Image of Dr Malcolm Craig

Dr Malcolm Craig

Humanities and Social Science

Faculty of Arts Professional and Social Studies

Email: M.M.Craig@ljmu.ac.uk

Telephone: 0151 231 5097

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Bluesky

ORCID

Senior Lecturer in American History (and has-been games designer)

My research interests lie in the Cold War period, with a focus on nuclear culture (particularly games), national security, and secret intelligence. I've had work published on the global arms trade, nuclear non-proliferation, Western interactions with the 'Islamic world', and domestic British intelligence issues.

My current research investigates tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs) and their relationship with the nuclear age. Proposing new methodological approaches towards the nuclear age, my research will add fresh dimensions to knowledge of how the Cold War and the nuclear arms race affected the everyday lives and experiences of those who lived under the ever-present threat of nuclear war. It will implicitly and explicitly address everyday representations of what historian Daniel Cordle terms "the politics of vulnerability" in the nuclear age. In so doing, the project will deliver new insights into how people interpreted, understood, and attempted to confront this vulnerability, and the ways in which these understandings found expression in games, from both design and play perspectives.

I have also worked as a TTRPG designer (and continue to dabble in that area in a much more amateur way). My games include the dystopian science fiction game a|state (Contested Ground Studios, 2004), the Cold War meets the occult Cold City (Contested Ground Studios, 2006), and the post-apocalyptic Hot War (Contested Ground Studios, 2008), and a|state 2nd edition (Handiwork Games, 2022). I have also contributed material to other games such as the 1970s Germany themed Red Front playset for Bully Pulpit Studios' Fiasco!

Degrees

2014, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom, PhD
2009, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, Masters by Research
1998, Glasgow Caledonian University, UK, BA (hons) History and Sociology

Certifications

2017, Higher Education Academy, Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Academic appointments

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, University of Edinburgh, 2015 - 2016
Adjunct Lecturer, History, Classics, and Archaeology, University of Edinburgh, 2014 - 2015

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