Seán Williams
Historian, Talker, Travel & Culture Writer

I'm an academic and journalist, spending my time rummaging through books and wandering across Europe, searching for cultural stories from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. I’m especially drawn to where these stories "border" Britain and Ireland (my nationalities), as well as the Netherlands and Italy (where I've also lived).

 

On this site, I’ve selected examples of my media work. I’ve presented over a dozen   documentaries on BBC Radio 3, and I regularly contribute to discussion shows on BBC Radio 3 and 4, such as Free Thinking and Front Row. I've produced funded cultural podcasts, and spoken on TV formats sold around the world (Heir Hunters, Who Do You Think You Are?). I write for international newspapers and magazines, in English and German. Commissioned by arts, travel, literature, and history desks, I enjoy reviewing exhibitions, talking to leading figures (whether authors, royalty, or celebrities), going on quirky trips, and giving public talks at festivals and evening events — all from the perspective of cultural history. I often include archival research, historical images, and sources specially translated into English.

 

Academically, I'm Germanic Editor of Modern Language Review, one of the oldest journals in the humanities. I’m Senior Lecturer in German and European Cultural History in the School of Languages and Cultures at the University of Sheffield, UK. Previously, I’ve taught German and Comparative Literature at the University of Bern in Switzerland. I was educated in the state school system in rural England. I then graduated with a Congratulatory First, and later a master's with Distinction and a DPhil from the University of Oxford. I've also studied in Trier, Germany, and Berkeley, California. I’ve since held visiting fellowships in Germany, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, and the USA. In Britain, my research has been funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council, Wellcome Trust, and Worldwide Universities Network.