Data on the UK Historical Discipline and Profession

This page provides links to external, publicly accessible resources with information on the present state of the historical discipline and profession in UK higher education. The Society updates this page as new data are released. Many of the external providers also offer data for previous years, enabling the mapping of trends for at least the past decade.

In each case, the Society is not responsible for the quality or comprehensiveness of data provided by these external providers. In addition to the selected information below, we hope this page provides links and context for others to search these results for themselves. This page was last updated in April 2024.

For further resources and publications that may be of interest to historians in support of their discipline, at local and national level, please see also the Society’s Toolkit for Historians.

We welcome further suggestions for data sources relating to the discipline and profession. To let us know, please contact the Society’s Academic Director: philip.carter@royalhistsoc.org.

1. History Academic Staff in UK Higher Education

The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects, assures and disseminates data about UK higher education in three main areas: staff, students and outcomes after graduation. HESA data on academic staff relate to a range of professional attributes, including: profile, nationality, gender, professional activity, contractual status, grade, allocation by HEI, and salary.

HESA Staff data for ‘History’ is available as by filtering by ‘Cost Centre’ (History is Cost Centre 139) which is part of the larger Cost Centre Group: ‘Humanities and Language-base studies and Archaeology’.

How many people are teaching History in UK Higher Education? HESA provides annual data on the number of History academic staff working in UK Higher Education, for which its latest release (covering 2022-23) was published in February 2024. This latest release records 3,700 History staff within ‘Humanities and language based studies’. Data from the AY 2014-15 also allows for mapping of trends in staff numbers.

HESA data for History staff also enables selection by specific criteria, including gender.

Who is teaching History in UK Higher Education? There is no current listing of ‘Teachers of History in UK Higher Education’ following the ending, in 2016, of an annual project to record this information by the Institute of Historical Research. Legacy data from this project are available in print though not online.

The Royal Historical Society offers a listing of its membership (currently to November 2024), which includes many academic historians, working at HEIs, in the UK (and overseas), as well as historians active in other sectors.

2. History Students Enrolled in UK Higher Education

HESA provides data on the number of History students currently enrolled at institutions in UK Higher Education, as well as degree completions. In both cases, data are available for Undergraduate degrees, and Postgraduate degrees (Taught) and (Research). HESA reporting currently provides public data for History enrolments and completions for the years 2019/20 to 2021/22, with the most recent release, covering 2021-22, published in January 2023. Historical data for student enrolments and completions is also available up to the AY 2015/16.

For Student data, ‘History’ is described in HESA’s terminology as a Common Aggregation Hierarchy (CAH) ‘Level 3’ subject category and is coded 20-01-01. Not all Student attributes are accessible at this search level, with some (for example, subject studied and gender of students) available as part of a larger disciplinary category (CAH Level 1), ‘Humanities, Philosophical and Religious Studies’ (code: 20), which includes History.

The January 2023 release offers a ready comparison of student numbers, by degree type, from 2019-20. The next update of HESA student data, for the AY 2022/23, is expected in April 2024.

HESA data for History student numbers (2019/20 to 2021/22) may be further segmented by UK region, UK or non-UK fee paying, and by individual HEIs. Data relating to the gender of History students enrolled at UK universities is only available as part of the larger category of ‘Historical, philosophical and religious studies’. For listings, see here.

Previous HESA updates provide data charting student numbers for History between 2013/14 and 2021/22. The 2021/22 figure of 42,415 students at all degree levels is a 7.2% decline on that for 2013-14. This is compared with a 21% increase in student numbers (2013/14 to 2021/22) for all humanities subjects and a 24% increase in student numbers for all subjects, including STEM.

3. Graduate Qualifications in History

HESA provides data on annual numbers of degrees awarded in History by degree type. These include first degree, all undergraduate degrees, PGR taught and PGR research degrees. The latest release, covering 2021-22, was published in January 2023.

This records the award in ‘Historical, philosophical and religious studies’ (2021-22) of:

13,910 all undergraduate degrees
3,195 PGR taught degrees
605 PGR research degrees

Data from 2019-20 are available for comparison.

