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The Value of Studying History: A Subject at Risk

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“So, you’re going to be a history teacher?” This is the most common question I hear as an undergraduate History student. While teaching is certainly an option for some, it is not for me and is far from the only career path available to history graduates. Yet, the assumption that history is only valid for teaching or academia is a concerning factor in its under appreciation. Whether openly stated or implied, history as a subject is increasingly undervalued by our society. I’ll admit my bias—I chose to study history. But why? My path to this degree wasn’t straightforward. Initially, I intended to pursue a science-based degree, selecting A Levels in Biology, Chemistry, History, and English Literature. However, after the immense stress of Chemistry led me to drop it, I was drawn more toward History and Biology. The UK education system tends to push students toward the sciences or the humanities, making it difficult to pursue both. By dropping an additional science, my university options be...
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Women in Men’s Trousers: Joan of Arc, Authority, and Controversy

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Last weekend, I had the pleasure of seeing one of my favourite historians, the legendary Professor Janina Ramirez, speak at the Sheldonian Theatre here in Oxford. Promoting her new book ‘Legenda’, she discussed looking behind the images of impressive historical women to find the real woman beneath. One such figure she focuses on is Joan of Arc. This is my final term of teaching at university, and as part of this, I have been studying Joan of Arc. But who was Joan, and why did her choice of clothing matter? Joan of Arc, a teenage visionary from Domremy, quite literally changed the course of French history while wearing men’s trousers. That is slightly an over-simplification on my part, but Joan’s gender was significant in her quest for the Valois victory. In this post, I argue that Joan’s choice to adopt male clothing was central to her identity and authority, shaping both how contemporaries saw her and how she could assert power in a male-dominated world. The Context Joan of Arc was li...
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History, On Its Way to Becoming History? Leicester's 'Strategic' Changes.

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In January, I wrote my first blog post on the value of studying history. With proposed cuts now formally suggested at the University of Leicester, here I am again in November, arguing for a course I hold dear. History matters, perhaps now more than ever. With the rise of the far-right, increasing threats to communities, and hostility at an all-time high, it can guide us in recognising patterns before it is too late. In July of this year, I was at home when I read a tweet from the Department of History, Politics and International Relations at the University of Leicester. It read, rather depressingly, on the graduation day of its students, that History was being “considered as part of the University’s strategic review.”  [1] The 2023-2024 Annual Reports and Financial Statements suggested that the university was facing unsustainable costs. Increased costs to staffing and a shortage of international students led to gaps in finances which were greater than planned.  [2]  As su...
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1066: The Year Everything Changed… Or Did It?

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On Monday, the 13th of October, I was sitting in Exam Schools listening to Professor George Garnett unravel the Anglo-Saxon state. His argument, built on extensive reading of the likes of Campbell, Wormald, and Molyneaux, was succinct: Anglo-Saxon society and its organisation were much greater in complexity than they are given credit for. Most British people are taught about the importance of 1066 at school. It is a focal point in particular for the British monarch, as King Charles III is the 26 th great-grandson of William the Conqueror. Our school curriculum is often Norman-centric for the ‘Middle Ages’, and for a long time, the importance of the Battle of Hastings has made it appear as a starting point for British history in general. However, this is not the case, particularly in terms of state organisation. Taking the arguments presented through the evidence of our professor, this post highlights the ways in which 1066 was perhaps not as significant for the state as you may th...
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History and Higher Education: Labour's Conference Comments Against The Higher Education Sector Today

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Back in January, I wrote about why studying history still matters; last month’s Labour Conference left me questioning whether our system still values that idea. I am a member of the Labour Party, which nowadays seems a fairly unpopular thing to publicly admit. I am not ashamed of it, and I am extremely privileged to have been given the opportunity by my constituency party to attend the Labour Party Conference last month. Among the bustling week of hearing speeches, having conversations, and most importantly voting, one of the key announcements I latched onto was the government's move from a target of 50% of young people attending university, now shifting to two-thirds in a ‘gold standard apprenticeship’ or at university. In this post, I outline how this announcement concerns me, given the current state of the UK higher education sector.   Higher Education Today The UK’s higher education sector has faced a series of financial challenges that have become headline news in th...
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Opinion: Historians cannot be replaced by AI

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AI—love it or hate it, the future is here. Burning questions? Answered. The possibilities with AI are immeasurable. Jobs are becoming more efficient and, in some cases, are eliminating the need for human workers. It is simply reshaping parts of our world... But can it replace historians? On  August 25th, the Washington Post published an article titled  "Will historians really be replaced by AI? "  They remain sceptical  [1] .  Todd C. Frankel highlights that a recent Microsoft report placed ‘Historian’ as the second on their list of  jobs most likely to be replaced by AI. This is not surprising given the negative attitudes toward the humanities and the low pay historians often receive. Yet, many, including the head of the American Historical Association, don’t seem convinced. The role of a historian should be categorised as collecting data, scrutinising it, and presenting it in the context of the known information of a time and place. Whilst AI can be u...
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Transient Thoughts: Reflections Over the Atlantic

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Somewhere over the Atlantic, cramped into an economy seat, I asked: What is history for? Why do we study it? Who should tell it? Questions that fill my mind during a 10-hour flight, in which I finish re-reading John Tosh’s “The Pursuit of History”. In his widely renowned work, Tosh lays out the arguments for studying history and how one should go about attempting to do so. He also relays and interrogates the opinions put forward by other historians. However, what strikes me most is the encouragement Tosh gives to history to expand beyond the means of the academic circle. It must be embraced. On page forty-five of his work, Tosh cites Richard Cobb, who goes as far as to implore that historians – not stating by which merit (academic or otherwise) – should aim to be “endlessly inquisitive and prying.” This is interesting as it reveals what historians should intend to do. They must uncover the past by peeling back layers of evidence. This helps them understand the situations, people, and p...
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To Change or Not to Change: Marriage, Names, and Modern Identity

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Dedicated to my cousin who got married this summer! In April 2025, YouGov released data on how a sample of the British public believes married couples should choose their married name. Like many other Western countries, Britain has traditionally followed a naming pattern in which, in a heterosexual relationship, the wife adopts her husband’s surname as her own. However, there has been a slow growth in naming choices away from surnames in the patriarchal tradition. In this post, I outline these changing attitudes and posit why changing your name is unnecessary.     The YouGov Data As part of the survey, participants were asked whether they viewed each option as positive, negative, don’t know or neither positive nor negative. They were provided with the following options: a woman taking their spouse’s surname, a couple both keeping their original surnames, a couple combining their names into a double-barrelled one, a man taking their spouse’s surname, a couple taking eac...
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