Dr. Brooke Durham

Biography

Brooke Durham is a historian specializing in the history of France and the French Empire. Her research focuses on the local and interpersonal interactions between France and Africa from 1945 onwards, particularly during the Cold War and the processes of development and decolonization. She examines how students, social workers, teachers, and international volunteers navigated politics during this transformative period. Currently, Durham is engaged in several research projects, including a book titled 'Politics Proximity: North Africans, Europeans, Fight for Equality Revolutionary Algeria', which traces the collaborative efforts of European and Algerian individuals in human development projects during the Algerian War of Independence. Another project, 'Students and Decolonization: European African Student Exchanges at the End of Empire', looks at how French and African high school and university students negotiated the end of empire through educational travel and short-term assignments. Durham teaches courses on the French Empire and Modern European history and advises graduate students focusing on Modern France, Europe, and North West African history. Before her position at Boston University, she taught at West Virginia University.

Research Interests

Experience