Figures for 2021/22 (compared with those for 2029/20) show a 2.3% decline for undergraduate History degrees completed; a 7.3% increase for PGR taught; and a 6.2% decline for PGR research degrees. A dip of 10.8% for History PGR (Research degrees) completed between 2019/20 and 2020/21 against a 1.6% increase in History PGR (Research) enrolments for the same period indicates the effect of the pandemic on PhD completion rates.

PhDs awarded in History: the British Library’s EThOS (e-Theses Online Service) provides a rolling listing of recently completed PhD theses from UK universities, including those in historical studies. A useful starting search is by date of completion and ‘History’ as a keyword, but many other search categories are available. Listings provide thesis abstracts and links to institutional repositories and full texts, where made available. NB: this resource is currently unavailable (February 2024) following the cyber-attach on the British Library in October 2023.

Listings of History PhDs were previously gathered by the Institute of Historical Research up to 2014. This work is now available (for 1970-2014) on the IHR’s British History Online. Where a match is possible, BHO records link to EThOS pages for an individual thesis.

4. Outcomes for History Students on Graduation

HESA provides data on outcomes for students in UK HE, including those graduating from undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in ‘Historical, philosophical and religious studies’.

Data for those graduating in 2020-21 are the most recently available, published in May 2023, and based on those responding to the annual Graduate Outcomes Survey (c.55% of the total eligible). Figures for 2020-21 show for all History graduates:

47% in full-time employment (compared to 43% in 2019-20)
11% in part-time employment (against 12% in 2019-20)
12% in employment and study (against 13% in 2019-20)
13% in full-time study (against 17% in 2019-20)
6% to be unemployed (against 8% in 2019-20)

The UK Government’s LEO (Longitudinal Educational Outcomes) data provides information on graduate outcomes in terms of those in paid employment and the level of salary for graduates 1, 3 and 5 years on from graduation. The LEO dataset measures graduate outcomes only in terms of whether graduates are in paid employment and, if so, how much they are earning in what industry, while the Graduate Outcomes survey (used by HESA, see above) collects a broader range of information about what graduates are doing and their personal experience of employment.

History is measured in the LEO data set as ‘History and Archaeology’, one of 34 subject areas for which graduate outcomes are measures. The latest release (July 2023) covers graduate outcomes for the tax year 2020-21. The LEO dataset measures a range of possible graduate outcomes, including (below) the percentage of History and Archaeology graduates who, in 2020-21, had achieved ‘sustained employment only’ having graduated five years earlier. History is marked in red; selected Arts, Humanities and Social Science (AHSS) subjects are highlighted in green; with the average of All Subjects in yellow

LEO data also measures the lower and upper rages of incomes of those in sustained employment, and the median income, by subject area. The following chart records median income, for 2020-21, for those graduating 5 years previously.

For the US, the American Historical Association provides a survey of professional outcomes for History PhD graduates. The latest release (October 2022) charts outcomes for History PhDs awarded up to 2017.

5. History Students at GSCE, A-Level and Scottish Highers

Introduced in January 2023, the British Academy’s SHAPE Indicators survey offers annual statistics on the number of students taking History at GCSE and A-Level (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) and Level 5, Highers and Advanced Highers (Scotland). The latest update provides data between 2012 and 2023 for History. The BA’s Indicators survey is one representation of data published annually by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) and the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). The JCQ provides separate listings for student numbers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

5.1. A-Levels

After a demographic dip between 2019 and 2020 for all subjects, the number of students taking History at A-Level has risen in 2023 to 48,378 (a 7.75% increase on 2020). This is against an increase (2020-23) of 11.5% for all A-Level subjects in the arts, humanities and social sciences (AHSS), and of 11.0% for all A-Level subjects.

The following chart plots History enrolments (red) against seven other arts, humanities and social science A-Levels with enrolments higher than 35,000 students in 2023. (Figures for English Literature begin in 2017 due to curriculum changes.)

For more on enrolments in History A-Level, following the 2023 results, see the Society’s post: Student Numbers for History A-Levels and Scottish Highers, 2023 (August 2023).

