Many takeaways from discussion amongst hundreds of UK historians today, incl. - work together - value history for its huge civic and economic impact, & as a force for social mobility & creativity - fight back against 'irrational restructuring' of bonkers HE managers. History is cheap and valuable

Great discussion at the 'crisis in UK history' meeting hosted by @ihr.bsky.social, @royalhistsoc.org, @histassoc.bsky.social and History UK. Horror stories of closures and redundancies, balanced by new resources. Check out for ex. the new Independent Historians Network independenthistorians.org

Independent Historians Network

The place for independent and freelance historians to connect

independenthistorians.org

The Modern British Studies Association is looking for volunteers to join its steering committee. We're keen to appoint a representative for independent scholars, for early career researchers, & co-editors for our blog. More details below; expressions of interest by 7 Sept. modbritstud.org.uk/join/

Congratulations to Dr Somak Biswas - Wellcome Trust Postdoctoral Fellow - awarded the Modern British Studies Association’s Early Career Prize for best paper delivered at their annual conference👏 @modbritstud.bsky.social @cammbhw.bsky.social Read on for more commendations below ⬇️

We're delighted to announce that Somak Biswas has won the MBSA Early Career Prize for best presentation at #MBS2026, for a paper entitled ‘AIDS & the Racialisation of Mobility: Britain, 1985-1995’. The judges also highly commended Rebecca Orr & Naomi Samake-Bäckert modbritstud.org.uk/events-awards/

Why 7 prime ministers in 10 years is nothing new for the UK🔎 History Faculty Chair @lucydelap.bsky.social speaks to Kiran Moodley on Channel 4 News’ FourSight as they explore 3 forces that have helped drive Britain's revolving door at No.10 for two centuries. Also with @robertsaunders.bsky.social ⬇️

Channel 4 News@channel4news.bsky.social · 2w ago

What UK history really tells us about changing prime ministers Andy Burnham is set to become the UK’s seventh prime minister in 10 years. But there have been other periods when leaders changed frequently, writes Kiran Moodley. Read the full newsletter:

It makes me happy that the bronze cow at Medwards has been temporarily granted its heart's content of wild flowers. Cow Says Moo, Nicola Hicks Women's Art Collection

My new short article is now out in no. 3-4, vol. 59 of @pop-jrnl.bsky.social. In the piece, I reflect on the experience of designing & delivering what was *probably* the first module on whiteness in modern British history in a UK university history department. The module is running again in 2026-27.

Working out whiteness in modern British history

Liburd’s Commentary considers the place of whiteness in the teaching and research of modern British history. It does so through a reflection on the experience of designing and delivering ‘The White...

tandfonline.com

Thanks to our Chief Custodian Steve Corbett for setting us up with a summer lunch spot while the Faculty is out of the Stirling Building 👏👏 Hoping all will gather in the Sidgwick Lodge garden while the summer weather is here 🔥

📢 Cambridge History Faculty is now on Instagram 🙌 Follow life in the Faculty: research, events and archives to student life, opportunities and application advice. For current students, staff, alumni, prospective applicants or anyone passionate about history. 🔗 direct link in comments ⤵️

Dwarfed by the 1960s cold war bunker, Murray Edwards historians visit the Centre for Material Culture, in what would have been the post nuclear strike seat of government for the East of England - now a listed building

'What’s the value of a History PhD? A view from business' bit.ly/4elv1cW In this new post, Richard Marks charts the skills gained from completing a doctorate. From project design & management to data retrieval & analysis, History PhDs bring capacity and experience that are in demand #Skystorians

Excited to be talking at @ihr.bsky.social Women's History seminar tonight about how disabled women's economic lives can help reframe ideas of enterprise & self employment. Feminist, social justice & environmentalist commitments could be part of visions of enterprise for those at the economic margins

Welcome to Day 2 of #MBS2026! If you’re just joining us, yesterday marked the official launch of the Modern British Studies Association @modbritstud.bsky.social. Check out the website modbritstud.org.uk to find out how the Association will be supporting the study of modern Britain.

#MBS26 is about to begin, and if you want to join today's panels remotely, or Catherine Hall's keynote tomorrow, you can register via this page below. A big welcome to all our hybrid guests www.birmingham.ac.uk/events/moder...

Modern British Studies Conference 2026 - University of Birmingham

Conference information

birmingham.ac.uk

Ahead of tomorrow's opening day of #MBS26, Caitlin Harvey @uniofhull.bsky.social reflects on placing indigenous people at the foreground of modern British history, our latest #HistoriesFromHere post modbritstud.org.uk/indigenous-h...

