Chris became the project’s postdoctoral researcher in 2007, having worked on the environmental history of military lands in twentieth century France (with a main focus on the post-1945 period). This built on his doctoral thesis, which analysed the environmental history of the Second World War in France.
His research for the project examined militarism’s impact on cultural and material landscapes, the relationship between environmentalism and military organisations, the environmental dimensions of Cold War politics, and the “greening” of the French military in recent years. He also sought to contextualize the French experience within the wider framework of militarized landscapes in other European countries. His case studies included military bases and training grounds at Mourmelon, Suippes, Canjuers, Larzac, and Souge. Conceptually, his work aimed to bring together “humans” and “non-humans” in ways suggested by Bruno Latour (among others).
In 2010 Chris took up a post at Warwick University as Assistant Professor of French History.
