Julia F. Irwin
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Julia F. Irwin

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Julia F. Irwin is the T. Harry Williams Professor of History at Louisiana State University. Her research focuses on the politics of humanitarian assistance in 20th century U.S. foreign relations, international history, and medical history, in the context of both armed conflicts and disasters stemming from natural hazards. Her first book, Making the World Safe: The American Red Cross and a Nation’s Humanitarian Awakening (Oxford University Press, 2013) is a history of U.S. foreign relief efforts in the early 20th century, particularly during the First World War and its aftermath. Focused on the overseas aid activities of the American Red Cross, it examines the diplomatic and the cultural significance of U.S. humanitarian aid in the early twentieth century world. Julia's second book, Catastrophic Diplomacy: U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance in the American Century (University of North Carolina Press, 2024). This book examines how the U.S. government, U.S. military, and American voluntary organizations responded to sudden disasters in other countries during the 20th century. Investigating the messy politics and complex power dynamics associated with these relief and reconstruction operations, the book analyzes the use of foreign disaster assistance as a tool of U.S. foreign policy. Her most recent book, Humanitarianism: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2026), traces the events and trends that defined modern humanitarianism, from the eighteenth century up to the present day. It describes the origins of international humanitarian action, the development of major humanitarian organizations and movements, the evolution of international humanitarian law, and the expansion of the international humanitarian sector. Julia is currently researching a new book project, The Seventh Pandemic: Cholera, Humanitarianism, and Development in a Globalizing World. In this research, she is examining the international history of cholera and global health from the early 1960s through the early 1990s. In addition to her books, Julia has also published more than two dozen journal articles and book chapters on the histories of U.S. foreign aid, international humanitarianism, and medical relief. Julia is a founding co-editor of the book series InterConnections: The Global 20th Century, published by University of North Carolina Press, and a founding co-editor of Journal of Disaster Studies, published by University of Pennsylvania Press.
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