History » Beat Kümin: Public Engagement

Food, Drink and Social Exchange

Sat, 27 Mar 2021 13:38:00 GMT

My research on historic drinking cultures has featured in newspapers (such as The Times, The Guardian, Swiss daily Der Bund), radio interviews (on drink statistics for Voice of Russia, the 'history of the picnic' for German station SWR 2 or the FEAST! festival on BBC Radio CWR) , TV programmes (like the Australian 'Who do you think you are?' with Marta Dusseldorp, filmed at a Swiss inn), online magazines (The Conversation) and public lectures (e.g. at Saarbrücken / Germany, Budapest / Hungary, Henan University / China or a History Festival at the Warwick Arms Hotel).

I helped to found the Drinking Studies Network and edited a survey work on early modern food culture. From 2014-18, I co-hosted the 'Summer University in Food & Drink Studies' of the European Institute for the History & Cultures of Food (IEHCA) at Tours / France and, in 2021, became the academic lead of Warwick's 'Food Cultures' research priority, where we organize webinars and other outreach activities.

From November 2021 to April 2022, I co-organized the FEAST! theme in the University's Resonate Festival for Coventry UK City of Culture 2021, featuring a series of Feast Food Festival videos examining celebratory dishes / drinks from the perspectives of producers, restaurateurs and researchers. A highly successful 'church ale' staged in partnership with My-Parish & St John the Baptist, Berkswell (25-26 March 2022) will be followed by the panel debate 'Rethinking Hospitality' on 20 April. The initiative attracted broad media coverage in Coventry and beyond.

Restoration of the Republic of Gersau: Bicentenary 1814-2014

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 18:03:00 GMT

For over 400 years, the parish of Gersau on Lake Lucerne formed a sovereign mini-state under the protection of the Swiss Forest Cantons and the Holy Roman Emperor. From the purchase of all feudal rights in 1390 to the French invasion in 1798, this rural commune passed its own laws, ran its own jurisdiction and maintained its own militia. It even appointed the local priest and wrote its own chronicles. Following the defeat of Napoleon, the Swiss were free to return to the old order. On 2 February 1814, the Landsgemeinde (communal assembly) decided to restore the independent republic. This was short-lived, however, and Gersau became a district of the Canton of Schwyz in 1818.

In the course of researching The Communal Age in Western Europe and a Bristish Academy project dedicated to rural republicanism, I devised a proposal for a series of 'Gersau 2014' bicentenary celebrations under the general theme of 'Geschichte Gestalten' (Shaping History). The project, also intended to reassess how Gersau sees its future, was officially endorsed by the district council and I joined its organizing committee (see my interview in the regional newspaper Bote der Urschweiz). A Landsgemeinde in the parish church and 'Feast of the Republic' in the school served as launch events on 2 February 2014 (covered e.g. in the Wochen-Zeitung and a Swiss National Radio podcast). In March 2014, furthermore, I hosted a workshop on premodern republics (see video interview) and chaired a public panel debate on the extent of Gersau's freedom past and present.

Parish Studies

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 11:04:00 GMT

I regularly address local associations like the Bishop's Tachbrook History Group (reported in the June 2014, October 2017 and May 2022 issues of the Parish Magazine), branches of the Historical Association (Coventry, Gloucestershire, Nuneaton, Winchester), the Kineton & District Local History Group, Lighthorne History Society, Lyddington Manor History Society, Stoneleigh History Society, Warmington Heritage Group, the Warwickshire Local History Society and the Woodford Halse History Society. In October 2017, I participated in a panel discussion on the impact of the Reformation hosted by the Warwick Words Festival and, in March 2021, hosted a webinar on the evolution of the 'British Parish'.

Between 2007-9, I directed the steering committee for "Catholic Warwick", a history of the parish of St Mary Immaculate written by Ruth Barbour. At the book launch event in the social centre, I moderated a panel debate involving the author, Canon Edward Stewart, the parish priest; Michael Hodgetts, a historian of Catholicism; and Warwick professors Peter Marshall and Jack Scarisbrick (Photo left: John Mullis for the Coventry Observer).

Since 2003, I have co-ordinated the Warwick Network for Parish Research (introduced in Local History News), which highlights the significance of local communities, informs on related initiatives and facilitates new research well beyond the UK. An annual highlight is the 'Warwick Symposium on Parish Research' dedicated to varying themes and documented in our audiovisual resources. The tenth anniversary meeting in May 2012, 'Parish Studies Today', showcased the wide range of activities undertaken by local history societies, church conservation bodies, universities and other organizations. During the 2020-21 Covid pandemic, the 18th ('Remembering the Parish') & 19th ('Parish, Power & Politics') Symposia became virtual gatherings.

Our public face is the My-Parish community platform launched in autumn 2012, which allows anybody interested in parish history and culture to upload information on projects, resources and related activities. In July 2018, we ran an outreach event on 'Parishes & Migration' with our partner church at Berkswell near Coventry and, in November 2020, we took over the Twitter account of the Ecclesiastical History Society.

Learning Resources

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 15:10:00 GMT

Early Modern History Textbook: Drawing on the wide expertise of my Warwick colleagues (and our undergraduate core module), I edited a survey work on early modern European history aimed at a general audience. All contributions provide concise and accessible introductions to the major themes and debates in the field. Reviewers have described the book as 'impressive', 'precise' and 'brilliantly executed'. It has been adopted as a set text by numerous tutors in the UK and overseas, but can also serve as a free-standing guide to the period. The European World 1500-1800, first published by Routledge in 2009 and now in its 3rd edn (2018), contains essays, illustrations, excerpts from primary sources, seminar questions, maps, tables, suggestions for further reading and an extensive index of names, places and subjects. There is also a companion website featuring interactive maps / timelines, image gallery and a glossary.

Parish Church DVD: I acted as associate editor of The English Parish Church through the Centuries, an interactive DVD published by the Centre for the Study of Christianity and Culture in 2010. It includes contributions by over 200 academics and parish researchers, supplemented with 3-D models, video introductions and numerous illustrations.

Reformation Video / Podcast / Article: I recorded a course of five video lectures on the German Reformation for the MASSOLIT site aimed at sixth form students, assessed the impact of Luther's Ninety-Five Theses for an A-level magazine and - together with my colleagues Henry Cohn, Peter Marshall and Penny Roberts - a podcast series on the origins, character and effects of religious change in the sixteenth century for the Historical Association.