J.F. Gjersø

Dr Jonas Fossli Gjersø

Thank you for visiting my blog devoted primarily to 19th century imperial history (hence the blog’s name). The blog is a varied collection of finds from the archives, essays and opinion pieces. I hope you find it interesting, please excuse any mistakes and feel free to contact me should you have any questions.

Research Summary

I was awarded a PhD from the LSE in 2015. My thesis re-examined the British motives behind the partition of East Africa and was entitled: ‘Continuity of Moral Policy’: A Reconsideration of British Motives for the Partition of East Africa in light of Anti-Slave Trade Policy and Imperial Agency, 1878-96. It was supervised by Dr Joanna Lewis and examined by Professor John Darwin of the University of Oxford and Professor Ian Phimister of the University of the Free State.

The thesis refuted the Egypto-centric strategic explanatory model of the East African partition and proposed a new theory in which partition was a consequence of economic expectations and the cost-effective transplantation of British anti-slave trade policy from the maritime to the continental sphere, a shift facilitated by railway technology. I passed with no corrections.

Some of my research findings were presented in this open access article: Gjersø, J.F. (2015) ‘The Scramble for East Africa: British Motives Reconsidered, 1884–95’, The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History, 43(5), pp. 831–860. doi: 10.1080/03086534.2015.1026131. (Open Access)

Background, Teaching and Office Hours

I hold a PhD in International History (LSE, 2015), an MSc in the History of Empires (LSE, 2010) and a BSc (Hons) Maritime Business with Maritime Law (Plymouth, 2006).

Professionally I have one year’s teaching experience from the LSE, three years of consulting financial institutions and ship owners about the dry bulk and tanker markets, I have served a year in the Norwegian army and have been engaged in politics.

I am currently teaching two undergraduate classes at the LSE (HY116 International History since 1890) and one at Goldsmiths College (Empires in Comparative Perspective: Imperium Romanum to Pax Americana) , in addition to undertaking a PGCertHE at the LSE, writing another article and turning my PhD thesis into a monograph.

Please do not hesitate to contact me at j.f.gjerso(at)lse.ac.uk. My office hours are: at the LSE on Tuesdays in SAR.2.06 at 12-13:00 and at Goldsmiths on Mondays in Room 282 (History Department) at 11-12:00.  

For more information please see my LinkedIn or Academia.edu profiles or even follow me on twitter.

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