5.2 Scottish Highers

In 2023, the number of students taking History Highers rose 2.53% on 2022 (compared with a 2.44% increase for Highers in all subjects in the AHSS, and a 1.91% increase for all Highers subjects). The number of students taking History Highers in 2023 is a 1.99% increase on 2020. In the same timeframe, Highers entries in all AHSS subjects rose by 2.9%. Highers entries for all subjects rose by 3.6% between 2020 and 2023.

For more on enrolments in History Highers, following the 2023 results, see the Society’s post: Student Numbers for History A-Levels and Scottish Highers, 2023 (August 2023).

5.3 GCSE

History entries at GCSE for 2023 rose by 6.5% against the 2022 figure. Uptake in 2023 showed continued significant growth over the past decade, at 311,146 students (contrast with 222,983 in 2016), an increase of 39.5%. This is compared, for the same timeframe, with a 20.6% increase in student numbers for arts, humanities and social science subjects, and a 12.6% increase for all subjects at GCSE.

The following chart plots History enrolments (red) against six other arts and humanities GCSEs with annual enrolments higher than 50,000 students since 2012, excluding English Language and Literature.

6. Resources and Funding Options for Historians

In 2020, the Royal Historical Society published the following listings for historians at all career stages:

Archives and Research Libraries in the UK and Republic of Ireland (updated and revised October 2023)
Funding and Fellowship Opportunities for in Historical Studies (updated and revised October 2023)
Online Resources for Historians (updated and revised October 2023)

Additional weekly listings of grants and funding opportunities in historical studies are available via ResearchProfessional (subscription needed), with selected opportunities also listed on jobs.ac.uk. An extensive listing of online and free access resources for historians is also available from the Institute of Historical Research (compiled 2020).

The American Historical Association provides an annual jobs report, reporting on annual trends in the profession for the US. The latest update is from September 2023.

Camden Series volumes, 2022: new primary source collections for historians

Each year the Society publishes two volumes of primary source materials, edited by historians who’ve worked closely with these documents. The volumes appear in the Society’s Camden Series of scholarly editions and make new sets of primary sources available for research.

Each volume, compiled and edited by a specialist in the subject, includes an Introduction and full references and annotations. Camden Society volumes are published online and in print for the Society by Cambridge University Press.

The Camden Series volumes, 2022, provide primary sources on everyday life in Early modern England and high politics in Britain, Ireland and Germany in the interwar years.

Volume 64: The Diary of George Lloyd (1642-1718), edited by Daniel Patterson (November 2022)

Virtually unknown to scholarship, Lloyd’s diary is not a record of notable events. Rather, it is a uniquely quotidian text consisting of regular daily entries documenting the activities and experiences of an individual far removed from great events.

Lloyd’s diary will be an invaluable resource for scholars studying many aspects of early modern English social and cultural history, including sociality, fashion, religious observance, courtship, food and drink, and working life.

The Diary of George Lloyd, 1642-1718 is now available online and in print from Cambridge University Press. RHS Fellows and Members may purchase hardback print copies directly from the Society for £16 per volume or £25 for both 2022 Camden Series volumes. To do so please email: administration@royalhistsoc.org.

Read the Introduction to The Diary of George Lloyd, 1642-1718.

Here, the editor Dr Daniel Patterson introduces George Lloyd and his world, on the Society’s blog, ‘Historical Transactions’.

Volume 63: Aristocracy, Democracy, and Dictatorship. The Political Papers of the Seventh Marquess of Londonderry, edited by N. C. Fleming (September 2022).

The seventh Marquess of Londonderry (1878–1949) corresponded with the leading political figures of his day, including Winston Churchill (his second cousin), Neville Chamberlain, Stanley Baldwin and Ramsay MacDonald. Londonderry’s amateur diplomacy in the 1930s meant that his regular correspondents also included Hermann Göring, Joachim von Ribbentrop and Franz von Papen.

Aristocracy, Democracy, and Dictatorship is now available online and in print from Cambridge University Press. RHS Fellows and Members may purchase hardback print copies directly from the Society for £16 per volume or £25 for both 2022 Camden Series volumes. To do so please email: administration@royalhistsoc.org.

Read the Introduction to Aristocracy, Democracy, and Dictatorship. The Political Papers of the Seventh Marquess of Londonderry.

Here, on the Society’s blog, ‘Historical Transactions’, the volume’s editor Professor Neil Fleming introduces the interwar political networks of the Marquess of Londonderry.

