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Biography
Ross Wilson holds a BA (Hons) in Archaeology, an MA by Research in Archaeology and History (York, 2004) and a PhD in Archaeology and History (York, 2008).
I research modern history and heritage, focusing on museums, media and memory in contemporary society. I have written extensively on a wide range of fields but I have concentrated on how individuals and communities form a sense of place in the past and the present. My most recent works include, New York and the First World War: Making an American City (2014), The Language of the Past (2016), Natural History: heritage, place and politics (2017) and Gender and Heritage (2018). I use this research within the Liberal Arts and Humanities programmes that I teach on as I believe that interdisciplinary dialogue can develop innovative teaching and learning experiences.
My research background is varied, taking approaches from archaeology, anthropology, literature and sociology to examine aspects of modern history and its representation in the present. I have research interests in modern British history and the history of the United States and I have written widely on issues of conflict, consumerism, identity, enslavement, literature, museums, heritage, urbanism, landscapes and material culture.
This analysis of cultural history and heritage assesses how individuals and communities use the memory of the conflict to understand current political and social contexts. This work, Cultural Heritage of the Great War in Britain, was published by Ashgate in July 2013. This investigation builds upon my previous studies of the history and memory of the battlefields of the Western Front. I have conducted extensive research into the experience of British soldiers at the front and behind the lines as well as the representations of this wartime service through historiography, the memorial landscape, film, television, art and literature.
Expertise Summary
My main areas of expertise are within the history and commemoration of the First World War, the representation of the past within contemporary society through museums, media, culture and language and the history of New York.
Teaching Summary
I have an interest in teaching interdisciplinary sessions that allows students to explore issues that mark the past, present and future. The Liberal Arts modules that I convene are designed to engage… read more
Research Summary
My current research examines the history and heritage of health and safety in Britain and the United States, the history and memory of the First World War, the history of New York, digital heritage,… read more
I have an interest in teaching interdisciplinary sessions that allows students to explore issues that mark the past, present and future. The Liberal Arts modules that I convene are designed to engage students with the wealth of information and perspectives that the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences provide and to utilise these to ask innovative and critical questions. I also have teaching interests in the First World War, New York, heritage studies, memory and urban history and I supervise student projects that cross disciplinary boundaries.
I would welcome any PhD applications that examine the history and memory of the First World War, New York history, modern British and American history and any aspect of memory and heritage studies.
Current Research
My current research examines the history and heritage of health and safety in Britain and the United States, the history and memory of the First World War, the history of New York, digital heritage, memory studies and the role of museums and heritage sites as a mode of social and political reform.
Past Research
In conjunction with this research, I have also been involved with the 1807 Commemorated project at the University of York which provided one of the major assessments of the marking of the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade in British museums in 2007. This work was published by Routledge in 2011 as Representing Enslavement and Abolition in Museums: Ambiguous Engagements.