Discussion, conversation and thoughtful debate are central to historical research practice and fuel the liveliness of our field.
The Editors of the Transactions of the Royal Historical Society now seek proposals for one-day workshops in which participants engage with a historical, methodological, or pedagogical problem with the intention of publishing the discussion in the journal.
About the Workshop Open Call
To support this, the Society is funding two academic workshops — to the sum of up to £1000 per event — to bring together scholars to facilitate debate, and lead to publication of proceedings as article/s in a future issue of Transactions of the Royal Historical Society. This call is open and not restricted by historical subject or approach.
By offering up to £1000 per workshop, the journal’s Editors — Harshan Kumarasingham and Kate Smith — seek to support colleagues in developing ideas for a discussion, review, or roundtable piece, which will then be submitted to the journal. In terms of submission this could take the form of a single article-length piece or shorter contributions from a limited number of participants. The structure of the piece, and how it can include contributions from several different authors, is open for discussion and development and should be addressed in the proposal.
It is expected that workshops funded by the scheme will take place in the academic year 2022-23, with resulting content submitted to the journal in 2023.
Points to consider when submitting your Workshop proposal
The Editors encourage submissions from scholars at all stages of their career, including the early stages. They particularly welcome proposals for workshops that will bring together scholars at different stages of their careers. Also welcome are proposals that connect historians working in professional sectors alongside Higher Education: for example, heritage, archives, broadcasting, public and community history, or curation.
The Editors likewise seek a wide range of formats for published content. This breadth of options reflects a move at Transactions to more innovative forms of publishing (which go beyond the traditional article format) and so best communicate a topic. In line with this Workshop call, the Editors are keen to highlight new research, methodologies, multi-disciplinary perspectives, and historical practice both in higher education and related sectors.
Applications are invited from groups of scholars and practitioners currently working either in the UK and/or overseas.
Funding is intended to cover the costs of running a one-day workshop: for example, publicity, venue hire and catering, technical support, travel and accommodation for those taking part to meet in-person. For workshops where travel is impractical, selected participants may of course attend online to foster the best possible discussion. Where convenient, the Society’s offices at University College London may also be used to host a workshop.
Workshop organisers are free to choose if their event is open for public attendance, or restricted to the participants discussing the chosen topic. However, funding from the Royal Historical Society will only be for the bringing together of participants, rather than supporting audience attendance.
How to apply
If you have an idea for a workshop and would like to submit a proposal, please provide a 500-750 word statement. This should outline:
- the academic focus of the workshop and the historical subject / methodology under discussion
- the purpose and proposed outcome from the workshop in terms of published content in Transactions
- costings for holding a one-day event
- the lead organiser(s) and participants who would be involved in the workshop
Proposals should be submitted via the Society’s online applications system by the deadline of 23:59 on Friday 30 September 2022.
About Transactions
Founded in 1872, Transactions has been publishing the highest quality scholarship in history for 150 years and continues to highlight and champion the dynamism of the field. Transactions of the Royal Historical Society is the flagship journal of the Royal Historical Society (RHS), the UK’s leading membership organisation for professional historians of all kinds.
Since 2021, the journal has welcomed open submissions dealing with all historical subjects and any geographical area from the early middle ages to the very recent past. It is interested in research that covers entirely new ground, thematically or methodologically, as well as that on established themes in existing literatures.