Dr Bill Foster
College Associate Professor in History, Director of Studies for History and History with Modern Languages
I am a British historian educated in Switzerland and hold university degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, and Cambridge. I was formerly Keasbey Fellow at Selwyn College, Cambridge, and have been a Fellow of Homerton since 2007, also serving as Vice-Principal (deputy Head of House), 2013-19.
European History
My research, focused on modern and contemporary Europe in international and transnational contexts, explores the changing cultures and implications of neutrality, warfare, violence, diplomacy and peace-keeping on the continent.
Current research areas:
- Neutrality and non-alignment.
- European dimensions of superpower rivalry.
- Spatial and social aspects of physical borders and cultural boundaries.
- Switzerland and transnational Alpine Europe.
I am now completing two books: Russians and Americans: a history of two peoples and the worlds they made together; and Swiss Neutrality: a global history.
Planned future studies include a history of the lived experience of military threat in twentieth and twenty-first century Finland.
Historical Tripos Part IB, Topics Paper: 'Europe's Modern Age of Violence, 1914-1949' .
Historical Tripos Part II, Advanced Topic: 'Connected Histories of the US and USSR/Russia’.
Please note: I am on research leave for the 2024-25 academic year.
