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Research

My research interests are in the history of international trade in the 20th century, the history of the British Commonwealth, especially from the perspective of the so-called peripheries (Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa), and international relations in the 19th and 20th centuries. Sometimes I examine these areas separately; most of the time in combination.  In particular I am interested in the interplay of economic and political motivations and interests in the formulation of trade policy.  My work argues that political pressures and objectives, emanating from both national and international arenas, are embedded in trade policy and international trade negotiations.  I am currently examining the role of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade in international relations, 1947-1994, making a case that the main geo-political fault lines that emerged after 1945, including the Cold War, the North-South divide, and the rise of regional blocs turned the GATT into a contested political space and a microcosm of world international relations. This book is tentatively called: Accidental Organization: The GATT and Global Geopolitics, 1947-1994.

 Publications

  Books & Articles

(2012)  Short Biographical essay on, 'Eric Wyndham White' in The Biographical Dictionary of Secretaries - General of International Organizations, Bob Reinalda and Kent Kille, eds, [link]

(2011)  'The Rhetoric of Trade and the Pragmatism of Policy:  Canadian and     New Zealand Commercial Relations with Britain, 1920-1950', in Ian Conrich and Itesh Sachdev, eds, Small Nations, Big Neighbours:  Canada and New Zealand (London:  Kakapo Books, 2011), pp. 35-56. Click here to read.

     (2010)  'The GATT-EEC Collision: The Challenge of Regional Trade Blocs to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, 1950-1967', The International History Review (June 2010) Vol. 32, No. 2: 229-252.

     (2009)  'A.D.P Heeney: The Orderly Undersecretary' in Greg Donaghy and Kim Richard Nossal, eds, Architects and Innovators: Building the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, 1909-2009/ Architectes et innovateurs: le developpement du ministere des Affaires etrangeres et du commerce international, de 1909 a 2009 (Montreal & Kingston: McGill Queen's University Press, Queen's Policy Studies series).

     (2008) 'GATT in the Cold War: Accession Debates, Institutional Development, and the Western Alliance, 1947-1959',  Journal of Cold War Studies, Vol. 10, No. 3 (Summer 2008), pp. 78-109.
This article was reviewed in H-Diplo. Please go to: http://www.h-net.org/~diplo/reviews/PDF/Eckes-Irwin-McKenzie.pdf

     (2007)  Contributor to The Oxford Companion to Australian Politics, Brian Galligan and Winsome Roberts, eds, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007).  Entry: Canada-Australia, pp. 84-85.

     (2006)  'In the National Interest:  Dominions' Support for Britain and the Commonwealth after the Second World War', Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History, vol. 34, no. 4, December 2006, pp. 553-576.

(2003)  Margaret MacMillan and Francine McKenzie, eds, Parties Long Estranged: Canada and Australia in the 20th Century.

Parties Long Estranged covers the entire 20th century and examines different aspects of Canadian-Australian relations, including trade, civil aviation, military, constitutional, imperial, and diplomatic relations.  The comparisons include Aboriginal rights, nation-building, middle powers, and attitudes towards the Empire.

     (2002)  Redefining the Bonds of Commonwealth 1939-1948: The Politics of Preference

Teaching

I teach international history courses in the undergraduate and graduate programs in the History Department.  I have two main pedagogical aims:  to teach students to think about the past in interesting and rigorous ways and to develop skills in writing, research, and critical thinking.  These skills are essential to the study of history; they are also valuable when students enter the workforce.  At the undergraduate level, I am currently teaching HIS3421E: The History of European International Relations: Comunities and Conflicts.  This seminar examines the evolution of European international relations in the 19th and 20th centuries.  It focuses on key moments, subjects and themes, including major conflicts, leaders, alliances, institutions, the norms and mechanisms of international relations, as well as relations with the world beyond Europe.  The aim is to understand the workings and evolution of European international relations as well as Europe's role in and impact on the international community.  At the graduate level, I offered a new course in 2011: After War: A Peaceful History of European International Relations in the 19th and 20th Centuries.  I designed this course as a response to the frequent use of wars as milestones, turning points, and bookends in historical analyses of international relations. More than a convenient way of organizing history, wars dominate historical narratives and shape historical interpretations.  This course was organized as a workshop where students and faculty grappled with the different ways in which peace has been understood by individuals and states.  We also examined periods of peace on their own terms, rather than as interludes between wars or conflicts.  Our overarching goal was to define peace and devise an alternative periodization and conception of the history of European international relations in the 19th and 20th centuries.  I look forward to offering this course again.

In 2006, Western launched an interdisciplinary Honors Specialization in International Relations.  I have co-taught the introductory course (IR2701E) as well as the capstone seminar (IR4701E).  I am also the current director of the program.  If you have questions about the International Relations program, please feel free to contact me directly.

I supervise M.A. and Ph.D students whose research is related to international trade, international relations, Canada’s international history, and the history of the British Commonwealth.  I welcome inquiries from students interested in post-graduate study at Western.  Please note, however, that I will be on leave from July 2012 to June 2013.

 Post-graduate study focuses on mastering a subject of study, often quite narrowly defined.  But an academic’s job is multifaceted, including lecturing to large classes, leading small group discussions, giving conference papers, training graduate students, building an academic network, publishing articles and books, and applying for grants.  I have been involved in professional development in the History Department and I have written articles about a few aspects of the academic profession for University Affairs.

'Does professional development really make a difference, anyway?': http://www.universityaffairs.ca/2008/10/06/does-professional-development-really-make-a-difference-anyway.aspx

'How to give an effective conference paper': http://www.universityaffairs.ca/how-to-give-an-effective-conference-paper.aspx

'The art of responding to peer reviews': http://www.universityaffairs.ca/the-art-of-responding-to-peer-reviews.aspx

Recent Awards and Grants

2012-13: Mackenzie King Visiting Professor of Canadian Studies, Department of History, Harvard University

2009-10: USC Teaching Honor Roll Award of Excellence

2007-11: Social Science and Humanities Research Council Standard Research Grant

Doctoral Level supervisory privileges