Latest Posts
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Into the Archives: South Carolina, by Prof Emily West
In April 2023 I visited South Carolina to undertake archival research. This trip would not have been possible without a British Academy/Leverhulme Small Grant, and I am grateful to them for funding this trip. I first visited South Carolina during… Continue reading
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#EurovisionRdgHis nominations 2023
Throughout the month run-up to the Eurovision 2023 final, held in Liverpool, the History Department has been sharing its favourite Eurovision entries of the past. All those who were nominated, along with their reason for nomination are below. 1967: Sandie… Continue reading
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The United Kingdom and Eurovision: A History of Ambivalence?, by Dr Ben Bland
It’s perhaps an understatement to say that the United Kingdom has a slightly more complex relationship with the Eurovision Song Contest than many of the other competitor nations. The UK is one of the so-called “Big Five”: the five countries… Continue reading
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Teaching Excellence in the History Department at the University of Reading 2023
We are very privileged to have so many of our teaching staff recognised by students through Reading University Students’ Union’s Excellence Awards. This year, six of our staff (including two PhD students) have been nominated! Here is what they say… Continue reading
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Nancy Astor and the Tommies of the First World War: An Image Gallery of Nancy Astor’s Correspondence with Samuel Deans, by Noah Strauss
Besides taking her seat in Parliament as the MP for Plymouth a year after the close of the First World War, Nancy Astor is not often conflated with the period of the First World War and the immediate period following… Continue reading
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Laetitia Houblon’s Letters and Women on the Grand Tour, by Jessica Campbell
During the eighteenth century, the Grand Tour became a popular phenomenon among the upper classes of English society. It became a rite of passage for aristocratic young men to spend anywhere between six months to four years travelling around Europe,… Continue reading
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The Naked Blogger of Cairo, by Dr Dina Rezk
In November 2011, 20 year old Egyptian Alia Mahdy posted a nude photograph of herself on her blog Diary of a Rebel. She was wearing nothing but black stockings, red leather shoes, and a flower in her hair. The photograph… Continue reading
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“Piety, Sobriety and Variety”: The first 3 female MPs to arrive at Westminster, by Dr Jacqui Turner
Much has been written about Constance Markievicz, the first woman elected to parliament at the general election 1918 and Nancy Astor, the first woman to take her seat in parliament a year later via a carefully controlled by-election. However, much… Continue reading
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International Women’s Day: Inspirational Women from History
To celebrate International Women’s Day, members of staff and students from our department have nominated their inspirational women from history. Dr Jacqui Turner – Mary Wollstonecraft For me, it is Mary Wollstonecraft. There is always a temptation to choose someone… Continue reading
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History, Gaming, and Churchill’s “Promise”, by Abbie Tibbott
Tucked away in a time-shift segment of Assassin’s Creed Syndicate is a short conversation between the playable character, Lydia Frye, and Winston Churchill. Whilst playing the game, this short exchange dragged me from the game’s immersive world and landed me… Continue reading
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