Research

International Relations, Politics and History at Loughborough is a thriving multidisciplinary research hub, home to experts working on some of the most pressing social and political issues of the contemporary era.

From war and terrorism, protest politics, human rights, and contemporary challenges to democracy, to migration, international security, populism, and anarchism, our research covers the breadth of political theory and practice.

Members of the department are currently engaged in research on the history and politics of regions around the world, including Africa, the EU, China, India, the USA, Turkey, the Middle East, Japan, and the Asia-Pacific.

Read more about our research here, or visit the School website to learn more about wider research activity across the School of Social Sciences and Humanities research themes:

School of Social Sciences and Humanities research

100% of Politics and International Studies research impact assessed ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’

Research Excellence Framework 2021

Research centres

Our staff contribute to two Research Centres in the School of Social Sciences and Humanities.

Centre for Research in Communication and Culture

The Centre for Research in Communication and Culture is a large, vibrant, interdisciplinary centre for communication, cultural and media analysis. Established in 1991, it is the largest of its kinds and is distinguished by both its scope and its scale.

Centre for Security Studies

The Centre for Security Studies (CSS) was established in 2006 and operates as a hub for research conducted by colleagues across the University into the challenging nature of world politics.

Research groups

Anarchism Research Group

The ARG was established in 2008. It contributes to the social, political and cultural theory strand of the Communication and Culture Beacon at Loughborough University and is networked internationally through the Anarchist Studies Network (a specialist group of the UK Political Studies Association).

Ethics in Public Life

The Ethics in Public Life Research Group is a multi-disciplinary network of scholars engaged in research on questions of public ethics, broadly conceived.

Populism Research Group

The Populism Research Group (PRG) at Loughborough University was established in 2018 and aspires to build a dynamic School-wide intellectual community for Postgraduate Researchers (PGRs) and members of staff working on different aspects of the populist phenomenon.