Doctor Karine Varley
Senior Lecturer
French
Personal statement
I am a historian of modern Europe and have published widely on modern French history and war in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. I am a graduate of Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge, the University of Leeds, and Royal Holloway, University of London. Prior to my appointment at 吃瓜tv, I was Lecturer in Modern European History at the University of Durham and then Lecturer in Modern European History at the University of Edinburgh. Before moving into an academic career, I worked in financial services in London, specialising in Corporate Tax.
My latest book, , was published by Cambridge University Press in 2023. It advances a significant new interpretation of French collaboration during the Second World War, offering a fresh perspective on debates about Vichy France and collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. I also co-edited , published by Routledge in 2020.
I am currently working on a new project, funded by the Royal Society of Edinburgh, entitled 鈥楳oralising Violence: The Franco-British Bombing of France in World War Two鈥�. This builds on my earlier project on Franco-British relations, which involved collaborations with the British Embassy in Paris and the French Embassy in London.
I also work on the memory and impact of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871. My book, (Palgrave, 2008), is the first wide-ranging analysis of how memories of the Franco-Prussian War impacted upon French political culture and identities. My edited volume, , was published by Routledge in 2024.
I regularly engage with the media. I have appeared in several international television documentaries, including productions for Netflix, StudioCanal and Arte (France and Germany). I have also been a guest on BBC Radio 4鈥檚 鈥業n Our Time鈥�.
I am a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. I am currently the Treasurer of the Society for the Study of French History.
Prize And Awards
- Recipient
- 1/2025
- Recipient
- 2024
- Recipient
- 2023
- Recipient
- 2020
- Recipient
- 2019
- Recipient
- 2019
Publications
- (2024)
- Routledge Studies in the Modern History of France Routledge Studies in the Modern History of France (2024)
- The Franco-Prussian War Turning-Points in European Experiences and Perceptions of Military Conflict (2024) (2024)
- Harfleur to Hamburg Five Centuries of English and British Violence in Europe (2024) (2024)
- New Studies in European History New Studies in European History (2023)
- French History (2021)
Teaching
I teach the following undergraduate and postgraduate classes:
V1217 Modern Europe
V1303/V1440 France at War, 1870-1962
V1399/1706 Identity War and Revolution in Europe, 1789-1918
R1107/8 French Language 1a/1b
R1203/4 French Language 2a/2b
R1215 French Culture and History 2
R1315 French Culture and History 3
R1408 France since 1945
R1502 French Language (Interpreting)
R1506 French Studies 4 (Core Class)
History and French Dissertations
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Postgraduate teaching:
V1977 War, Sacrifice and the Nation in Europe, 1789-1918
Research Interests
My research interests lie primarily in the following areas:
- Vichy France
- The Franco-Prussian War听
- French-Italian relations in the Second World War
- Memory and commemoration of war
- Relations between Britain and France in the Second World War
- Corsican nationalism, history and politics
My second book, (Cambridge University Press, 2023) advances a significant new interpretation of French collaboration during the Second World War. Arguing that the path to collaboration involved not merely Nazi Germany but Fascist Italy, it suggests that the Vichy French government was caught in a double bind. On the one hand, many of the threats to France's territory, colonial empire and power came from Rome as well as Berlin. On the other, Vichy was caught between the irreconcilable yet inescapable positions of the two Axis governments. Unable to resolve the conflict, Vichy sought to play the two Axis powers against each other. By exploring French dealings with Italy at diplomatic, military and local levels in France and its colonial empire, this book reveals the multi-dimensional and multi-directional nature of Vichy's policy. It therefore challenges many enduring conceptions of collaboration with reference to Franco-German relations and offers a fresh perspective on debates about Vichy France and collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. This research was supported by grants from the British Academy and Carnegie Trust.
My new project, funded by the Royal Society of Edinburgh, is a case study designed to support a broader historical investigation of Franco-British violence towards 鈥榝riendly populations鈥� during the Second World War in Europe and the French colonies.听
Professional Activities
- Organiser
- 2/7/2015
- Editorial board member
- 2013
- Contributor
- 13/1/2014
- Organiser
- 10/7/2014
- Speaker
- 18/9/2025
- Speaker
- 13/9/2025
Projects
- Varley, Karine (Principal Investigator)
- 03-Jan-2024 - 30-Jan-2025
- Varley, Karine (Principal Investigator)
- 16-Jan-2021 - 17-Jan-2021
- Varley, Karine (Principal Investigator)
- 16-Jan-2021 - 17-Jan-2021
- Varley, Karine (Principal Investigator)
- 16-Jan-2021 - 17-Jan-2021
- Varley, Karine (Researcher)
- AHRC Grant AH/R00515X/1
- 01-Jan-2018 - 30-Jan-2023
- Varley, Karine (Principal Investigator)
- 26-Jan-2017 - 27-Jan-2017