Professor Jonathan Morris
Ph.D; FRHS
Job title: Research Professor in Modern European History
Email Address: J.2.Morris@herts.ac.uk
Memberships and Appointments: AHRC Peer Review College Royal Historical Society (RHS) Societa Italiana per gli Storici Economici (SISE) Società Italiana per lo Studio della Storia Contemporanea (SISSCO) Editorial Board, Contemporary European History http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=CEH Editorial Board, H-Italy http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~italy/
After graduating from Cambridge, I spent a year studying in Italy where I largely learnt the language by talking to shopkeepers. This led me to begin historical research into this group for my doctorate (awarded by Cambridge). The thesis became a book on The Political Economy of Shopkeeping in Milan 1886-1922 that sought to explain shopkeepers' political actions in the context of the commercial environment. After a research fellowship at Cambridge, I joined UCL in 1990, working on the history of retailing, consumption and the self-employed in Italy and Europe, and the general history of Italy since unification. I was Editor of the journal Contemporary European History, published by Cambridge University Press from 1998-2007.
In 2004 I joined the University of Hertfordshire having just been awarded a grant to study The Cappuccino Conquests: A Transnational History of Italian Coffee: a project investigating the transfer of espresso-based drinks from Italy into the rest of the world. The research takes me chasing the crema around the world, interviewing key members of the industry, lecturing at trade fairs and writing for coffee magazines, as well as organising exhibitions and international conferences in Italy and the UK.
Funding Councils
Research Interests
Consumption and Leisure, Coffee, Petite Bourgeoisie, Retailing, Transfers: Modern Italy, Comparative and Transnational Contemporary European History (inc. UK)Teaching specialisms
Consumption, Italian Fascism, 20th C. EuropeCollaborations and Projects
The Cappuccino Conquests project was funded by the AHRC/ESRC Cultures of Consumption programme. For more information on the Cappuccino Conquests please visit the project website at www.cappuccinoconquests.org.uk
You can download the project summary findings sheet here.
Full Project List