History is situated at the heart of the thriving research community of the Faculty of Media, Humanities and Technology. Individual research interests of the team are varied, with particular strengths in:

• Political Cultures/Cultural Histories of Politics. Much of this spans the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Dr Packer has worked extensively on the last Liberal government, with publications including a biography of Lloyd George. Professor Cowman researches British women’s political involvement, particularly in the socialist and suffrage movements up to and during the First World War. Dr Di Paola’s research focuses on Italian anarchism, and in particular anarchist communities in London. Dr Heather Hughes, a member of the history research group, works on early 20th century Southern African politics.

• Regional and Local History. Dr Walker has wide-ranging research interests into the effects of locality in shaping particular events and processes. Much of his recent work has focussed on Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. Local dimensions of political cultures inform the research of Dr Packer, Dr Di Paola and Professor Cowman. Different cultural forms and their local distinctiveness are central to Dr Hill’s studies of local museums and Dr Shinner’s investigations of middle-class formation in Grimsby.

• Heritage and Popular Culture. This popular area of study is central to the work of Dr Erin Bell, research fellow on the Televising History Project. Dr Steven Pope works on the history of sport and leisure in the USA. His Patriotic Games which helped to define this field of research, has just been republished in an updated edition. Dr Hill’s work on Museums as a key site for cultural and class formation adds a further dimension to this research theme.

Staff present their most recent research findings at the Faculty Research Seminar. There are also regular events such as conferences and dayschools which are focused on particular themes, often held under the auspices of the Centre for Local and Regional History. Recent events include a conference on the 19th century provincial press, a dayschool under the auspices of the Northern Women’s History Network on ‘Women and local identity’ and an international symposium exploring connections between ‘Radical Cultures and Local Identities’.

Research Students form an important part of the research culture of the History group. Recent Ph.D topics have included ‘Lincolnshire Rural Women Workers’ and The Exercise of Power in the Nineteenth Century: The Case of Grimsby 1840-1900’; ‘ Our research students are encouraged to attend and participate in all events organised by the History team. There is also a thriving MA in History which offers an excellent starting point for anyone interested in developing their skills in historical research.