Home Truths: secrets and discoveries in family history

Date / time: 20 November, 2:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Home Truths: secrets and discoveries in family history

Speakers: Dr Alison Light, author of ‘Common People’ (2014) and Honorary Professor at UCL, Dr Mark Curthoys, Senior Editor at the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and Dr Julia Laite, Reader in Modern History at Birkbeck, University of London, and Director of the Raphael Samuel History Centre

There are secrets kept and discoveries to be made in every family’s history. And with the growth of digital resources, it’s never been easier to uncover hidden pasts close to home.

‘Home Truths’ is an opportunity for people researching their past to meet and discuss family history with academics and archivists working in this field. Organised as a panel discussion and workshop, we’ll explore why we’re so interested in unexpected discoveries, how to write about our families, and the ethics of family history: for example what responsibilities do we have to protect the wishes of our ancestors who sought to keep certain things secrets? Family historians are all specialists in their personal subject and we’ve much to learn from one another.

This event is part of the Being Human Festival, led by the School of Advanced Study,University of London, in partnership with the Arts & Humanities Research Council and the British Academy.

For further information please see https://beinghumanfestival.org/

The event is free to attend but advanced registration is required. http://www.history.ac.uk/events/home-truths-secrets-and-discoveries-family-history