The Clough Center looks forward to welcoming James Cronin, Research History Professor at Boston College, to a lecture on current politics in the UK on February 4, 2025. The event will be held in the Clough Center between 12:00 pm-1:15 pm at 10 Stone Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA. Professor Cronin will take part in a series of Spring seminars focusing on major elections held in 2024 across the world.

Given his expertise in British modern history, Professor Cronin will provide firsthand insights into UK politics. His research interests have involved the relationship between states and social structures, parties, and the rise and fall of the Cold War world order. The author most recently of  Fragile Victory: The Making and Unmaking of Liberal Order (2023), Professor Cronin has long been an affiliate of the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies at Harvard University, where he currently co-chairs the Seminar on Contemporary European Politics. He has been awarded fellowships by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the German Marshall Fund and is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

Professor Cronin has suggested three articles that will familiarize seminar participants with the context of the discussion. The articles are accessible in the links below.

• “Reflections on the 2024 General Election in Great Britain” (Ross Mckibbin, The Political Quarterly)
• “How Nigel Farage opened the door to No. 10 for Keir Starmer” (Pippa Norris, UK Election Analysis)

• “John Curtice: Labour’s strength in Commons is heavily exaggerated” (John Curtice, The Times)