PROJECTS
Historians for History: a storehouse of commentary on public history
Founded and edited by Dr Edward Madigan and Professor Graham Smith
Historians for History was founded by Edward Madigan and Graham Smith in May 2015. Our initial aim was simply to respond to the promotion of what we felt was a distorted, politically-driven narrative of Britain’s historical relationship with continental Europe by Historians for Britain and other commentators. As the debate on the UK’s future in the European Union gathered steam, the site became a forum for discussion on Britain’s place in Europe and the wider world. Since then, it has evolved in to a storehouse of commentary on public history in the 21st century.
'Quiet, beauty and space'
Is this still what motivates and moves visitors, members and volunteers of the the National Trust today?
'Recording Our Place' was a year-long pilot oral history project (August 2023 - September 2024) devised by Dr Amy Tooth Murphy and Dr Matthew Smith from Royal Holloway, University of London and Lucy Porten and Helen Antrobus from the National Trust.
The project aimed to explore how oral history might be employed to discover what motivates and moves National Trust visitors and volunteers when they engage with heritage and historic sites and to weave their stories and memories into the histories of these properties.
'Recording Our Place' further aimed to explore what a centrally-led, multidisciplinary National Trust oral history project could look like and what it would logistically entail; to utilise the Trust's unique position to ask members and visitors 'big questions' around heritage, history and conservation; to model how to broaden the oral histories included in the National Trust Sound Archive; and to start to think about how this archival material might be used to enhance site interpretation and visitor engagement.
Black British History x Public History
A two-day workshop devised by Montaz Marche, Joanna Brown, Anna Maguire and Edward Madigan and supported by Tom Furber and the London Archives
A collaboration between the London Archives, University College London and Royal Holloway, University of London, this workshop, held on 6-7 September 2024, was a practical and discursive exploration of the relationship between Black British history and public history across the fields of heritage, media, digital humanities, and creative practice. Drawing together some of the most innovative trailblazers in Black British history, the workshop sought to discuss innovations and develop skills, networks and collaborations through discussions, roundtables and practical sessions.
Despite Black British history's specific focus on African, Caribbean and diasporic histories, it shares with public history important similarities in method, intentionality and practice. For example, both generally encourage a democratised, interdisciplinary and creative approach to engaging history. This workshop sought to explore the relationship between the two fields by considering their similarities and differences and how their evolutions intersect.
Some of the key questions discussed included:
1) What lessons can the history of Black British history-making teach the next generation of public historians?
2) Has the status and access to institutions of Black British public historians changed over the past decade or so?
3) How do different audiences engage with Black British public history? How do historians connect with audiences?
4) How do we draw new thinkers into the fields from various backgrounds and fields, particularly concerning community and underrepresented histories of African and Caribbean people in Britain?
5) How has popular awareness of Black British history changed over the decades?
The workshop aimed to protect, promote, and enrich Black British history in public arenas by encouraging collaboration and networking.
Inclusive Histories
Supporting the inclusive teaching of British political history
'Inclusive Histories' is a three-year, £1.5m AHRC-supported collaborative research and schools’ engagement project led by Royal Holloway and the AQA exam board in partnership with seven museum and archive partners.
In contrast to earlier interventions seeking to support more inclusive teaching, this project focuses on the challenges associated with KS4 and adopts a highly collaborative and participatory approach to its underlying research.
It aims to:
- Support the more inclusive teaching of UK history through the co-production of 200 high-quality, research-driven teaching resources foregrounding the contributions of diverse historical individuals and movements to the struggle for rights and representation.
- Develop, model, and evaluate innovative collaborative and participatory research and co-production methodology by, for example, embedding Research Associates in museums and archives where they can work alongside archivists and other specialists, and engaging and remunerating community researchers and teacher consultants.
- Examine the impact the resulting research and resources have in terms of a) student understanding of the nature of historical change, as it shifts the lens from change from above to pressure from below, b) student perceptions of history as a discipline, and c) teacher confidence in teaching what can sometimes be difficult histories.
Royal Holloway will embed five postdoctoral researchers with its partners over two years to research case studies that centre the voice, agency, and contribution of traditionally marginalised groups to the struggle for rights and representation.
Working with teachers, these stories will then be turned into a wide suite of free digital resources for schools.
In the third year, AQA will then assess the impact of these resources on student perceptions of history, engagement with the subject, and teacher confidence in teaching more diverse histories.
'Inclusive Histories' project partners include the Bishopsgate Institute, British Film Institute, Black Cultural Archives, People’s History Museum, the London Archives, the Working Class Movement Library and Glasgow Women’s Library. It is also supported by the Historical Association.
Rights and Representation
From Magna Carta to the Suffragettes and beyond
'Citizens: 800 years in the making' was a £1m National Lottery Heritage Fund supported project devised and led by Dr Matthew Smith. This schools and community engagement project, which developed out of Royal Holloway's Magna Carta 800th anniversary programme, explored the struggle for rights and representation from the sealing of Magna Carta in 1215 to post-war struggles for equality.
Outputs from the Citizens project included the creation of over 300 educational videos for schools, two online courses for adult learners, microdocumentaries and pop-up exhibitions for 15 museums across the South East, a series of participatory research workshops for community volunteers and paid internships for students, and three Festivals of History for local residents.
Project partners included the UK Parliament, People's History Museum, The National Archives, the History of Parliament Trust and the AQA exam board.
Launching your public history career
Advice, networking and inspiration
Our early career workshop, an afternoon of talks, is designed to inspire and offer guidance to people who are pursuing, or hoping to pursue, careers in the public history and heritage sectors. Three established public historians lead the discussion by drawing on their own experiences of forging career paths.