Dr Jason Roche
Senior Lecturer in Medieval Mediterranean History
My profile
Biography
I was an engineer before travelling around the world for two years, falling out of a coconut tree and then retraining as an academic. With a wife and two small children, my life is now a little bit more sedentary and I rarely stray off terra firma. Many years of wandering have thankfully and rather amazingly brought me back to my home town and the ability to see United at Old Trafford, socialise with old friends, see gigs in this amazing city of ours, and set up an amateur boxing club just twenty minutes from home. Otherwise, I’m often seen either riding a bike, paddling a kayak or poking a fire.
Words of wisdom
Be prepared to have your assumptions challenged through the use of critical thinking. It is a key transferable skill you acquire and improve as a History student. If you’re open to new ideas and ready to have your preconceptions about history challenged, then your B.A. in History will be worth considerably more than just a degree in Higher Education.
Academic and professional qualifications
Ph.D. in Mediaeval History at the University of St Andrews, UK
Expert reviewer for external funding bodies
Reviewer for The Medieval Review
Reviewer for The British Journal of Military
History
Reviewer for Palgrave Macmillan
Reviewer for The Journal of Medieval Military History
Reviewer for History: The Journal of the Historical Association
Reviewer for Al-Masāq: Islam and the Medieval Mediterranean
Reviewer for Imbas: The Journal of the National University of Ireland, Galway,
Postgraduate Medieval Studies Conference·
Reviewer for Hive: Historical Journal of the
Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Manchester Metropolitan University
Teaching
Why do I teach?
When I first considered becoming a historian, I did so for the high-minded notion that studying history was an end in of itself. What a wonderful thing it would be, I thought, to honour the great moments in history and monuments in culture by studying them for their own value. And I was right. Since then, I’ve taught at universities in Scotland, Ireland, Turkey and now Man Met. As a result, I have become increasingly appreciative of the practical and vocational utility of studying history. In my seminars, workshops and lectures, students are trained in a range of transferable skills that are increasingly sought after in today’s information-based economy.
How I’ll teach you
My approach to teaching has been described as passionate, enthusiastic and engaging.
I often have the pleasure of giving ‘taster’ lectures on the university’s open days. I begin every lecture by reminding the audience that what we know of the past changes constantly. I want students to appreciate that history is dynamic, and that our understanding of the past shapes our interpretation of the present. I want students to question the world around them by challenging their prejudgments about the past.
Postgraduate teaching
Unit Leader: ‘The Second Crusade: Holy War on the Periphery of Latin Christendom, 1145-49’: Level 7 postgraduate module
Supervision
PhD: Luke Quinn, “Mongol Ideology and Inter-Cultural Contact with the Latin World”
I am able to offer postgraduate supervision (MA or PhD) in the following subject areas:
Frankish Outremer and the Crusades
Expansion of Latin Christendom
Byzantine – Latin relations
Research outputs
My research interests lie in the history of the crusades and the so-called ‘Crusader States’. I’m also interested in the Byzantine Empire’s relationships with the Latin world.
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Books (authored/edited/special issues)
Roche, J. (2021) The Crusade of King Conrad III of Germany. Warfare and Diplomacy in Byzantium, Anatolia and Outremer, 1146-1148. Brepols.
Roche, J.T. (2015) The Second Crusade: Holy War on the Periphery of Latin Christendom. Brepols.
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Chapters in books
Roche, J. (2018) 'The Byzantine Conception of the Latin Barbarian and Distortion in the Greek Narratives of the Early Crusades.' In Jensen, K.V., Jensen, C.S., Jensen, J.M. (ed.) Fighting for the Faith – the Many Crusades. The society Runica et mediævalia, Stockholm University, pp. 143-173.
Roche, J.T. (2015) 'King Conrad III in the Byzantine Empire:A Foil for Native Imperial Virtue.' The Second Crusade: Holy War on the Periphery of Latin Christendom. Brepols Publishers,
Roche, J.T. (2015) 'The Second Crusade: Main Debates and New Horizons.' The Second Crusade: Holy War on the Periphery of Latin Christendom. Brepols Publishers,
Roche, J.T. (2015) ''Consequences Essay'.' The Crusades to the Holy Land: the Essential Reference Guide. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO,
Roche, J.T. (2015) '‘Causes Essay’.' The Crusades to the Holy Land: the Essential Reference Guide. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO,
Roche, J. (2008) 'Niketas Choniates as a Source for the Second Crusade in Anatolia.' In Özaydın, A. (ed.) In Memory of Prof. Dr. Isin Demirkent. Istanbul: Dünya yayıncılık, pp. 379-388.
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Internet publications
Roche, J.T. (2011) The Crusades to the Holy Land and Egypt (Causes). https://www.abc-clio.com/products/usaww/.
Roche, J.T. (2011) The Crusades to the Holy Land and Egypt (Consequences). https://www.abc-clio.com/products/usaww/.
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Journal articles
Roche, J.T. (2021) 'The Appropriation and Weaponisation of the Crusades in the Modern Era.' International Journal of Military History and Historiography, 41(2) pp. 187-207.
Roche, J.T. (2021) '"Crusaders" and the Islamic State Apocalypse.' International Journal of Military History and Historiography, 41(2) pp. 308-342.
Roche, J.T. (2015) 'The Second Crusade: Lisbon, Damascus and the Wendish Campaigns.' History Compass, 13
Roche, J.T. (2015) 'The Second Crusade, 1145–49: Damascus, Lisbon and the Wendish Campaigns.' History Compass, 13(11) pp. 599-609.
Roche, J.T. (2010) 'Surveying the aspect of the medieval west Anatolian town.' Al-Masaq: Journal of the Medieval Mediterranean, 22(3) pp. 249-257.
Roche, J.T. (2009) 'In the wake of mantzikert: The first crusade and the Alexian reconquest of western Anatolia.' History, 94(314) pp. 135-153.
Roche, J.T. (2006) '‘Conrad III and the Second Crusade: Retreat from Dorylaion?’.' Crusades, 5pp. 85-97.
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Non-peer reviewed articles / reviews
Roche, J.T. (2021) Remembering the Crusades in Medieval Texts and Songs.
Roche, J.T. (2018) Encountering Islam on the First Crusade.
Roche, J.T. (2017) Islam and Christianity in Medieval Anatolia.
Roche, J.T. (2016) Muslim and Christian Contact in the Middle Ages: A Reader.
Roche, J.T. (2015) Crusading and Warfare in the Middle Ages: Realities and Representations. Essays in Honour of John France.
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Other
Roche, J. (2021) International Journal of Military History and Historiography: Special Issue: “The Appropriation and Weaponisation of the Crusades in the Modern Era”, guest editor, Jason T. Roche, Volume 41, Issue 2 (2021).