History News
2018 Arts Faculty Research Poster Competition
Congratulations to Dave Steele, History Department PhD student, the winner of the 2018 Arts Faculty Research Poster Competition.
The Poster Competition is an annual event for students to hone their poster design, presentation and public engagement skills. The competition brings together Postgraduate Researchers from across all disciplines at Warwick to compete for both Faculty and overall winners prizes.
In addition to designing their poster, students present their poster to pairs of judges drawn from both business and academia, and colleagues at Warwick from all academic disciplines and central departments. The challenge is to ensure that students can explain their research to a broad audience.
For more details, please see https://warwick.ac.uk/services/skills/pgr/opportunities/showcase/postercompetition.
Malaysia rethinks China’s rail deal | Should Western museums return ‘stolen’ artefacts?
Watch an interview with Professor David Anderson discussing the return of artefacts looted in imperial wars to their countries of origin, published on YouTube.
Recruitment: Undergraduate Coordinator
The Department of History seeks to appoint a full-time Undergraduate Coordinator to join the Department’s student support team on a permanent contract.
You will be responsible for assisting with the management, coordination, and support of undergraduate study in the Department of History, particularly in relation to Mitigation and Special Exam Arrangements. To include direct support to the Academic Administrator and the Director of Undergraduate Studies, and providing assistance to other relevant academic officers.
You will possess relevant experience of working in an office environment within the HE sector, and of dealing with people at various academic and administrative levels. You will have excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to build relationships, respect confidentiality and an ability to deal with staff and students in a sensitive, professional manner. You will have excellent verbal and written communication skills, along with strong organisational and planning skills, and the ability to use initiative and to work quickly and accurately under pressure to cope with competing priorities. All applications must be accompanied by a CV and covering letter.
Please direct all informal enquiries to Miss Jennifer Spalding, History Department Academic Administrator, at J.J.Spalding@warwick.ac.uk. The closing date for applications is 1st July 2018. Please see the online advert and job description for more details.
Wolfson History Prize 2018: Professor Peter Marshall

Peter Marshall, Professor of History at the University of Warwick, has won this year’s Wolfson History Prize with his book Heretics and Believers: A History of the English Reformation (Yale University Press).
This year’s winner was selected from over 150 books by a panel of four eminent historians. Expert in Islamic history, Professor Carole Hillenbrand, of the Universities of Edinburgh and St Andrews, joined the judging panel this year alongside Professor Sir David Cannadine (Chair), Professor Sir Richard Evans and Revd Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch.
Please see http://www.wolfson.org.uk/history-prize/ for more details.
Recruitment: Teaching Fellow in the History of Social and Political Ideas 1650-1850
The Department of History seeks to appoint a fixed-term ten-month full-time Teaching Fellow in the History of Social and Political Ideas 1650-1850. You will convene, taking lectures and seminars, the second-year undergraduate module ‘Individual, Polis and Society: Philosophical Reflections in History’, and you will take seminars on the first-year undergraduate modules ‘Historian’s Toolkit’ and ‘The Enlightenment’, for a total of eight seminar groups of approximately fifteen students per group. The modules ‘Individual, Polis and Society: Philosophical Reflections in History’ and ‘The Enlightenment’ involve work on both primary texts and changes in society and politics during the period. You will also teach occasional lectures for other undergraduate modules as required by the Head of Department and as appropriate to subject knowledge.
You will undertake lecturing, seminar teaching, essay tutorials, office hours, marking of undergraduate work, exam invigilation, and monitoring of student attendance in accordance with the Department’s quality assurance practices. You will also act as personal tutor to an assigned group of undergraduate students, providing pastoral support and guidance during the academic year. You will be actively engaged in research in the history of ideas in the period, or a comparable field.
You will possess experience in undergraduate teaching and subject specialism appropriate for research-led teaching in the History of Social and Political Ideas 1650-1850. You should also possess a PhD (or equivalent) in History.
The closing date for applications is 19th June 2018. Please see the online advert and job description for more details.
Cultural Encounters Workshop: Call for Abstracts Now Open
University of Warwick and Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), 5th - 8th November 2018, Shanghai
This event is the second workshop to take place between Warwick and SJTU, following a successful inaugural event in January this year.
Encounters between different peoples have occurred throughout human history: clashes between ancient civilisations; European explorations of the world; imperialist conquests; and modern warfare are just a few of the settings for such encounters. This workshop will examine not so much the ‘how and why’ of cultural encounters, but instead aims to explore how these encounters were (and still are) interpreted and understood; how intercultural interactions evolved; and how cultures or social systems were translated or mediated for different audiences and environments.
We will be taking 8 academics from Warwick to participate in this workshop in Shanghai; graduate students are not eligible to apply.
It is envisaged that the theme will particularly resonate with many colleagues in the faculties of arts and social sciences.
Applicants should supply a brief (under 200 words) abstract of a proposed paper addressing the theme above. The intention is to publish a selection of papers. Air travel between the UK and China, as well as all reasonable expenses will be covered.
Abstracts should be sent to Professor Tim Lockley via (t.j.lockley@warwick.ac.uk by 15th May 2018.

Obituary: John Hardeman
The History Department is saddened to learn of the passing of former student John Hardeman. John came to Warwick University as a part-time mature student and graduated with a BA in European History in 2009 and an MA in Global History in 2012. He was an enthusiastic and active member of the Centre for Lifelong Learning (CLL), the History Department, the Alumni Association, and a frequent attendee of the part-timers lunches. John died on 19th April 2018 following complications after a fall at his home in February 2018. The Department's condolences go out to all of John's family and friends.
Wolfson History Prize 2018
The shortlist for the Wolfson History Prize 2018 has been revealed, recognising and celebrating books which combine excellence in historical research with readability for a wider general audience, and includes Heretics and Believers: A History of the English Reformation by Professor Peter Marshall of the Warwick History Department. The overall winner will be announced on Monday 4th June 2018 at a reception at Claridge’s in London.
For the full shortlist, please see http://www.wolfson.org.uk/history-prize/2018-prize/.
For details of all the academic publications of the academic staff of the Warwick History Department, please see https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/history/research/publications/.

