Peter J. Beck

My research interests focus upon British foreign policy since 1945; presenting history; memoirs and public policy; and the politics of sport, especially the politics and diplomacy of British football.

My latest book, entitled International Football as Cultural Diplomacy: Britain versus the Dictators in the 1930s (Routledge), was published in August 2024. Cultural diplomacy is another term for cultural activities treated as propaganda. My book focuses on the 1930s highlighting the power of British football in terms of the England team and Football League clubs representing Britain as a great world power; fostering a strong sense of the nation’s identity and values; producing lifelong memories for millions; and reflecting, perhaps enhancing, Britain’s place in a fast-changing world divided between the liberal democracies and the dictatorships. In brief, the important thing about British international football was that it was about far more than football.

Educated at the London School of Economics, where I obtained my Ph.D., I had a lengthy career based at Kingston University, Kingston upon Thames.

Following my retirement from teaching (but not from research and publication) in 2008, I am now emeritus professor of international history at Kingston University.

I served on the History Panel for two UK Research Assessment Exercises, now called the Research Excellence Framework. I am also a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and a member of the editorial board of the Soccer and Society academic journal.