Sarah Kinkel
I am a doctoral candidate specializing in the history of Early Modern Europe. I am currently finishing a dissertation entitled "Disciplining the Empire: Georgian Politics, Social Hierarchy, and the Rise of the British Navy." My research explores the changing nature of Britain's socio-political and imperial system by asking why Britain became the world's foremost naval power over the course of the eighteenth century. By reintegrating the navy back into broader political, social, and cultural histories, my work shows that the creation of a dominant navy was neither inevitable nor consensual: it was the outcome of fierce debates within the Anglo-imperial world over the shape of the empire and the bonds of political authority. Though some argued for an aggressive navy capable of expanding Britain's imperial boundaries, others argued that such a force would undermine civilian liberties, political virtue, and the constitution. The navy was a model onto which all sides in the debates projected their ideal polities. The eventual restructuring of the navy as a disciplined, hierarchical institution reflected and enabled a global restructuring of the Anglo-imperial world that led to the acquisition of a vast territorial empire, the rebellion of the American colonies, and increasingly restrictive measures on British society. My dissertation committee members are Steve Pincus (chair), Paul Kennedy, Keith Wrightson, and Julian Hoppit (University College London).
In recognition of my work, Yale's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences recently awarded me the Mrs. Giles Whiting Fellowship in the Humanities. My dissertation research was generously made possible by the John F. Enders Dissertation Fellowship, the Georg W. Leitner Program in International and Comparative Political Economy, the MacMillan Center at Yale, the Smith Richardson Foundation, and the Yale Club of Philadelphia.
As a Graduate Research Assistant at the Yale Center for British Art, I assisted in the curating of "From Pearls to Pyramids: British Visual Culture and the Levant, 1600-1830." I also served two years as co-President of the Andrews Society, which acts as a liaison between graduate students and the administration and endeavors to build a strong graduate student community.
Prior to beginning graduate work at Yale, I received a B.A. in Politics and International Relations from Scripps College (Claremont, CA), where my thesis "From Empire to Island: London Museums and the Construction of British National Identity" won the Best Thesis of the Year award from the Politics department.
