European History

New Book on Humanitarianism and the Reconstruction of European Intellectual Life, 1919-1933

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Tomás Irish has just published a new book called Feeding the Mind: Humanitarianism and the Reconstruction of European Intellectual Life, 1919-1933. It explores how European intellectual life was rebuilt after the cataclysm of the First World War. Learned communities were left in ruins by the conflict and its consequences; cultural and educational sites were destroyed, writers and … Read more

The Crusades and Apocalyptic Thought in the Middle Ages

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A photograph of Simon John standing in front of a projection screen on which is being projected images from Heidelberg along with the Centre for Apocalyptic and Post-Apocalyptic Studies and University of Heidelberg logos.

Simon John – In the first semester of 2022/3, I was on research leave from Swansea, which enabled me to take up a visiting fellowship at the Käte Hamburger Centre for Apocalyptic and Post-Apocalyptic Studies (CAPAS) at the University of Heidelberg in Germany. The aim of the Käte Hamburger Centres – a number of universities … Read more

“We’ll All Be Museum Miners”. Oral Histories and the Heritage of Coal Mining in the Ruhr

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Department of History, Heritage and Classics History Research Seminar 16 March 2022 1pm-2.30pm “We’ll all be museum miners”. Oral histories and the heritage of coal mining in the Ruhr Talk by Stefan Moitra and Katarzyna Noguiera (Bochum, Germany) In December 2018, the closure of the last remaining German hard coal mine, the Prosper-Haniel colliery in … Read more

An Introduction to the French and Indian War (1754-60)

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The French and Indian War (1754-1760) was the last of the intermittent colonial conflicts that had erupted between Britain, France, their respective North American colonies and Native American allies during the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Unlike the conflicts that had preceded it, the French and Indian War proved decisive, resulting in the conquest of … Read more

Riots and toxic heritage

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On 20 May 2021, a vigil for a young man who had recently died turned into an hours-long riot in Mayhill, Swansea. The widespread shock and dismay that followed showed both a determination to do something about their causes and to punish the offenders. There were arguments over the perpetrators deserved help or condemnation. Whether … Read more

Attitudes to Death and Dying During the Reformation

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The Reformation had a great impact on many aspects of daily life and lived religion. It proposed to alter a system of rituals and worship that had evolved over centuries and which promised to ensure a better future in the afterlife; the Reformation denied established culture and brought the fate of many souls into jeopardy … Read more

Post-First World War Humanitarianism

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Hundreds of thousands of people were threatened by famine, disease, and displacement as a consequence of the First World War and the conflicts that followed in its wake. Around one hundred years ago, a wide range of humanitarian organisations were established which sought to cater for these civilian victims of war. Some of these organisations … Read more