The final event in the What is Public History Now? Network brought together different public history academics, institutions, and practitioners around London and the UK. The conference was aimed at all historians-both within and outside the academy-who research, practice, and teach in the field of public history within the UK. This conference asked: What is public history in the UK today? How are we teaching it? What are the possibilities and challenges of doing it? How might we better collaborate across sectors and across borders? How do we respond to the misuse of history in politics and media? And where might we go from here?
We designed the conference to be inclusive, open, and informal, with plenty of opportunities for more informal chats, networking, and sharing of experiences. Below is the programme, alongside a selection of session recordings. Check out the podcast from the conference when it launches here next month, and this blog from PI Julia Laite about the conference.
Opening Session: What is Public History Now?
As an introduction, we asked the panelists to prepare their thoughts on the central question: what is UK public history now?—either the whole sweep of it, or a specific element they’d like to highlight. Dr Jessica Moody, Dr Barbara Wood, and Dr Wanda Wyporska joined chair Prof Julia Laite for a dynamic conversation with the attendees.
Graduate Student Takeover
In this session, public history graduate students from Birkbeck College (UoL), Queen Mary (UoL), and University of York share their experiences and from their public history and heritage MA and PhD programs, as well as challenging the academic audience to think beyond the standard of these programs.
Showcasing Public History in Action: SHaME Project, Hidden Stories, Indian Women & War, and The Young Historian Project
We asked panelists to share about their public history projects—either a broad sweep or a specific case study or element they’d like to highlight. For instance, what they’ve done; placement within the wider world of public history; challenges, opportunities and problems of collaborating; or issues with funding.
Showcasing Public History in Action: The Grief Series, Uncomfortable Oxford, and Khem Productions
We asked panelists to share about their public history projects—either a broad sweep or a specific case study or element they’d like to highlight. For instance, what they’ve done; placement within the wider world of public history; challenges, opportunities and problems of collaborating; or issues with funding.