He specialises in foreign influences on British left-wing politics (particularly the Spanish Civil War and China); Catholic politics, conflict and peace in modern Europe; and humanitarianism in post-war Britain.
[3] He studied history at Wadham College, Oxford, graduating with a BA in 1982.
Buchanan then carried out doctoral studies at St Antony's College, Oxford;[4] his DPhil was awarded in 1987 for his thesis "British trade union internationalism and the Spanish Civil War".
[5] In 1990, Buchanan was appointed a University Lecturer in Modern History and Politics at the University of Oxford[6] and Director of Studies for History and Politics at the Department for Continuing Education.
[7] In 2014, he was awarded the title of Professor of Modern British and European History by the University of Oxford.