About the RHS Camden Series

The Royal Historical Society’s Camden Series is one of the most prestigious and important collections of primary source material relating to British History, including the British empire and Britons’ influence overseas. The Society (and its predecessor, the Camden Society) has since 1838 published scholarly editions of sources—making important, previously unpublished, texts available to researchers. Each volume is edited by a specialist historian who provides an expert introduction and commentary.

Today the Society publishes two new Camden volumes each year in association with Cambridge University Press. The series is available via Cambridge Journals Online and full access is available to the Society’s Members and Fellows, as part of new member benefits from 2022. We welcome proposals for new Camden volumes: for more on how to submit an idea to the editors, please see the Camden Series page of the RHS website.

Royal Historical Society AGM, Friday 24 November 2023

The 2023 Anniversary General Meeting (AGM) of the Royal Historical Society will take place at 6pm on Friday 24 November 2023 at Mary Ward House and will also be streamed online.

All elected Fellows and Members of the Society are welcome to attend, however in line with the Society’s By-Laws, only Fellows of the Society may vote upon resolutions put before them. Fellows will receive a direct email with details of how to cast their votes on 8 November 2023. Copies of the Agenda and papers are available here.

All those wishing to attend must pre-register via the below links. Please note that space at Mary Ward House is limited, therefore if your registration to attend in person is unsuccessful, you will be moved onto the online registration list, and will receive a notification to that effect.

To attend online [in-person attendance at the venue is now fully booked]

Fellows who have not received their email with voting details are asked to write to: governance@royalhistsoc.org in the first instance. Please mark your email ‘AGM’. We also encourage you to check your spam/junk folder for this email in advance of contacting the Society.

The Society’s AGM will be immediately followed by the 2023 RHS Presidential Lecture — ‘European Exploration, Empires, and the Making of the Modern World’ — given by Professor Emma Griffin, President of the Royal Historical Society. Registration to attend the lecture online is still available.

Publishing Policy

Simon Newman, Chair of the Publications Committee, writes: The RHS invests heavily in support for publishing, and one of our most long established ventures is the Studies in History Series, presently published by Boydell and Brewer. The series publishes exclusively adapted PhD dissertations. As part of ongoing process of review of our publications programme we are actively considering converting this series to an Open Access model of publishing which would be free to the author (no author charges). Open Access is potentially helpful to early career researchers, as it means that the text is available free of charge to any readers world-wide from the day of publication. But it would also be published in conventional book form: authors would receive the normal allocation of free copies, with the opportunity to purchase more, and the book would still be sent to review journals in print form.

We are seeking the views of early career researchers into the Studies in History Series and into other possible forms of support we can offer the ECR community, both in publishing and other spheres. Thank you for your time.

Emma Griffin is an RHS Literary Director. She writes:

As the nation’s foremost historical society, the RHS actively promotes the publication of historical scholarship. It does so through four different publishing ventures designed to assist scholars in undertaking and disseminating their historical research.

The Camden Series

Our longest running series is the Camden Series – it has been published continuously since 1838 and now contains over 325 volumes. Published twice yearly by Cambridge University Press, the Camden Series produces edited collections of previously unpublished British history sources. The Camden volumes are fully annotated and indexed and contain expert introduction and commentary. The entire back list of the Camden Society publications is available on-line through Cambridge Journals Online. A smaller number are also freely available through British History OnLine. The literary directors are always keen to receive new proposals for Camden editions. The main criterion for consideration is that the sources have not been previously published and are of broad historical significance. If you are interested in submitting a proposal, please click here for an application form.

Transactions

In 1872, the RHS began publishing its annual Transactions of the Royal Historical Society – a bound copy of which is sent to all members of the society. Transactions contains articles presented at RHS meetings in the previous year. The back list up to 2005 is available on JStor; and the entire collection from 1872 to the present is available on the CUP digital archive.

