There are many skills a historian acquires: distilling information, debates and arguments; finding, reading and analyzing primary sources; writing and publishing research; dressing smart but casual; finding obscure conference venues; looking marginally interested in endless administrative meetings (with full knowledge that each second saps a small piece of our zest for life – See here for […]
What is anxiety and does it have a history? – History at Northampton
Anxiety is a very common problem, part of a wider range of mental health issues in any given society. Here are some stats: According to MIND one in four people in the UK suffer mental health problems each day MIND statistics. Overall estimates suggest that one in six of us will report an anxiety problem in […]
Holocaust Memorial Day at Northampton University – History at Northampton
Holocaust Memorial Day has become a central fixture of the ways many people learn about the Holocaust. Supported by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust who create a wide range of resources, it helps schools, universities and community groups draw attention to the suffering experienced by Jewish people, and many others, during the Nazi era. Though focused […]
‘Future focused’ not stuck in the past: Study History because we don’t know what’s going to happen next – History at Northampton
As we approach the end of another year I thought I’d reflect on what, if anything we might learn from the events of 2017. This has been (another) tumultuous annum with terrorism, the threat of nuclear war, and political turmoil at home and abroad. What I’d like to discuss though, is the value of History […]
Tragedy as ‘Wilkes & Liberty’ results in the death of the innocent – History at Northampton
Today is the 250th anniversary of an event well known to historians of eighteenth-century politics, but not, I suspect, to the wider public. Mostly it is recounted as part of the mercurial career of the radical populist John Wilkes, who bestrode the world of politics in the late 1760s and early 70s. The event was […]
How to spend a wet September morning in Northampton! – History at Northampton
Standing outside North Gate bus station on a cloudy Friday morning, meeting our new first year History students at the end of Welcome Week, I was worried our introductory tour of the town would be a bit of a washout. Instead, it turned into a great morning, one where we found out lots of new […]
Second-year History students visit Imperial War Museum – History at Northampton
One feature of the History degree at Northampton is a recurring opportunity to engage with optional field trips. Students posing in front of historical military hardware at the Imperial War Museum! Last Thursday sixteen second-year students took a break from their normal classes to visit the Imperial War Museum. Most were studying the optional module HIS2014 First […]
Farewell Park and Avenue (and hello Waterside!) – History at Northampton
On Wednesday this week I will be moving into my open office space in the Learning Hub at the University of Northampton’s new Waterside Campus. I’m pretty excited about the change because I’ve been down to Waterside and it looks fantastic. In fact it has exceeded my hopes so far and I hope and believe […]
Women on trial? Rape and the law in Georgian and Victorian England – History at Northampton
This week at the University of Northampton there are a number of events and talks are being held to raise awareness about healthy relationships, consent and sexual harassment. As part of this I decided to include a new lecture and seminar workshop on rape as part of my second year History of Crime module (HIS2010 […]
France and #metoo: #Balance ton Porc (Squeal on your Pig) – History at Northampton
The 100 signatories of an open letter published in Le Monde on 8 January 2018 launched a peculiarly Gallic attack on the #metoo movement, and revived the longstanding antagonism between French and Anglo-Saxon feminisms. In the wake of the Weinstein Affair (and its widespread and continuing repercussions), female French writers, artists, actresses, journalists, and academics […]
Historians and Twitter – History at Northampton
Last Wednesday I gave a talk to the English and Creative Writing seminar at the University of Northampton, about how historians use social media and blogs. As I tend to do, I put a quick announcement on Twitter. Jessica Meyer, a historian from Leeds University, asked if I was going to podcast the talk and […]
Should Holocaust Denial books and Neo-Nazi Novels be sold by online bookshops? – History at Northampton
In the past few days, the anti-fascist group Hope not Hate has made headlines by mounting a campaign to raise awareness of the ways that books denying the Holocaust, as well as other key pieces of neo-Nazi literature, are being sold on online bookshops run by Amazon, Waterstones, Foyles and WHSmiths. Particularly notable among these […]
Nothing to Fear: An Experience of Writing an Undergraduate History Dissertation – History at Northampton
The ‘D’ word is often most feared when you are studying your undergraduate degree, that is until you reach third year and there is no escape from it. I remember when I started undergrad and I thought to myself ‘How am I ever going to be able to write 10,000 words? Let alone find a […]
Wolverhampton First World War Conference Report – History at Northampton
One symptom of a good conference is that you find yourself struggling to decide which parallel session to attend. It’s a good problem to have and it plagued me throughout the recent conference entitled 1918-2018: The End of the War & The Reshaping of a Century. At one point I had to decide between the […]