Cushman Writes

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...

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...