Studies in History

Since 1975 the RHS has published the Studies in History series. Initially established by Sir Geoffrey Elton and re-launched in 1995, this distinguished series is dedicated to publishing outstanding works by first-time authors at the beginning of their academic careers. In the process of preparing to present their work for a broader, scholarly readership, authors work closely with a member of the editorial board who acts as mentor. They also benefit from detailed, first-rate copy-editing and an excellent production team at Boydell & Brewer. So far more than 150 titles have been published in the series, which covers the whole range of the discipline from early medieval to the recent past, any geographical area, and all historical sub-disciplines. Early-career historians interested in publishing with the RHS are warmly encouraged to submit a proposal.

The Bibliography of British and Irish History (BBIH)

The most recent publishing venture of the RHS is the Bibliography of British and Irish History (BBIH) – a joint venture between the RHS, the IHR, and Brepols. The BBIH contains over half a million records, making it easily the most comprehensive online bibliography of British and Irish history. It is fully searchable and linked to online editions of articles, library catalogues and google books, making it an invaluable resource for any historian embarking on new research.

Emma Griffin is Professor of Modern British History at the University of East Anglia. She is the editor of History and a co-editor of Cultural and Social History, and the author of four books, most recently Liberty’s Dawn: A People’s History of the British Industrial Revolution (Yale University Press, 2013).

Apply for Fellowship

Closing date for next application round:

Monday 27 May 2024

Fellowships are awarded to those who have made an original contribution to historical scholarship, typically through the authorship of a book, a body of scholarly work similar in scale and impact to a book, the organisation of exhibitions and conferences, the editing of journals, and other works of diffusion and dissemination grounded in historical research.

Election is conducted by review and applications must be supported by someone who is already a Fellow. The Society is able to offer assistance for applicants who do not know an existing Fellow – please contact us for advice. Applications are welcome from historians working within or outside the UK.

From November 2021, the Society has also introduced a new category of Associate Fellowship for historians from a wide range of backgrounds who may not yet have reached the stage of full Fellowship. Applicants are encouraged to consider this option as it may be the correct category for you given your career stage. From August 2022 we are extending the benefits available to Fellows of the Society.

To apply for the RHS Fellowship please use the Society’s Applications Portal, and select your chosen membership category.

Benefits of Fellowship

Entitled to use the letters FRHistS after your name.
Print and online copies of the latest version of the RHS academic journal, Transactions.
Online access to the current issue and entire searchable back archive of Transactions of the Royal Historical Society: the collection comprises 144 volumes and more than 2200 articles, published between the journal’s foundation in 1872 and the early 2020s.
Online access to all 380 volumes of the Society’s Camden Series of primary source material, including the latest titles published in 2021 and 2022. Since 1838, the Camden Series has made primary records available in accessible scholarly editions, compiled and introduced by specialist historians. The Series is especially strong in material relating to British history, including the British Empire and Britons’ influence overseas.
All other RHS publications offered at a substantial discount: includes the Bibliography of British and Irish History, Camden Series volumes and New Historical Perspectives print volumes.
30% discount on all academic books (print only) published by Cambridge University Press.
30% discount on purchases of print copies of the Society’s New Historical Perspectives book series, offering monographs and essay collections, and produced in association with the Institute of Historical Research and University of London Press.
30% discount on History titles published by Oxford University Press.
20% discount on print subscription to History Today, Britain’s leading history magazine (£52 per annum, usually £65 full price). 20% discount on online subscription to the archive of History Today (£56 per annum, usually £70 full price).
Receipt of the weekly ‘RHS News Circular’ (this example August 2023): a regular update on RHS activities, plus listings of events / calls for papers from other UK historical societies and research networks.
Copies of RHS newsletters and the Society’s annual reports.
Eligible for RHS training and career development events / workshops reserved for Fellows and members.
Eligible to apply for the Society’s Research Funding programmes available to historians at all career stages.
Eligible to participate in the Society’s Annual General Meeting.
Eligible to vote in all RHS elections.
Eligible to stand for election to the RHS Council.
Access to the RHS Archive and Library collections, and RHS Library rooms, at University College London (UCL).
Eligible to join UCL Libraries as a library member.
Use of the Society’s Council Chamber at UCL for small group meetings (on application to the RHS office).
Become part of a thriving international community of historians, of all kinds and from many backgrounds.
Help us support and advocate for the study and practice of history in its many forms. Society income also supports our grants programme for historians at the start of their careers.

