Jack Robert Mellish is a Fellow of the International Relations Department at LSE, where he previously undertook his PhD. Prior to this he completed a Master’s degree in Politics and International Studies and the University of Cambridge.

His research utilises the English School as a framework to analyse the historic development of the norms and practices of international society, and his work has contributed to the further development of the English School as a theoretical framework. He has previously chaired the International Society Workshop for the 2024 European International Studies Association alongside Professor Cornelia Navari at Kadir Has University, Istanbul; focussing on deepening the understanding of legitimacy and power in international relations.

His current primary research interest is the role that colonialism and decolonisation played in shaping modern international society. His work resituates the development of the norms and practices of international relations away from the traditional European core to look at the contribution of the post-colonial world. This was also the topic of his PhD thesis: An English School Analysis of the Effect of Colonialism and the Emergence of the Post Colonial States on the Primary Institutions of International Society. His work has been published in journals including Third World Quarterly and Journal of International Political Theory. He has also previously been the Editor and Deputy Editor of Millennium: Journal of International Studies, Vol 51 & 50 Respectively, and was a project co-ordinator for the LSE IDEAS Cold War History Project, where he was the host of the Cold War Podcast.

Research Cluster affiliation

Security and Statecraft Research Cluster

Theory/Area/History Research Cluster