Dr Jack Doyle

I am an historian of war and queerness in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with a focus on the British, French, and American empires. I am especially interested in military communities as sites of culturally specific violence and of distinct gendered and sexual cultures. As the History Faculty's first Departmental Lecturer in LGBTQ history, I am passionate about developing collaborative queer, trans, and antiracist pedagogical practice.

Research Interests

My current research explores the regulation of gender and sexuality in First World War British military justice systems across the Empire. This work is an attempt to explore the cross-cultural consequences of British anti-sodomy and gender regulating law during the mass mobilisation of a global conflict, focusing on courtmartials of British, Commonwealth, and colonial soldiers tried for indecency and related charges. I also write about trans and gender nonconforming experiences in POW camps during the Second World War, and about post-war grassroots queer healthcare networks.

My work builds on my early research into unconventional combatant cultures in 'unprecedented' global conflicts, particularly fighter pilot communities during the World Wars. My doctoral thesis, which I am currently developing as a monograph, examined French, British, and American experiences and practice of aerial violence during the First World War. I draw from a mix of cultural and military history in my work, drawing on combat theory, wartime identity, class and labour politics, tactical and strategic studies, and queer studies.