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Dr Thomas Davies

Reader in International Politics

School of Policy & Global Affairs Department of International Politics

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About

Overview

Dr Davies' work bridges historical and theoretical perspectives on world politics, with especial focus on transnational and non-state dimensions. His publications have addressed non-governmental organizations, global governance, transnational history, internationalist theory, disarmament diplomacy, and social movements including the peace movement and nonviolence. He has a particular interest in the role of non-state actors in macro-historical change. Dr Davies is the author of NGOs: A New History of Transnational Civil Society (Oxford University Press) and The Possibilities of Transnational Activism (Martinus Nijhoff), and he edited the Routledge Handbook of NGOs and International Relations (which was awarded the ARNOVA Award for Outstanding Book in Nonprofit and Voluntary Action Research). His research has been funded by BISA, the ESRC, the Royal Historical Society, and the Global Challenges Research Fund, among others. He has provided keynote speeches around the world, and his expertise has been sought by diverse external institutions. Prior to joining City St George's, University of London, Dr Davies was a Junior Research Fellow at St Antony's College, Oxford, and a Lecturer at St Catherine's and New Colleges in the University of Oxford. His doctoral studies were undertaken at Magdalen College, Oxford, and his thesis was awarded the British International History Group Thesis Prize. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Qualifications

  • MA, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
  • MPhil, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
  • DPhil, University of Oxford, United Kingdom

Fellowships

  • Fellow (FRHistS), Royal Historical Society
  • Senior Fellow (SFHEA), Higher Education Academy

Award

  • Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) (2021). Outstanding Book in Nonprofit and Voluntary Action Research

Research

Research interests

- Global governance
- International non-governmental organizations
- Transnational history
- Internationalist theory
- Transnational social movements
- Disarmament diplomacy
- Peace movements & nonviolence
- Macro-historical change

PhD supervision

Supervised to completion:
- Dr Tabitha Poulter
- Dr Timo Koch
- Dr Begum Zorlu
- Dr Sahra Taylor
- Dr Bonfas Owinga
- Dr Elizaveta Kuznetsova
- Dr Pat Finlow
- Dr Niloy Biswas
- Dr Leonie Fleischmann
- Dr Alejandro Pena
- Dr Holly Eva Ryan

Dr Davies welcomes applications from prospective PhD students in the areas of his research interests

Publications

Featured publications

  1. Davies, T. (2025). Fan club world politics: Reinterpreting international relations beyond the state. Review of International Studies pp. 1-19. doi:10.1017/s0260210525101605

    [publisher’s website]

  2. Davies, T. (2025). Emotional Interdependence: Reconceptualizing Mutual Dependence from Global North to Global South. Global Studies Quarterly, 5(3). doi:10.1093/isagsq/ksaf097

    [publisher’s website]

  3. Davies, T. (2024). World Order Transformation from the Grassroots: Global South Social Movements and the Transcendence of Established Approaches to International Change. International Political Sociology, 18(1). doi:10.1093/ips/olad023

    [publisher’s website]

  4. Peña, A.M. and Davies, T. (2022). Lateral Relations in World Politics: Rethinking Interactions and Change among Fields, Systems, and Sectors. International Studies Review, 24(4). doi:10.1093/isr/viac048

    [publisher’s website]

  5. Davies, T. (2014). NGOs: A New History of Transnational Civil Society. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199387533.

Publications by category

Books (5)

  • Davies, T. (Ed.), (2019). Routledge Handbook of NGOs and International Relations. Routledge.
  • Davies, T., Ryan, H. and Pena, A. (Eds.), (2016). Protest, Social Movements and Global Democracy Since 2011: New Perspectives. Emerald Group Publishing Limited. ISBN 9781786350282.
  • Davies, T.R. History of Transnational Voluntary Associations. Brill.
  • Davies, T. (2013). NGOs: A New History of Transnational Civil Society. London: Hurst. ISBN 9781849043106.
  • Davies, T.R. (2007). The possibilities of transnational activism: the campaign for disarmament between the two world wars. Leiden and Boston: Martinus Nijhoff. ISBN 9789004162587.

Chapters (34)

