My research centres on the social and cultural history of the Soviet Union in the years following the end of the Second World War, with a particular focus on issues related to gender and visual culture. I have published extensively on the impact of the War on the representations of masculinity in official visual culture, which includes groundbreaking work on the evolving image of Soviet fathers, depictions of disability, and the treatment of trauma and grief in Socialist Realism between the end of the War and 1965. My current project examines the dynamics of the Soviet peace movement after 1945.

Biography:

I began my studies at the University of York in 1999, completing a BA in History before going on to read for an MA in Modern History and Culture in 2002. After spending some time away from academia, I returned to my studies in February 2007 to begin my PhD in the Department of Russian and Slavonic Studies at the University of Sheffield. Working under the supervision of Professor Susan Reid, my research explored the impact of the Second World War on representations of idealised masculinity in official visual culture in the years between 1945 and 1965. After completing my PhD, I joined the History Department here at Exeter in September 2011.