Thomas Dixon

Thomas Dixon is Honorary Professor of History at Queen Mary University of London, where he was the founding Director of the Centre for the History of the Emotions in 2008. He is a leading expert on all aspects of the history of emotions and has written books about passions, emotions, love, altruism, tears, and weeping.

His books include From Passions to Emotions: The Creation of a Secular Psychological Category (2003), The Invention of Altruism: Making Moral Meanings in Victorian Britain (2008), and Weeping Britannia: Portrait of a Nation in Tears (2015), as well as his definitive guide - The History of Emotions: A Very Short Introduction (2023).

His broadcast work has included histories of friendship and of solitude for BBC Radio 4, and an award-winning podcast series, “The Sound of Anger”, made as part of a Wellcome Trust research project on emotional health. His most recent podcast series is called "Living With Feeling" (2022).

In 2023 Thomas left his post in academia to pursue a new career as a schoolteacher.