Category Archives: Cultural History

‘What manner of creature is it in the semblance of man?’: Count Dracula and ChatGPT, by Dr Dan Renshaw

Posted on June 1, 2023 by readinghistory

At the end of the nineteenth century human society seemed to be on the brink of profound behavioural change spurred on by advances in technology. Over the previous fifty years innovations had occurred in communications, in transport, and, less benignly, … Continue reading →

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1986 Teenage Girl by Amy Gower #HistoricalDesertIslandDiscs

Posted on August 4, 2020 by readinghistory

We are delighted that our penultimate #HistoricalDesertIslandDiscs is by Amy Gower. This fictional account inspired by her PhD research into teenage girls’ experiences of secondary school between 1970 and 2000 (see end of page).  We’ve had the Desert Island Discs … Continue reading →

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Women’s Voices: From Slavery to the #MeToo Movement – Fairbrother Lecture 2019

Posted on June 25, 2019 by readinghistory

The end of the American Civil War offered emancipated African American women the right to bring rape charges against white men for the first time, leading to an escalation in disclosures of sexual violence. In this lecture, History Ph.D. student … Continue reading →

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Finding Evidence of Holy Healing: The Case of St Robert of Knaresborough

Posted on February 22, 2019 by readinghistory

by Dr Ruth Salter My research explores the experiences of pilgrims who sought out miraculous cures through saint cults in medieval England. A key resource for this topic are the hagiographical sources which include reports of the posthumous miracles (collected … Continue reading →

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Fieldwork Notes: ‘Just smile and be friendly Beth, you’ll do fine…’

Posted on October 5, 2018 by readinghistory

by Beth Rebisz, Ph.D. student For the two months running up to my departure in July for Nairobi, Kenya, I did what I do best: worry. I worried (for no reason) that my visa wouldn’t be accepted. I worried that … Continue reading →

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