Annual Subscription

From November 2021, annual subscription rates for Fellows, payable on election, are:

for Fellows, UK-based: £60
Retired Fellows, UK-based: £40
Fellows, International: £70
Retired Fellows, International: £50

The RHS subscription year runs July to June with renewals due on 1 July of each year.

How to Apply

Before applying for election to the Fellowship please read the Frequently Asked Questions and arrange for a current Fellow to act as your referee using the guidance supplied in the FAQs.

To apply for the RHS Fellowship please use the Society’s Applications Portal, and select your chosen membership category.

Applications to join the RHS are welcome through the year. Dates for applications in 2024 are as follows: 27 May 2024, 12 August 2024 and 14 October 2024.

Rejoining the Society as a Fellow

If your Fellowship has lapsed / has been cancelled, and you would like to re-join the Society, please contact our Membership department at membership@royalhistsoc.org in the first instance. We will be glad to assist you.

All applications are considered by our Membership Committee which meets five times a year. You can expect to hear the outcome approximately six weeks after the closing date for your application. Incomplete applications will be held on file until we have received all the necessary information.

All enquiries about applying for election to the Fellowship should be addressed to the RHS office: membership@royalhistsoc.org

Royal Historical Society Curriculum Conference

Date: Thursday 23 – Thursday 30 April
Venue: Online

About this Event

An exchange of information between history teachers in schools and universities to enhance understanding about Curriculum development.

This free event organised by the Royal Historical Society, is designed to support an exchange of information between history teachers in schools and universities in order to enhance understanding about issues in curriculum development in and between these two educational phases.

Originally designed as a one-day workshop to be held on 23 April at the RHS offices, the event will now be happening virtually from 23-30 April. During this time attendees with login details will have access to all the presentations and speakers’ focus questions, and will be given the opportunity to join the online discussion board. We hope that this flexible format will allow as many people as possible to contribute and engage in the topics.

Subjects will include:

transitions between phases
equality, diversity and inclusion
the new A level syllabus
the Society’s forthcoming Teaching Portal and how you can contribute to it

The event will be held online, with a series of short presentations designed to both inform and prompt participants to contribute to the online discussion.

Please register to attend this event on Eventbrite.

If you need any further information about this event please contact either Professor Ken Fincham: K.C.Fincham@kent.ac.uk or Peter D’Sena: p.dsena@herts.ac.uk,

Marking 150 years of Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, 1872-2022

In November 2022, we mark the 150th anniversary of the publication of the first volume of the Transactions of the Royal Historical Society. The anniversary will include:

online and print publication of the latest (145th) volume of Transactions, with its new format and design.
online special issues of Transactions, highlighting developments in the journal from its origin in 1872 to the present day.
a free online panel discussion (5pm GMT, Tuesday 6 December) on ‘Futures for the History Journal: reflections and projections’, which is booking now. The panel brings together editors, historians and publishers, from the UK and US, to consider the role and future pf the history journal as a means of scholarly communication.

First published in 1872, Transactions is the longest-running English-language academic history journal, predating first publication of the English Historical Review (1886) and the American Historical Review (1895), among other titles.

Since 1872, 144 volumes of Transactions have been published, with the 145th available from mid-November.

November 2022 sees important changes to the current Transactions. This year’s volume will come with a new design and paperback format.

It’s also the first in 150 years to include external submissions not previously read to the Society; the first to be edited by historians who are not members of RHS Council; and the first to engage an editorial board.

Journals remain central to the communication of historical research. As a publishing form, they’ve proved remarkably durable, with developments typically taking place within an established framework of article types and formats.

At the same time, the recent history of journals points to quickening and more disruptive change — most notably in terms of online access and publishing models; but also with reference to innovations of form, tone and purpose.

In ‘Futures for the History Journal: Reflections and Projections’ (6 December) our panel and audience will consider the extent, impact and outcomes of these recent changes, together with possible futures for a popular publishing form.

Creating Public History: a Guide to Co-production and Community Engagement

An RHS Online Training Workshop for Early Career Historians

14.00-16.00 BST, Tuesday 7 December 2021

Watch the event recording

‘Creating Public History: a Guide to Co-production and Community Engagement’ is the next in a new series of online training events hosted by the RHS, designed for early career historians. In ‘Creating Public History’ we’ll explore the meaning of ‘public history’, and how to design, plan and run a community engagement project.

