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…Continue Reading Post-First World War Humanitarianism
The Middle Ages at the Great Exhibition of 1851
On 1 May 1851 – almost exactly 170 years ago – the Great Exhibition first opened its doors to the public. Housed in Hyde Park, in the vast temporary structure that was quickly christened the Crystal Palace, the exhibition remained open until 15 October. During that time, it attracted millions of visitors, many of whom…Continue Reading The Middle Ages at the Great Exhibition of 1851
Kepler and the Star of Bethlehem
In December 2020 there was a rare astronomical event at the winter solstice: a great conjunction. A conjunction occurs whenever two astronomical objects appear close together in the sky. A great conjunction is a conjunction of the planets Saturn and Jupiter, the slowest-moving planets visible to the naked eye. A great conjunction occurs every twenty…Continue Reading Kepler and the Star of Bethlehem
What can the census tell us about the history of the Welsh language?
Professor Martin Johnes recently gave an online talk for the genealogy website FindmyPast about using the census to understand the history of the Welsh language. Drawing upon his research into the role of education in the decline of Welsh in the late 19th century, Martin explored how the census collected language data, questions around its…Continue Reading What can the census tell us about the history of the Welsh language?
Contested Histories: creating and critiquing public monuments and memorials in a new age of iconoclasm. Online workshop, 28-29 June 2021.
This event, organised by Swansea University’s Conflict, Reconstruction and Memory (CRAM) research group, will explore debates surrounding the cultural and political uses of monuments, reflecting upon their role in the memorialisation and imagining of the past. We will take a broad view of ‘monuments’, considering artefacts such as war memorials, cenotaphs and public statuary as…Continue Reading Contested Histories: creating and critiquing public monuments and memorials in a new age of iconoclasm. Online workshop, 28-29 June 2021.
Child Holocaust Survivors: Stories and Silences
A public event open to all. Register here: bit.ly/storiesandsilences…Continue Reading Child Holocaust Survivors: Stories and Silences
Careers in Politics
On 10 March the College of Arts and Humanities welcomed three external speakers with extensive public policy and political advice careers to give employability guidance to students interested in political careers. Organised and chaired by Dr Sarah Crook, Lecturer in History, the roundtable shed light on what an ‘average’ day might be (there’s no such…Continue Reading Careers in Politics
The Impact of the Black Death on Wales
In this short video, you can watch Dr Emma Cavell discuss the impact of the Black Death on Wales. Dr Cavell is a historian of the central Middle Ages with a particular interest in questions of gender. Her current research concentrates on Jewish men and women and the law….Continue Reading The Impact of the Black Death on Wales
Identifying and Mapping the Heritage of Britain’s Steel Industry
Dr Gemma Almond writes: The Social Worlds of Steel project, which has been running since May 2019, has unearthed important new evidence of the impact of the steel industry on towns and cities in twentieth-century Britain. In the current phase of the project we are exploring how the heritage of the industry is represented to,…Continue Reading Identifying and Mapping the Heritage of Britain’s Steel Industry
The Medieval Economy of Wales
Dr Matthew Stevens’ book, The Economy of Medieval Wales, 1067-1536 has been attracting some glowing reviews recently. The book examines the economy of Wales from the first Norman intrusions of 1067 to the Act of Union of England and Wales in 1536. Key themes include the evolution of the agrarian economy; the foundation and growth…Continue Reading The Medieval Economy of Wales