A morning in the archives of Unibo with my global history students, looking at documents on foreign students (inc. Jewish, Greeks, Iranians, and other refugees).

At the Silk Roads exhibition at the British Museum, so many beautiful artefacts from Samarkand, that brought to life the multi-cultural, fascinating city I've written about in my book Air and Love.

Oxfording this week

The urge to cross the barriers, sit down, open a book and read is real.

I asked chatgpt to design my ideal room according to my online profile and I love the library-kitchen-cakes combination!

Out of office.

On my way to Pisa where I'll be giving the keynote lecture at the meeting of the Italian society for contemporary history (sisco), on nationalism and global challenges.

Things I see in italian bookstores (I thought it was ironic but no, the book demands we thank the West for all the good it has done for the Chinese, Africans, etc..). An impressive blend of ignorance and hyperbolic prose, captures the spirit of the moment.

My new book, Air and Love, will be out in May. It's a history of migration and belonging, through the story - and food - of one family. Now more than ever, it's time to think about displacement and its legacies.

Traveling to Forli in the Po valley to talk about atlanticism..

No cats here, but here is a picture of my turtles. @chrisbrooke.bsky.social