  • Davies, T. (2025). Transnational associations and intellectual cooperation: anticipating, lobbying, serving and complementing the league of nations institutions. In Laqua, D. and Grandjean, M. (Eds.), Intellectual Cooperation at the League of Nations: Shaping Cultural and Political Relations (pp. 127-137). Geneva: United Nations. ISBN 9789211072808.
  • Davies, T. (2025). Non-governmental organizations. Elgar Encyclopedia of International Relations (pp. 279-280). Edward Elgar Publishing. ISBN 9781035312276.
  • Davies, T. (2025). Transnational Movements. (pp. 1-4). Wiley. ISBN 9781405124331.
  • Davies, T., Eva Ryan, H. and Milcíades Peña, A. (2025). Protest, Social Movements and Global Democracy Since 2011: New Perspectives. (pp. iii).
  • Davies, T.R. (2024). International Nongovernmental Organizations. International Encyclopedia of Civil Society (pp. 1-5). Springer Nature Switzerland. ISBN 9783319996752.
  • Davies, T. (2022). Histories of the nonprofit and philanthropic sector. The Routledge Handbook of Nonprofit Communication (pp. 15-22). Routledge.
  • Davies, T. (2020). Democracy, Global Governance, and Peaceful Change. The Oxford Handbook of Peaceful Change in International Relations (pp. 351-368). Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190097356.
  • Davies, T. (2020). Civil Society History VI: Early and Mid-twentieth Century. International Encyclopedia of Civil Society (pp. 1-8). Springer International Publishing. ISBN 9783319996752.
  • Davies, T. (2020). Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. International Encyclopedia of Civil Society (pp. 1-2). Springer International Publishing. ISBN 9783319996752.
  • Davies, T. (2020). World’s Woman’s Christian Temperance Union. International Encyclopedia of Civil Society (pp. 1-2). Springer International Publishing. ISBN 9783319996752.
  • Davies, T. (2019). Introducing NGOs and International Relations. Routledge Handbook of NGOs and International Relations (pp. 1-16). Routledge.
  • Davies, T. (2019). Transnational non-state politics. Routledge Handbook of NGOs and International Relations (pp. 63-72). Routledge.
  • Davies, T. (2019). The UIA and the Development of International Relations Theory. International Organizations and Global Civil Society Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 9781350055636.
  • Davies, T. (2018). The historical development of NGOs. Handbook of Research on NGOs Edward Elgar Publishing. ISBN 9781785361678.
  • Davies, T. (2018). Transnational Movements. (pp. 1-4). Wiley. ISBN 9781405124331.
  • Davies, T., Ryan, H. and Pena, A. (2016). Protest, Social Movements and Global Democracy since 2011: New Perspectives. In Davies, T., Ryan, H. and Pena, A. (Eds.), Protest, Social Movements and Global Democracy Since 2011: New Perspectives (pp. 1-29). Emerald. ISBN 9781786350282.
  • Davies, T.R. (2016). Researching transnational history: The example of peace activism. Ashgate Research Companion to Non State Actors (pp. 35-46).
  • Davies, T.R., Schmitz, H.P., Appe, S., Barragan-Teran, D., Owinga, B., Raggo, P.G.... Lei, X.I.E. (2016). Transnational Associations and INGOs: Macro-Associations. The Palgrave Handbook of Volunteering, Civic Participation, and Nonprofit Associations (pp. 874-893). Palgrave Macmillan UK. ISBN 9781137263162.
  • Davies, T., Ryan, H.E. and Pena, A.M. (2016). PROTEST, SOCIAL MOVEMENTS AND GLOBAL DEMOCRACY SINCE 2011: NEW PERSPECTIVES. PROTEST, SOCIAL MOVEMENTS, AND GLOBAL DEMOCRACY SINCE 2011: NEW PERSPECTIVES (pp. 1-29). ISBN 9781786350282.
  • Davies, T. (2014). Emergence To 1914. NGOs (pp. 19-76). Oxford University Press.
  • Davies, T. (2014). 1914–1939. NGOs (pp. 77-122). Oxford University Press.
  • Davies, T. (2014). 1939 To the Present Day. NGOs (pp. 123-174). Oxford University Press.
  • Davies, T. (2014). Conclusion. NGOs (pp. 175-182). Oxford University Press.
  • Davies, T. (2013). International Veterans' Organizations and the Promotion of Disarmament between the Two World Wars. In Eichenberg, J. and Newman, J.P. (Eds.), The Great War and Veterans' Internationalism Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan. ISBN 9781137281616.
  • Davies, T. (2013). Governing Communications. In Harman, S. and Williams, D. (Eds.), Governing the World? Routledge. ISBN 9781135049638.
  • Davies, T.R. (2013). International Veterans’ Organizations and the Promotion of Disarmament Between the Two World Wars. The Great War and Veterans’ Internationalism (pp. 187-206). Palgrave Macmillan UK. ISBN 9781349448234.
  • Davies, T.R. (2012). THE TRANSFORMATION OF INTERNATIONAL NGOs AND THEIR IMPACT ON DEVELOPMENT AID. In Carbonnier, G. (Ed.), (pp. 48-59). PALGRAVE. ISBN 9781137003409.
  • Davies, T.R. (2011). The Rise and Fall of Transnational Civil Society: The Evolution of International Non-Governmental Organizations since the Mid-Nineteenth Century. In Reydams, L. (Ed.), Global Activism Reader (pp. 35-44). New York and London: Continuum. ISBN 9781441179555.
  • Davies, T.R. (2011). Researching Transnational History: The Example of Peace Activism. In Reinalda, B. (Ed.), The Ashgate Research Companion to Non-State Actors (pp. 35-46). Farnham, Surrey, and Burlington, VT: Ashgate. ISBN 9780754679066.
  • Davies, T. (2010). Civil Society History VI: Early and Mid Twentieth Century. In Anheier, H., Toepler, S. and List, R. (Eds.), International Encyclopedia of Civil Society (pp. 361-366). New York: Springer. ISBN 9780387939940.
  • Davies, T. (2010). Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. In Anheier, H. and Toepler, S. (Eds.), International Encyclopedia of Civil Society New York: Springer.
  • Davies, T. (2010). World's Woman's Christian Temperance Union. In Anheier, H. and Toepler, S. (Eds.), International Encyclopedia of Civil Society New York: Springer.
  • Davies, T. (2009). Non-violence. In Iriye, A. and Saunier, P.-.Y. (Eds.), The Palgrave Dictionary of Transnational History (pp. 769-771). Basingstoke and New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9781403992956.
  • Davies, T. (2009). Transnational Civil Society: Past, Present, Future. In Katsy, D. and Sadri, H. (Eds.), Trends, Prospects and Challenges of Globalization Saint Petersburg: Saint Petersburg State University Press. ISBN 9785288046674.

Conference papers and proceedings (2)

Internet publications (6)

Journal articles (25)

Media (2)

  • EU Scream, (2023). The Assault on NGOs.
  • Davies, T., Wright, J., Nehring, H. and Ryan, C.(2015). 'Martin Ceadel and the Study of Peace and War' Session 3: Pacifism, Peace Movements and War Prevention.

Working paper