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Research in Focus

HENRY VIII © National Portrait Gallery, London 157 (1)

Following Henry’s lead: clothes and the construction of masculinity during the reign of Henry VIII

Andrew McCarthy, a current third year student in History and Politics, tells us about what attracted him towards his dissertation topic, what research challenges he faced along the way and what he was able conclude from his research.  Andrew is planning to study for an MA in Early Modern History at Birkbeck next year. The […]

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How to ‘forget’ difficult pasts: slavery, memory, and the maritime frame

In Theresa May’s ‘Brexit speech’, on January 17th 2017, the prime minister suggested that Britain’s “history and culture is profoundly internationalist” [1]. This is certainly one way of framing Britain’s historic relationship with the rest of the world. Alternatively, you might suggest that May spelt “centuries of colonial rule, oppression, slavery and genocide” wrong. As […]

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Katy Gibbons – Five of the Most Violent Moments of the Reformation

This article by Dr Katy Gibbons, Senior Lecturer in History at Portsmouth was published recently in The Conversation: Link: https://theconversation.com/five-of-the-most-violent-moments-of-the-reformation-71535 Katy’s research looks at religious exile in Early Modern Europe, its impact on the home and host societies, and what it reveals about the complex interactions between groups of coreligionists in different parts of Europe.  […]

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1909 railway accident postcard. Courtesy Mike Esbester.

Working & Dying on the Railways

Dr Mike Esbester is a senior lecturer in history at Portsmouth.   Mike’s research focuses on nineteenth- and twentieth-century Britain, particularly on the cultural history of safety, risk and accident prevention, and on the history of mobility Working & Dying on the Railways At 5.45am on 11 August 1913, steam locomotive fireman Charles Lock, an employee […]

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