Dr Tom Bentley

Biography

Initially as a Teaching Fellow, I joined the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Aberdeen in 2014. I have published original research on such topics as Bloody Sunday, political apologies for colonial atrocity, and Brexit. The thread that runs through my research is an interest in the obstacles actors face in harnessing political narratives for strategic purposes. I'm currently writing a book about common sense and the British Empire.

I welcome approaches for PhD supervision on the following topics: 

• Memory studies and collective memory
• The legacies of empire
• Gramscian approaches to international politics
• Political apologies and the politics of remorse
• Post conflict reconciliation

Internal Memberships

Head of Department of Politics and International Relations

Research Overview

• Collective memory and memory studies
• Empire and the legacies of empire in the present
• Apologies and remorse in the aftermath of atrocity
• Gramsci, hegemony, and common sense

Teaching Responsibilities

• PI1518 Politics and International Relations 2: Power and Conflict
• PI2009 Ideas and Ideologies in Politics and International Relations 
• PI3570 Memory and the Politics of the Past (convenor)
• IR5001 International Relations: Theories and Concepts