Dr Simon Layton
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Lecturer in Early Global History
Email: s.h.layton@qmul.ac.ukTelephone: +44 (0)20 7882 2898Room Number: ArtsTwo 2.10
Profile
I am a historian of European imperialism, specialising in global and oceanic approaches to the past. I am interested in the influence of sea-power in the age of empire, particularly at the chokepoints of global trade in the early modern world. I completed my doctorate at the University of Cambridge in 2013, where I lectured in World History for two years before joining Queen Mary. I have also taught at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, and at the University of Otago in New Zealand.
Teaching
Undergraduate Teaching
HST5224 – Piracy and Civilisation
HST6386 – Sea Power and Empire
HST6752 – Pacific Encounters
Undergraduate Teaching
Research
Research Interests:
My research delves into the global history of ‘piracy’ as a concept and practice, focusing particularly on the period of British imperialism in the Indian and Pacific oceans. I explore various discourses of sovereignty, law and criminality in world history, especially as they pertain to empire-building and maritime violence in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
World History
British Imperial History, 1600-1857
Early-modern empires in Asia and the Pacific
Histories of maritime violence
Cultures of maritime radicalism and resistance
Publications
Monograph (forthcoming):
- Piratical States: British Imperialism in the Indian Ocean world.
Articles:
- ‘Hydras and Leviathans in the Indian Ocean world (link is external),’ International Journal of Maritime History 25, no. 2 (2013), 213-25.
- ‘The “Moghul’s Admiral”: Angrian “Piracy” and the Rise of British Bombay (link is external),’ Journal of Early Modern History 17, no. 1 (2013), 1-19.
- ‘Discourses of Piracy in an Age of Revolutions (link is external),’ Itinerario 35, no.2 (2011), 81-97.
Supervision
I welcome applications from candidates wishing to undertake doctoral research in the following areas:
Maritime/Oceanic history (esp. Indian and Pacific oceans)
European imperialism, 1500-1914
Pirates, privateers and navies
Illicit trades, smuggling and border control