Imperial ambitions and military-administrative service: noblemen in the French Empire of the nineteenth century

This project provides an opportunity for a graduate student with reading ability in French and Arabic languages (or a demonstrable willingness to learn these languages) to pursue postgraduate research on the history of the French Empire in the nineteenth century.

The successful applicant will need to complete at least one extended period of archival research commencing with the resources available at the National Archives of France and the War Archives as well as published and printed sources in the National Library of France and several other regional institutions and archival depots. A principal empirical base for this project will be the collections of private papers produced by French noblemen who completed military service in France’s overseas territories, especially North Africa. Various noblemen organised and participated in expeditions and military campaigns as they furthered their careers in the army. Some took up senior administrative posts, for example holding office as governor general or being stationed in command of provincial bases.

Investigation in the private archives of noblemen will be complemented by research in nineteenth-century military and war records, diplomatic records, scientific and medical journals, and the press. The development of noblemen’s careers amid the changing political regimes of nineteenth-century France will need to be analysed as well as their class background, social networks, and personal/family lives. Colonial objectives and the opportunities and constraints encountered in the pursuit of those objectives will need to be assessed with attention to political, intellectual and cultural contexts. The project may be developed in different ways depending on the candidate’s choice of methodology and source materials to be agreed with the supervisors.

The successful applicant will benefit from academic expertise in the University of Aberdeen History discipline that includes specialists in the history of modern France and in the history of empires with support from the Centre for Global Empire. The research environment for postgraduate study features numerous seminars, training options via the Centre for Academic Development, a developing interdisciplinary program in Islamic Studies within the School of Divinity, History and Philosophy, and the collections of the Sir Duncan Rice University Library. Support for acquisition of language skills is available as the University offers study options and academic expertise in French and Arabic languages.