Latest Posts


  • Steering Santa: Modernising Father Christmas in Britain

    James Smith, finalist in BA History, traces the evolution of Father Christmas in Britain across the nineteenth century. Father Christmas driving a car! Even in the twenty first century, the idea of him piloting anything other than a sleigh seems… Continue reading

    Steering Santa: Modernising Father Christmas in Britain
  • Our Best of 2024: the Rest

    In our December series, members of the department reflect on the books, films, TV, music, art, exhibitions and experiences that shaped their year. Today we reflect on the ‘best of the rest’ – games, exhibitions, visits, and time spent with… Continue reading

    Our Best of 2024: the Rest
  • Our Best of 2024: Music

    In our December series, members of the department reflect on the books, films, TV, music, art, exhibitions and experiences that shaped their year. Today, we asked colleagues for their best song/album of the year. Jeremy Burchardt Motorama, ‘Rose in the… Continue reading

    Our Best of 2024: Music
  • Notre-Dame: Cathedral of Light

    Professor Lindy Grant reflects on the reopening of Notre-Dame after a fire destroyed parts of the building in 2019. ‘It’s so light’: that is what everyone has said about the cathedral of Notre-Dame, as it opened its doors again. It… Continue reading

    Notre-Dame: Cathedral of Light
  • Our Best of 2024: Film and TV

    In our December series, members of the department reflect on the books, films, TV, music, art, exhibitions and experiences that shaped their year. Today, we ask colleagues that their favourite film or TV show was this year. Jeremy Burchardt Yasujiro… Continue reading

    Our Best of 2024: Film and TV
  • Our Best of 2024: Books

    In our December series, members of the department reflect on the books, films, TV, music, art, exhibitions and experiences that shaped their year. First up, we asked colleagues what their favourite book of the year was. Jeremy Burchardt The best… Continue reading

    Our Best of 2024: Books
  • The Power of Art: Here and Now 

    As we start to wind down ahead of the winter vacation, Dr Dina Rezk reflects on the power of the arts to engage us and enrich our thinking. A few months ago, a friend sent me a flyer of a… Continue reading

    The Power of Art: Here and Now 
  • Great Stenches, Horrible Sights, and Deadly Abominations: the Stenton Lecture and Symposium 2024

    The Stenton Lecture is an annual lecture by an eminent historian, hosted by the Deparment of History, named in honour of our founders, Sir Frank and Lady Doris Stenton. Here, two of our PhD students, Stephen Evans and Caroline Johnson,… Continue reading

    Great Stenches, Horrible Sights, and Deadly Abominations: the Stenton Lecture and Symposium 2024
  • Local Women’s Liberation – locating Women’s Activism in Reading

    Amy Longmuir explores women’s activism in our town in the 1970s. As a lifelong Reading resident, when one of the largest towns in the UK comes up in my research on the British Women’s Liberation Movement, I am particularly interested… Continue reading

    Local Women’s Liberation – locating Women’s Activism in Reading
  • Black History Month 2024: Black Musical Cultures Beyond Borders, Part 2 – Transatlantic Exchanges

    In the second of our two Black History Month blogs, Dr Benjamin Bland (Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in the Department of History) reflects on the importance of transatlantic exchanges and identities to the history of Black musical cultures in the… Continue reading

    Black History Month 2024: Black Musical Cultures Beyond Borders, Part 2 – Transatlantic Exchanges