Indigenous Histories from ‘Here’ - The Modern British Studies Association

King Charles III’s coronation in 2023 brought hundreds of Indigenous leaders from the Commonwealth to Britain, showcasing some of the Crown’s oldest diplomatic ties outside of Europe. It wasn’t the fi...

modbritstud.org.uk

Engaging the public in humanities & social sciences feels more important than ever. So we are offering £8k grants for researchers to work with galleries, libraries, archives, museums or performing arts organisations to do this. Please help spread the word! www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/funding/sche...

SHAPE Involve and Engage

A funding programme for innovative public engagement from the British Academy.

thebritishacademy.ac.uk

Ahead of next week's #MBS26 conference, our website is now live! Check out our new blog series, Histories from Here, and our plans for prizes and conferences in Modern British Studies modbritstud.org.uk

A week and a half to go until #MBS26 kicks off, hosted by @mbsbirmingham.bsky.social. Our opening plenary panel, Capital and Capitalism, features Erika Rappaport, Tehila Sasson, Kevin O'Sullivan and Jonathan Saha.

A smashing opportunity if you're looking for funding to do a doctorate and into #DisHist! 👇👇

Paul van Trigt @paulvt.bsky.social · 3mo ago

For the project DisFriend, I am looking for two PhD candidates: www.academictransfer.com/nl/jobs/3610...

Last chance to join MBS2026 - registration closes on Tuesday and we're nearly full. Join us to debate the 'polycrisis' backdrop to modern Britain and how it shapes contemporary scholarship www.birmingham.ac.uk/events/moder...

Modern British Studies Conference 2026 - University of Birmingham

Conference information

birmingham.ac.uk

Fascinating example of an attempt to expand the range of TV advertising in late 1950s Britain. This paper model of a TV was made to stand in shop window displays, to reach audiences without TVs, or just cement the branding. You can see it in the wonderful Saffron Walden museum

Thoughtful piece by @historianhelen.bsky.social on retirement as a political struggle of the twentieth century, but one that reduced the space to rethink the work/life interface - an urgent question for today www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Britain pioneered the comfortable retirement – but that golden age is coming to an end | Helen McCarthy

The once inexorable rise in retiree living standards since the second world war has broken down. Can we keep the dream alive for future generations, asks historian Helen McCarthy

theguardian.com

Stitches in time: the artist chronicling the DRC’s blood-soaked history in embroidery

Stitches in time: the artist chronicling the DRC’s blood-soaked history in embroidery

Using handmade needles and thread, Lucie Kamusekera has recorded the decades of conflict she has lived through in the Congo

theguardian.com

A total delight to be at Libraria bookshop tonight in conversation with @rosavcampbell.bsky.social, celebrating her revolutionary Shere Hite feminography

On protecting what matters. @ihr.bsky.social @royalhistsoc.org @histassoc.bsky.social History UK www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...

Protecting What Matters: A joint statement by the Historical Association, History UK, Royal Historical Society and the IHR

Protecting what matters: A joint statement by the Historical Association, History UK, Royal Historical Society and the IHR

history.ac.uk

Next month, Florence Sutcliffe-Braithwaite (UCL), Matt Downie (CEO, Crisis), Adam Page (Lincoln) Matt & Jess Turtle (@ourmoh.bsky.social), Peter Wood (Birkbeck), in convo on histories of homelessness. @rshc.bsky.social. May 22nd, 2pm, all welcome www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/homelessne...

Homelessness in Postwar Britain: Do historians have anything useful to say?

Speakers share different historical viewpoints and experiences in relation to homelessness as a subject of history.

eventbrite.co.uk

Anyone working in history of comedy/satire, television, modern British politics - there's a fully funded PhD to research the Spitting Image archive @theul.bsky.social, with supervision at Exeter Uni. All disciplines considered, pls do share widely. www.exeter.ac.uk/study/fundin...

Great to see the new combined book prize for a first book in women's history, from @womenshistnet.bsky.social and @whaireland.bsky.social. Entries can be made for research-based books published in 2025, until 31 July 2026. Spread the word! womenshistorynetwork.org/womens-histo...

Women’s History Network/Women’s History Association of Ireland Joint Book Prize

We are delighted to announce that the WHN has teamed up with the Women’s History Association of Ireland to offer a joint annual book prize which awards £500 for an author’s first single-autho…

womenshistorynetwork.org

*Conference announcement* Modern Enquiries into the Nature & Causes of the Wealth of Nations: International Prosperity and Development 250 Years After Adam Smith. King's College, Cambridge. 5-6 MARCH 2026. Further information & to register via Eventbrite: www.econsoc.hist.cam.ac.uk/docs/Camb_WO...