• JAMES NOYES

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • ABOUT

    Dr. James Noyes is a writer and policy advisor based in London and France.

     

    He is a Senior Fellow of the Social Market Foundation and a former advisor and speechwriter at the British parliament. His work focuses on the relationship between the state, society and the market – with a particular interest in how this relationship is shaped by corporate and cultural forces.

     

    James grew up in Norfolk in the East of England. He was educated at Norwich School and the University of Cambridge, where he was both an undergraduate and doctoral student at Christ’s College. After his PhD, James taught for several years at the Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po) in France.

     

    James does policy work in both the UK and USA, and is the author of several influential think tank reports, including work on soft power, tech regulation and gambling reform. In 2023 he was called to give evidence on these questions of regulation to a House of Commons Select Committee.

     

    His most recent report is The Nanny and Night Watchman (2023): an essay on the tensions between state regulation and personal freedom in new digital markets, with a foreword written by the British journalist Dominic Lawson.

     

    James is the author of The Politics of Iconoclasm (2016), an account of state formation and the destruction of cultural heritage that has been described by reviewers, including the Times Literary Supplement, as a “fearless narrative” and "landmark publication". He is currently writing his second book.

     

    In 2016, James was invited to be the keynote speaker at the Global Mayors Conference in Florence, Italy.

  • ARTICLES

    James is a regular contributor to The Critic magazine. He has written for the New Statesman, the Guardian and other outlets, and his work is frequently quoted in media around the world. Here is a selection of some of his articles:

     

    • The Ghosts of Norwich (The Critic, 2023)

    • France's Unfinished Civil War (The Critic, 2022)

    • Only a New Entente Cordiale can Save the West (New Statesman, 2021)

    • The UK's Gambling Review must be Free of Industry Influence (Guardian, 2020)

    • Town Hall America (Prospect, 2017)

  • Buy on Amazon!

    The Politics of Iconoclasm

    (London & New York: Bloomsbury / Tauris, 2016)

     

     

    Why do people destroy cultural heritage?

     

    This book tells the story of iconoclasm. It is a work of history spanning two continents and stretching over six centuries. From the cities of Saudi Arabia to the cathedrals of rural France, from the canals of Venice to the sniper alleys of Sarajevo, James Noyes connects the ancient tradition of cultural destruction to the rise of modern politics.

     

    Here is what people said about The Politics of Iconoclasm:

     

     

    TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT
    "Impressive… A crucial contribution to the body of recent landmark publications in the field."

     

     

    CARLOS EIRE (YALE UNIVERSITY)
    "A fearless narrative… An impressive display of ambition and erudition."

     

     

    TALAL ASAD (CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK)
    "Original and thought-provoking … A remarkably suggestive book."

     

     

    MARK JUERGENSMEYER (UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA)
    "This erudite, interesting, and highly readable book … will be much discussed: it will impress both historians and policy-makers."

     

     

    CHRISTOPHER COKER (LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS)
    "Powerful, profound and deeply disturbing."

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    Dr James Noyes
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