Diana Lemberg
Lecturer, School of History, University of St. Andrews
As a historian of the United States in the world, I am fascinated by the way in which information and information technologies have acted as barometers of socioeconomic development in the modern era. American efforts to shape global information flows in the name of international development took many forms in the twentieth century, from investments in satellite broadcasting to initiatives to enhance the role of English as a lingua franca. But for me, the unexpected and unwanted outcomes of these efforts are often as revealing as the successes, tracing the limits of American power.