The British Academy has awarded funding to 10 established academics across the UK, allowing them to complete a major research project.
The British Academy have announced has announced Professor Richard Whitman as the recipient of one of ten prestigious British Academy/Leverhulme Senior Research Fellowships for his project on The UK’s European diplomacy: from accession to Brexit.
The ten fellowships, collectively worth £547,000, are awarded with the aim of bringing existing research projects, “typically a career-defining work” to fruition.
‘It is the culmination of an ongoing project to understand Brexit within the broader context of the UK’s foreign policy conducted within the European Union (EU).’ Professor Whitman explained
‘Brexit is the most significant change to the UK’s foreign policy in the last 50 years. The EU has been a core component of the UK’s foreign policy since its accession to the-then European Economic Community in 1973 and the UK’s diplomacy and foreign policy have been heavily shaped by its membership. The UK Government’s decision to trigger departure from the EU marked a significant change in the practices, procedures and objectives of British European foreign policy.’ the abstract explains.
This project analyses continuity and change in the UK’s European diplomatic strategy over the last 50 years. It explores a set of recurring foreign policy dilemmas faced by the UK in order to inform the debate on Britain’s current and future place in the international relations of Europe. By providing a long view of the issues, the project will help redress the lack of contextualisation in much of the current Brexit-related analysis.
Whitman is also especially delighted to be the holder of the first Michael Dockrill Senior Research Fellowship in British Foreign Policy, named after “a scholar I hugely admired”.