Image of Prof James Crossland

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

See My Tutor

twitter

@DrJCrossland

I am a Professor of International History, whose present interests lie in the history of terrorism, intelligence and propaganda. Beyond my research endeavours, I am Co-Director of LJMU's Centre for Modern and Contemporary History and Associate Dean of Research for the Faculty of Arts, Professional and Social Studies.

My most recent book, "Rogue Agent: From Secret Plots to Psychological Warfare, the Untold Story of Robert Bruce Lockhart" (Elliot & Thompson, 2024) is the first full biography of the maverick spy, diplomat, propagandist and adventurer, Robert Bruce Lockhart, who was both "British Agent" in Bolshevik Russia and ran Britain's psychological warfare campaign against the Third Reich during the Second World War. The book has led to appearances on Sky News Breakfast, Scotland Tonight, BBC and Dan Snow's History Hit, and coverage in The Times, The Scotsman and the Daily Express. The American release of "Rogue Agent" is scheduled for May 2025 through Pegasus Publishing.

Prior to publishing "Rogue Agent", I worked for some years on a study of the origins of terrorism, whilst led to the publication of "The Rise of Devils: Fear and the Origins of Modern Terrorism" (Manchester University Press, 2023). 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 June 2023, 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. The primary output from this project will be "The Afterwar: Britain's Secret Battle Against Extremism, 1919-1933", which will be release through Elliot & Thompson in 2027.


I am open to media appearances and consultations discussing the following areas:
- Intelligence, psychological warfare and propaganda
- Terrorism and political violence
- The laws of armed conflict

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 lead the following modules at Undergraduate and Masters level:
- 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

Top