Posts

The Value of Studying History: A Subject at Risk

-
“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...
2 comments
Read more

Comparative History: What is it, and why is it useful?

-
History does not just write itself. Individuals across the centuries have sought to understand their circumstances by looking both to current events near and far (both geographically and temporally). Below is a summary of how I have understood the comparative method.  Marc Bloch was a pioneer of the Annales school and a critical thinker of the benefits of comparison for historians. In an article from 1963, he argues that it is “one of the most pressing needs of present-day historical science.” [1] He is, in some ways, right. Historians need to take comparison as essential for exposing questions which would not otherwise have become visible. To Bloch, sources would not expose their answers without careful questioning. Comparison, as such, enables this. We can take a period, time or place and compare how similar elements (e.g., governance or slavery) were conducted. Yet, as my class has illuminated, we must also take into consideration the context of these different societies in ...
Post a Comment
Read more

New Year, New Ideas - How will History be written?

-
Happy New Year, or should I say Happy Hogmanay? I recently got back from visiting the wonderful city of Edinburgh to ring in the New Year, but in the process of looking back at the last year, we can’t help but look to the future, too. So, here are some thoughts based on our discussions around the piano last night.  History is a discipline which famously looks to the past, and rarely do historians think of the future. While many of us sit and think about what events of history could have changed, and by extension, how this would have impacted us today, we rarely look at the future of it as a subject. Sure, those of you who follow my blog will know that I spend a lot of time thinking about the future of history in places like higher education. However, this post looks at something different. Below, I outline some of the weird and wonderful ways I think the history of ‘now’ will evolve to be told in the future.  Sources We live in a digital age that has profoundly shifted how his...
Post a Comment
Read more

Tolerance in the Ottoman Empire: The Jewish Experience

-
History is something I take an interest in, not just during the term time, but outside of it too. Over the summer I had the pleasure of staying in Cumbria for a while and here I read Diana Darke's fantastic book on the Ottoman empire. In light of the intolerant society I feel is developing today, this book reminded me of how immigrants enrich societies and inspired me to explore how historical lessons can inform our present. Perhaps you’ll find the historical lessons as fascinating as I did. _____________________________ The Ottoman Empire controlled vast swathes of Southern Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa between the 13th and 20th centuries. Its impact has been enduring on aspects of culture, but what is most fascinating to me is its openness to immigration. Those living in modern society will be aware of the increasingly intolerant society we have come to inhabit. So, this week, I take a step back to examine how the Ottoman Empire fostered a culture of inclusion for Jewish...
Post a Comment
Read more

Women in Men’s Trousers: Joan of Arc, Authority, and Controversy

-
Image
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...
Post a Comment
Read more

History, On Its Way to Becoming History? Leicester's 'Strategic' Changes.

-
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...
Post a Comment
Read more

1066: The Year Everything Changed… Or Did It?

-
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...
Post a Comment
Read more

History and Higher Education: Labour's Conference Comments Against The Higher Education Sector Today

-
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...
Post a Comment
Read more