Paul’s career as a researcher began with his PhD thesis, which explored the history of radical and revolutionary ideologues in Britain during the First World War. This became a book, Great War Modernisms and The New Age Magazine, published in 2012. Subsequently, he has focused on the history of the extreme right in Britain, especially since 1945. Paul’s interest here is to explore the ideological, and wider cultural, dynamics of this nebulous movement, and also the relationships between ideas and action found within such a marginalised political milieu.
Paul’s current research project is an examination of one of the central, animating figures of neo-Nazism in post-war Britain, for a forthcoming book provisionally titled Colin Jordan and Britain’s Neo-Nazi Social Movement: Hitler’s Echo. This study draws on much archival material now based at the university, originally collated by Searchlight magazine.
Paul’s developing expertise on the extreme right in Britain has also allowed him to engage with contemporary issues too, and he has worked alongside partner institutions, including Show Racism the Red Card, West Midlands Police and West Sussex Council. This consultancy work has included contributing analysis to two reports on the British far right, as well as developing a range of training packages for various target audiences. This work has been connected to delivery of the Prevent Agenda, and gravitates around empowering practitioners with a knowledge base to tackle issues generated by extreme right activities. Paul welcomes future enquiries into developing similar partnerships too.
