Undergraduate, Department of History
University of Southampton, History
Thesis Title: Fire and Mud: Assessing the Life and Legend of T. E. Lawrence in the Twenty-First Century.
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Professor Iftikhar Malik
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About
Presently completing my (immensely enjoyable) BA in History at Bath Spa University and looking forward to beginning the MA at the University of Southampton in October 2012 ... having taken a well-earned holiday far away from libraries and archives!
Foremost among my research interests are the concepts and construction of heroes. My undergraduate thesis assesses the life and legend of T. E. Lawrence as it stands in the twenty-first century, examining the complications of his soldier persona before proposing a more relevant legacy which gives due attention to his post-Arabian anguish and his affinity with modern ideas of heroism, i.e., the accidental or involuntary or instinctive hero, as Lawrence defines it.
I would like to continue exploring the significance of heroism within imperial society, particularly the notions that adventure seekers like Lawrence, Gordon, Shackleton, Scott and co. helped stimulate wider public interest in empire, while offering validity to its cause.
