Julia Irwin (Louisiana State University) is the Spring Roosevelt Visiting Professor from 6 May to 5 June 2025.
Julia Irwin is the T. Harry Williams Professor of History at Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge, United States). Her research focuses on the place of humanitarian assistance in 20th century US foreign relations and international history, in the context of war, disasters, epidemics, and other crises.
Professor Irwin has written two books and many articles on these topics. Her books include Making the World Safe, a study of US international relief efforts during the First World War era, and Catastrophic Diplomacy, a history of US foreign disaster assistance during the 20th century. Recently she completed a third book, Humanitarianism: A Very Short Introduction, which will soon be published by Oxford University Press. She is also a founding co-editor of the book series InterConnections: The Global 20th Century and a co-editor of the Journal of Disaster Studies.
At the RIAS, Professor Irwin is conducting research for her new book project, which will consider the fraught relationship between international humanitarianism, the global Cold War, and decolonization during the 1950s and 1960s. She will also participate in the international conference “A Water’s History of the United States” on 21-23 May 2025. Additionally, she will serve on the committee for a PhD defense at Leiden and will participate in several RIAS seminars.