The event brings together experts and practitioners in the field of public history and co-production, from the perspective of academia, archives, charities and community programmes. It seeks to demystify public history: offering practical insights based on experience that you’ll be able to apply in your own work.

Topics for the workshop include: defining public history; designing and managing a successful project; working with diverse participants; and ensuring the legacy and impact of community engagement work, both in and beyond Higher Education.

Projects discussed in the workshop will include the St Thomas Way, the East End Women’s Museum, Newington Green Meeting House: Revolutionary Ideas since 1708, and Layers of London. With reference to these projects, the workshop will identify key themes, ideas and recommendations for creating a successful public history project.

After contributions from the panel, the event will take the form of a discussion involving all attendees. Those attending will be invited to submit questions in advance of the event.

Speakers at the event:

Professor Catherine Clarke (Director of the Centre for the History of People, Place and Community at the Institute of Historical Research, University of London)
Sara Huws (Civic Engagement Officer, Cardiff University Libraries and Archives, and co-founder of the East End Women’s Museum)
Amy Todd (Programme Manager at Newington Green Meeting House and former Engagement Manager for Layers of London)
Professor Emma Griffin (RHS President), chair

About our panel:

Catherine Clarke has particular expertise in place and place-making, uses of heritage, and creative practice in research, co-production and engagement, having led projects such as Discover Medieval Chester, City Witness and the St Thomas Way, and her current involvement in Invisible Worlds and Towns and the Cultural Economies of Recovery. Catherine is especially interested in how we devise and initiate public history projects; how we make the case for impact and what we’ve achieved; and how imaginative public history can transform our practice as scholars.
Sara Huws has extensive experience of working in museums and heritage as a researcher, curator and broadcaster. Having started her career at Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales, she now works as an archives professional specialising in public engagement at Cardiff University Special Collections and Archives. Sara is Co-Founder of East End Women’s Museum, the only museum in England and Wales which collects and celebrates the histories of women and girls. Established as a ‘positive protest’, the museum has grown far beyond its kitchen table origins, with participatory projects taking place across east London. She is currently undertaking a PhD in museums and activism at the University of Swansea.
Amy Todd‘s work centres around engaging those audiences traditionally under-represented in heritage projects. Recent activities include the online Layers of London, managing volunteers at Kenley Revival, and co-curation of projects with community groups, schools and artists. She’s keen to share her recent experience at Newington Green Meeting House, showcasing ways to build community relationships through heritage.

Watch the video

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Future RHS training workshops

‘Creating Public History’ is the next in a new annual series of RHS ‘Getting Started’ training events for early career historians. Events will provide guidance and insight into key areas of professional development. A video of our first workshop, ‘Getting Published: a guide to first articles and journal publishing’ (July 2021), is also available.

Topics for future discussion will include: publishing and communicating research, teaching history, writing history, applying historical knowledge and research skills, and career options for research historians within and outside higher education. ‘Getting Started’ will run three times a year with the next session — on ‘Broadcasting History’ — planned for Spring 2022.

For more guides see also the RHS’s new Teaching Portal: a set of over 50 specially commissioned essays–on research, online resources, teaching and career paths–for current research students and early career teachers.

RHS Lecture and Events: Full Programme for 2022 >

‘Applying for your First Job: a Guide to Preparing & Interviewing for a History Teaching Post’

An RHS Online Training Workshop for Early Career Historians

Tuesday 8 March 2022

Watch the recording of this event

‘Applying for your First Job: a Guide to Preparing and Interviewing for a History Teaching Post’ is the next in the Royal Historical Society’s series of online training events designed for early career historians.

In ‘Preparing and Interviewing for a History Teaching Post’ we’ll provide a practical, step-by-step guide to applying for teaching positions in History at UK universities. The Workshop will cover how to prepare for the academic job market, and what to do while you’re researching your PhD; and how best to present yourself — in writing, online and in person — for a specific application and interview.

The Workshop brings together historians from UK universities with extensive experience of seeking and recruiting new academic staff, both for fixed-term and permanent teaching posts. Panellists will offer advice on what a department seeks, and what makes for a strong application and interview.

