ROYAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY Newsletter Presidential Letter
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ROYAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY newsletter new series, 6, October 2010 Presidential Letter Colin Jones IN THIS ISSUE Queen Mary University of London Presidential Letter - 1 Society News - 2 I am writing this letter in September large proportion of colleagues in British 2010, regretting the absence of a crystal universities engaged in research on non- ball. British history. Sheaves of statistics in The Learned hand, he demonstrates how distinctive Society of Wales We can anticipate bad news for the higher this focus on ‘non-native’ history is in Keith Robbins - 3 education sector in the government’s Britain in comparison with other historical autumn Comprehensive Spending Review – cultures in Europe and North America. Reconciling the Past but quite how bad is currently impossible Saul Dubow - 4 to predict. We can only hope that It is viewed as one of the strengths of government has listened to arguments History not only within but also outside History of Parliament that we and others have made about the this country. One thinks, for example, of 1832-68 importance of high-quality work in the the high reputation in their countries of Philip Salmon -5 arts, humanities and social sciences to choice enjoyed by scholars such as Denis the economic as well as the cultural well- Mack Smith, Richard Cobb, Raymond Carr, being of the country. But I imagine we will Denis Brogan, Ian Kershaw and others. The History have a fight on our hands. Subject Centre This distinctive feature of British Sarah Richardson - 6 In this ‘phoney war’ atmosphere of historical culture depends on close and the summer of 2010 - which will have prolonged contact with other countries. Writing History, dissipated by the time this Newsletter Evans’s book provides eloquent testimony Making Policy is in the hands of readers - I would like from practising historians of how Fiona Holland - 8 to bring to your attention an issue which important early, first-hand contact with will occupy much less news-space than their chosen country was. What’s New spending cuts but which may adversely affect an important feature of the For the most part, these overseas visits, at TNA? - 9 research culture of History in this country. made while they were research students, were funded primarily by our research RHS Prizes It is, happily, a problem that we can councils. The AHRC, for example, has and Awards -10 probably do something about: the funding been consistently sympathetic in its of postgraduate research visits overseas. dealings with students working on foreign Camden Series -11 cultures, providing additional funding to In his recent book, Cosmopolitan allow them to spend much of the second Forthcoming Islanders, Richard Evans highlights the year of their studies overseas. Events-12 It is worrying therefore to note that this dissertation completion. Failure to support students practice is now changing. This summer, the AHRC conducting research abroad at adequate financial announced that it will devolve responsibility for levels will reduce the length of their contact time the disbursement of sums for such visits onto HEIs with foreign cultures – and adversely affect the which hold Studentships, including the holders of international quality of their work. Postgraduate Block Grant Partnerships. There will be bigger battles to fight from autumn The amount provided for study visits is calculated 2010, no doubt. But ensuring that the systems used on the basis of £200 per student per year, though to fund overseas research visits channel resources it is not intended that the funding is allocated in to those students whose work requires it is not an this way to individual students. Rather, the AHRC unimportant issue for the future health of high expects the HEI to take the decision as to how quality research in this country. the overall funding provided for research travel is allocated to students. The Society will be making representations to the AHRC about such funding arrangements as the latter Even so, spread thinly, this would amount to a starts to look at its postgraduate regime beyond the conference or two for all students – peanuts all tenure of the Block Grant Partnership contracts. round, then. It is only by not spreading it thinly that the considerable cost of a prolonged research In the interim, I call on all colleagues who work in visit in foreign archives can be protected for those universities which benefit from AHRC postgraduate whose work really depends on it. funding to do their level best to ensure rules are introduced within their institutions that protect The British PhD is already under international quality in the ways indicated – all the more so at a pressure because of our tough rules about time when quality will be generally under threat. historians and departments across the UK, and Society News hearing directly about experiences, successes and concerns in different institutions. Vanessa Harding Birkbeck College Even the challenge of returning home with airports University of London closed on account of volcanic ash did not detract Honorary Secretary from the very positive experience! The President, the Honorary Secretary, and Vice- Presidents Professor Margot Finn and Professor The Gerald Aylmer Seminar for 2011 is provisionally George Bernard represented the Society at a scheduled for the afternoon of Friday 25 February. lively symposium organised by t�����������������he Centre for the Social History of Health and Healthcare of Glasgow As usual, it will be jointly organised by the Society Caledonian and Strathclyde Universities. and The National Archives, and this year will address the understanding of medieval and early The symposium, on 14 April, ���������������������entitled ‘Science and modern archives and how this is transmitted to the the Human Subject in History’, was supported by next generation of archivists and historians. The the Society as part of our programme of regional venue has yet to be confirmed, but we hope that it symposia and visits. can be held in central London. The Society sponsored the keynote lecture from Training new researchers in specific skills such as Professor Hal Cook of Brown University on ‘Medical Latin and palaeography is only part of the question: Specifics and the Reconfiguration of the Body in the maintenance of skills and knowledge among Early Modern Europe’. Professor Cook’s paper will archivists, and the availability of expert advice, be published in Transactions in 2011. are also crucial. We hope for a useful discussion on these topics and aim to involve both historians and We were also able to meet and talk with academic archivists and to draw on the experience of a wide and research staff associated with the Centre range of contributors. and postgraduate research students from both universities, and were later entertained to The Honorary Secretary would welcome contacts a reception and dinner on behalf of Glasgow and suggestions from interested parties, especially Caledonian University. while the programme for the seminar is under development over the next few months. This very successful combination of events underlined the importance for Council of Please address all correspondence to: maintaining and refreshing the Society’s links with [email protected] The Learned Society of Wales: Cymdeithas Ddysgedig Cymru Keith Robbins Vice Chancellor Emeritus University of Wales Trinity St David The Learned Society of Wales (LSW) came into existence in May 2010. Such a Society has been contemplated, off and on, for some years but has now come to fruition. The establishment of the new Society, which aims to celebrate and publicise academic accomplishment in both the languages of Wales, has been greeted positively by the British Academy, the Royal Society and other learned bodies throughout the United Kingdom. It has received particular encouragement from the Royal Society of Edinburgh and its founding structures draw heavily upon that institution’s procedures and policies. It is particularly appropriate in the new devolved context that there should be a body which will seek to benchmark the very highest standards of Welsh scholarship. Like the Edinburgh Society, the LSW aims to draw together scholars from different fields – the arts, humanities and social sciences alongside the natural sciences, medicine and engineering. Sir John Cadogan at the launch of the Learned Society As an independent body, the Society determines of Wales in Cardiff, May 2010 its own fellowship, but it wishes, where possible and appropriate, to foster links between academia and other sectors of society. In particular, it will conspicuous amongst the founding Fellowship: offer independent advice to the Welsh Assembly Sydney Anglo, Richard Cawardine, Thomas Charles- Government and foster public interest in both Edwards, Stuart Clark, Martin Daunton, Wendy science and the arts and humanities. Davies, Richard Evans, Robert Evans, Geraint Jenkins, Kenneth Morgan, Prys Morgan, Keith To this end, a programme of public lectures, Thomas and this author have all joined the new meetings, debates and conferences on topical Society. issues has already been launched. One of its objectives is naturally to promote academic Given the recent establishment of the “Institute excellence and achievements in Wales, but it also for Historical Research for Wales”, discussed by wishes to marry this with a mission to disseminate Huw Bowen in the last edition of this Newsletter, Welsh research and scholarship in the United we can be confident that the interests of History