'All Lives won't matter until Black Lives Matter too' This is the now the sixth in a s series of blog posts written by undergraduate students at the University of Northampton. These are personal reflection on the killing of George Floyd in the USA and the wave of protests that have followed from that across... Continue Reading →
Black Lives Matter: A statement from the Historians at the University of Northampton.
In common with students and staff at Northampton and elsewhere, and in solidarity with the family of George Floyd and all victims of racism we add our voice to those protesting worldwide. History does not belong to any group or person and does not exclude any group or person. The history we teach, the history... Continue Reading →
Comfort and Coronavirus
The internet has been filled with blog posts reminding us of the importance of self-care during the Covid-19 crisis. But what does comfort actually mean, both historically and today? Ruth Barton, one of our PhD students, explores. At the time of writing, it has been just over eleven weeks since I began my PhD at... Continue Reading →
‘Keep cool and you command everybody’*: reflections on history and why we are focusing on the wrong freedoms.
‘We live in societies where the positive freedom to act as we wish is perhaps our central concern. Whatever the professed fears f global warning, or the expressed sympathies with the poor and downtrodden, the willingness actively to change our way of living is the province of only a small minority. For most, the everyday... Continue Reading →
CFP: PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE IN ENGLISH, 1400 – PRESENT: A CONFERENCE
Note: we are committed to running this conference. If the global health situation means that it's not safe for us to run this on campus in September, we will either re-arrange it to run virtually, or we will reschedule it to a later date to run on campus. So please do submit your abstracts. If... Continue Reading →
Tiramisu!
In an online revision session last week on the history of Communism module, second year student Ursula Watkins let slip she had a killer recipe for Tiramisu. I persuaded her to write it up as a blog in our series on recipes to get though the Covid-19 crisis. So here it is. Paul Jackson, Senior... Continue Reading →
Finding Love: Researching LGBTQ+ Histories in the Archives
Senior lecturer Caroline Nielsen writes: What sources are available for historians interested in historic LGBTQ+ experiences? The answer is that there is a surprisingly large amount of materials now available to us. We just need to know where to look and how to access it. So, please allow me to introduce some excellent introductory resources,... Continue Reading →
My Right Well-beloved Valentine
Lecturer in History Dr Rachel Moss gives us a peek at the first known Valentine's letter written in English. This post first appeared in a slightly adapted format on her blog. Every few years an enterprising reporter does a bit of googling and stumbles across the letter from Margery Brews to her suitor John Paston,... Continue Reading →
Study Tips for Successful Researchers
Writing and researching on a large scale certainly doesn’t follow a straight trajectory. You’ll chop and change and re-direct where you’re going just as you thought you were getting somewhere. Whilst it can be frustrating, it’s a part of the process.
Radical Conservatism, Edwardian Tariff Reform and Brexit
Recent changes in British Conservatism and the wider Brexit process have reminded me of a moment in the history of the Conservative Party during the Edwardian period.