Topics for the Workshop include: when to start thinking about the job market; how best to prepare while researching your PhD (including advice on teaching and publishing); CV writing; submitting a strong application; interviews and presentations on the day; and what happens next.

The Session will also consider the current state of the UK job market in History, and its possible future development; what departments seek when they create a vacancy; and — importantly — History vacancies and applications from the perspective of Heads of Department and hiring committees.

Our panellists bring experience of working in a range of universities, with advice focused on applying for teaching posts in the UK. We intend to return to ‘applying for a research position’ in a later Workshop session.

After contributions from the panel, the event will take the form of a discussion involving all attendees. Those attending will be invited to submit questions in advance of the Workshop.

About our panel

Elaine Chalus is a historian of English social and political history in the long eighteenth century with a particular interest in the interplay of gender and politics. Elaine joined the University of Liverpool in 2016 as its new Head of Department following an earlier teaching career at Bath Spa University.

As a historian, Elaine has extensive experience of mentoring PhD researchers as they prepare for academic careers. As a Head of Department, Elaine will also offer insight into the application process from the perspective of those seeking to hire new teaching staff.

Matthew Johnson is a historian of modern Britain with a specialism in the impact of war on politics and society, and in militarism as a political and ideological phenomenon in Britain during the twentieth century. At Durham Matthew serves as the History department’s Director of Undergraduate Studies and has extensive experience of candidate shortlisting and interviewing.

Julian Wright is Deputy Faculty Pro-Vice Chancellor for the Faculty of Arts Design and Social Sciences, having been Head of Northumbria’s Department of Humanities since 2017. A historian of modern Europe, Julian taught previously for 13 years at Durham University.

As a Head of Department, Julian has similarly extensive experience of career preparation and planning in History, and of academic applications. In January 2022 Julian joined the RHS Council as its new Secretary for Professional Engagement, and will oversee the Society’s work to promote career development and networking for historians at all career stages.

Emma Griffin is President of the Royal Historical Society in which role she is in regular contact with History Heads of Department across the UK.

As Professor of Modern British History at the University of East Anglia, Emma also has wide experience of departmental management, student mentoring, and the recruitment of new early career teaching staff. Emma researches the social and economic history of Britain during the period 1700-1870, with a particular interest in gender history, the industrial revolution, and working-class life.

Watch the recording of this event

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About RHS Training Workshops

‘Applying for your First Job’ is the next in a new series of RHS ‘Getting Started’ training events for early career historians. Events will provide guidance and insight into key areas of professional development. Details, and videos, of the first workshops in the series — on publishing a first article and creating a public history project — are available here.

The ‘Getting Started’ series runs three times a year with the next session — on finding employment in History outside academia — to take place on 14 July 2022.

New and forthcoming titles in the Society’s Open Access book series

Now available, in print and online, Gender, Emotions and Power, 1750–2020 — edited by Hannah Parker and Josh Dyble — is the latest title in the Royal Historical Society’s New Historical Perspectives book series. This new collection offers a timely intervention into contemporary debates on emotions, gender, race and power by asking: ‘how are emotional expectations established as gendered, racialised and class-based notions’?

Chronologically and geographically broad, the essays cover settler colonies in southern Africa, post-unification Italy, Maoist China, the Soviet Union and British Raj, among others. Collectively the essays consider how emotional expectations have been generated, stratified and maintained by institutions, societies, media and those with access to power.

Gender, Emotions and Power, 1750–2020 is the 17th title in the Society’s New Historical Perspectives series for early career historians within 10 years of completing a PhD at a UK or Irish university. All titles are published online as Open Access editions and in paperback print with Open Access fees covered by the series partners: the Royal Historical Society, Institute of Historical Research and University of London Press. For more on the series, and how to submit a proposal, please see here.

Forthcoming titles in the series, available in 2024, include Martin Sypchal’s Mapping the State. English Boundaries and the 1832 Reform Act and Rachel E. Johnson’s Women’s Voices and Historical Silences in South Africa. Young Women and Youth Activism in the Anti-Apartheid Struggle.

Full online access to all of the titles is available via University of London Press.