Joe Ryan-Hume

Royal Society of Edinburgh Scholar Award, Boston University - US History

I am a senior researcher at the Scottish Parliament and a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Glasgow, where I completed my doctorate in 2017. My scholarship explores the relationship between political ideologies and institutions in twentieth-century US, focusing principally on the intersections of race, gender and post-war liberalism. My thesis "Standing in Reagan’s Shadow: Liberal Strategies in a Conservative Age" explored these aspects, questioning the notion of conservative ascendancy and the so-called "Reagan Revolution" in the 80s by reinterpreting the impact of liberalism at the time. During my PhD, I also secured a prestigious international fellowship, the Tom Lantos Congressional Fellowship and worked as a fellow in the US Congress for six months. My first day was also Donald Trump’s first day, which to be an "interesting" time at the heart of US politics. During my Fulbright I will take up residence at Boston University to work with an esteemed professor in my field, Bruce Schulman, and turn my PhD into a monograph. I will also explore the historic Scots-Irish cultural connections in the city (mainly through pubs!) and will attempt to play American Football (and likely fail!).