On 7 October 2026, members of the Society’s Council visited the University of Strathclyde to meet with historians working at the university, in Glasgow, and across the wider region.
The day combined a question and answer session with the Society’s President, Professor Lucy Noakes; roundtable discussions on aspects of teaching and research; a working lunch for Strathclyde’s PhD students and early career researchers with RHs Councillors; and a closing guest lecture — delivered by Dr Meleisa Ono-George (University of Oxford) — entitled ‘Visualizing Difference: Amelia Newsham and the Art of Race-Making’.
Members of the RHS Council were extremely impressed by the work of Strathclyde’s historians. The university is home to pioneering centres and institutes that further understanding of Scottish history, including the Scottish Oral History Centre and the Strathclyde Institute for Genealogical Studies. These centres demonstrate the importance of historical practice and research for communities, families and society.
Of particular note is how engaged students are with the university’s history degree programmes, and the successful development of robust, application-focused postgraduate degrees, including the MSc in Diplomacy and International Security.
It was welcome and reassuring to hear that the university holds the work of its historians in high regard. We hope this continues to be the case and that the achievements of the department can be promoted more widely, for the benefit of the profession and discipline.
We thank the historians who welcomed us to Strathclyde, Dr Ono-George for her excellent lecture, and the Anti-Racist Observatory Scotland who supported this evening event. We also thank Dr Fearghus Roulston, Dr Anna Lively and Dr Jesús Sanjurjo for convening and co-ordinating the visit. The Society looks forward to maintaining its close connections to Strathclyde’s historians and their work.
The Day in Brief: Reflections from RHS Councillor and visit co-organiser, Dr Jesús Sanjurjo
The morning opened with a welcome from Dr Fearghus Roulston, Professor Daniela Sime, Professor Karen Boyle and Professor Jim Mills (University of Strathclyde), before Professor Lucy Noakes set out the Society’s work for for the profession and early career historians in particular.
Lucy’s Q&A session was followed by a roundtable on ‘Interdisciplinarity and strategic partnerships’, with Dr Yvonne McFadden (Scottish Oral History Centre), Dr Rogelia Pastor-Castro (MSc in Diplomacy and International Security) and Professor Matthew Smith (Centre for the Social History of Health and Healthcare), chaired by Dr Anna Lively (University of Strathclyde). This showed how closely history at Strathclyde works with archives, communities and colleagues beyond the discipline. Over the working lunch, our postgraduate and early career researchers put their projects, and their questions, to members of the RHS Council.
In the afternoon we celebrated the career of Professor Richard Finlay with his lecture ‘Churchill, Scotland, Union and Empire’, introduced by Professor Jim Mills, and closed the daytime programme with a roundtable on ‘AI and historical practice’, with Professor Karin Bowie (Glasgow), Professor Adam Budd (Edinburgh) and Dr Hannah Elizabeth, Dr Esperanza Miyake, Dr Elsa Richardson, Dr Jesús Sanjurjo and Dr David Wilson (Strathclyde).
Following an introductions from Professor Ian Rivers and Professor Lucy Noakes, Dr Meleisa Ono-George gave an outstanding public lecture ‘Visualizing Difference: Amelia Newsham and the Art of Race-Making’, followed by a reception for attendees of the visit and evening lecture.
What made the day was the room. At every session the questions came from Council members and first-year students; archivists and local historians; colleagues who have taught at Strathclyde for decades and from doctoral researchers in their first month. We learned a great deal from the day and the conversations continue. We also thank the Scottish Oral History Centre, the Centre for the Social History of Health and Healthcare and the MSc in Diplomacy and International Security for being so present throughout; Sara Bucheeri and Francesca Muñoz of the Anti-Racism Observatory for Scotland; and the Lanarkshire Police Historical Society for bringing their display to the Royal College.
Forthcoming Royal Historical Society visits
The Society’s next visit is to historians at the University of the West of England, Bristol, on Tuesday 8 December 2026. The day closes with a guest public lecture (6pm) on ‘A World Remade by Decolonisation?’ with Professor Martin Thomas (University of Exeter). Booking for in-person and online attendance is now open.
Visits in 2027 will be to historians at and working with the University of Derby (February) and Cardiff University (May).