare Campaign during the Second World War', History Today, Vol.68, Issue.11, Publisher Url
Crossland J. 2018. 'Syria’s White Helmets and the Long History of Attacking Wartime Humanitarians' Publisher Url
Journal article
Crossland JN. 2021. Radical Warfare’s First “Superweapon”: The Fears, Perceptions and Realities of the Orsini Bomb, 1858-1896 Terrorism and Political Violence, DOI Publisher Url Public Url
Crossland JN. 2019. Fearing for Merseyside: Liverpool and the French Invasion Scare of 1858-1859' Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire, 168 :139-153 DOI Publisher Url Public Url
Crossland JN, Wylie N. 2016. The Korean War and the Post-war Prisoner of War Regime, 1945–1956 War in History, 23 :439-456 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Crossland JN. 2013. The Mutiny that Never Was: The Special Operations Executive and the Failure of Operation ‘Kitchenmaid’ Intelligence and National Security, :808-823 DOI Publisher Url
w/ Edele M, Finaldi G, Crossland J. 2012. , eds. 'War and Peace, Barbarism and Civilization' Special Edition of the Australian Journal of Politics and History (editor) Australian Journal of Politics and History,
Crossland JN. 2011. 2011. A Man of Peaceable Intent: Burckhardt, the British and Red Cross Neutrality during the Second World War Historical Research, :165-182 DOI Publisher Url
Crossland JN. 2010. 2010. Expansion, Suspicion and the Development of the International Committee of the Red Cross, 1939-1945 Australian Journal of Politics and History, :381-392 DOI Publisher Url
Crossland JN. 2009. 2009. Beyond the Wire: Allied POWs in the Second World War, the POW 'myth' and Future Realities European History Quarterly, :662-669
Conference publication
Crossland J, Edele M, Finaldi G. 2012. 2012. War and Peace, Barbarism and Civilization in Modern Europe and Its Empires Crossland JN. Australian Journal of Politics and History, 58 (2012) DOI Publisher Url
Highlighted activities
Research Grants Awarded:
Everett Helm Fellowship, University of Indiana, The Life and Times of Robert Bruce Lockhart, Grant value (£): 2,500, Duration of research project: 1 year. 2022
Leverhulme Trust, Research Project Grant, Anxiety, Prejudice, Paranoia: Shaping British Intelligence Culture, 1880s-1920s, Grant value (£): 113,000, Duration of research project: 3 Years. 2022
External committees:
Resilient Humanitarianism: The League of Red Cross Societies and Red Crescent Societies, 1919-1991, University of Stirling, University of Hull, Flinders University, Independent Expert on Advisory Board, https://sites.flinders.edu.au/resilient-humanitarianism/.
Professional activities
Conference organisation:
Britain and the World 2025 - International Conference at LJMU, 19-22 June 2025), Co-Convenor. 2025
Britain Afraid: Imperial Insecurities and National Fears, 1798-1945 - International Conference at LJMU, 21-22 June 2022, Convener. 2022
Histories of the Red Cross Movement Since 1919 - International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (June 2019), Convener. 2019
Histories of the Red Cross: Continuities and Change Conference - Flinders University (Sep 2016), Convener. 2016
Media Coverage:
Interview discussing online radicalization, BBC Merseyside, 18 March 2024 2024
Interview discussing "Rise of Devils", International Spy Museum's Spycast 2024
Interview discussing 'Rise of Devils' - Versus History podcast, 6 June 2023 2023
Interview discussing 'Rise of Devils' - Dan Snow's History Hit, 18 January 2023 2023
Interview discussing 80th anniversary of Rudolf Hess' flight to Scotland - BBC, 10 May 2021 2021
Interview discussing 'War, Law and Humanity' – Talk Nation Radio US, 27 November 2018
Interview discussing blockade during the Second World War - WW2 Podcast, 15 Dec 2018
Invited Talk on 'Fake News is Old News' – Skeptics Society, 20 September 2018
Interview on 'Fake News in History' – 1823 Podcast, 11 October 2019
Interview discussing 'War, Law and Humanity' - New Books Network, 27 May 2019
Podcast discussing 'Enemies Within' article, 28 August 2020
'Syria's White Helmets and the History of Humanitarian Relief' – Irish Examiner, 15 August 2018
Interview on 'The Forgotten People of the War' – 1823 Podcast, 14 November 2018
Other invited event:
Historical Association Annual Conference, Majestic Hotel, Harrogate, Talk on 'Fear, Fake News and the First Age of Terror'. 2023
Handa Centre For the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence Speaker Series, University of St Andrews, Talk on 'Dangerous Knowledge: Reportage of Political Violence and the Spread of International Terrorism'. 2023
Historic-All Festival, Cambourne Village College, Talk on 'The First War on Terror'. 2022
'Truth, Lies and History: Being an Historian in the Age of Fake News', Rylands Library, Manchester, Panel discussion for Institute of Historical Research. 2019
Research Grants Awarded:
Everett Helm Fellowship, University of Indiana, The Life and Times of Robert Bruce Lockhart, Grant value (£): 2,500, Duration of research project: 1 year. 2022
Leverhulme Trust, Research Project Grant, Anxiety, Prejudice, Paranoia: Shaping British Intelligence Culture, 1880s-1920s, Grant value (£): 113,000, Duration of research project: 3 Years. 2022
British Academy, Small Grant, 'Humanizing Hell: The International History of the United States Sanitary Commission, 1861-1871', Grant value (£): 6,952, Duration of research project: 3 years. 2018
Murdoch Distinguished Collaborator Fund, Murdoch University, 'Humanitarian Diplomacy, 1864-1945', Prof Nevile Wylie, Grant value (£): 15,000, Duration of research project: 3 years. 2013
Membership of professional bodies:
Fellow, Royal Historical Society, (RHS).
Member, Invasion History Network, https://invasionnetwork.wordpress.com/.
External committees:
Resilient Humanitarianism: The League of Red Cross Societies and Red Crescent Societies, 1919-1991, University of Stirling, University of Hull, Flinders University, Independent Expert on Advisory Board, https://sites.flinders.edu.au/resilient-humanitarianism/.
Editorial boards:
The Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire, Editorial board member.