Author: Doing History in Public

  • How writing a history dissertation is killing ‘me’

    How writing a history dissertation is killing ‘me’

    By Ivi Fung Being a historian carries a dual identity of researcher and writer. But a scholar writing History (with a capital H) does not always have the privilege of writing originally, creatively and experimentally. Creating a text as academics means conforming not only to the academic integrity and methodology in the discipline but also…

  • Did Edward III Obey His Own Rules on Parties?

    Did Edward III Obey His Own Rules on Parties?

    By Jerome Gasson In 1336, King Edward III and a group of magnates passed a law ordaining that: ‘No one, whatever estate or condition he happens to be in, shall cause himself to be served in his house or elsewhere, at dinner, meal, or supper, or at any other time, with more than two courses,…

  • The Stakes and Ends of Historicising Science

    The Stakes and Ends of Historicising Science

    By Sam Phoenix Clarke (@samjphoenix) Science, broadly conceived, is the best instrument we have for understanding, predicting, and controlling the natural world in accordance with our needs. But science as it actually happens is messy, contingent, and fallible. The social processes by which science is done – the formulation of problems, the generation and testing…

  • Charmaine Au-Yeung – Historian Highlight

    Charmaine Au-Yeung – Historian Highlight

    Charmaine Au-Yeung (@steamedbaos), interviewed by Alex White (@alex_j_white) Historian Highlight is an ongoing series sharing the research experiences of historians in the History Faculty in Cambridge. We ask students how they came to research their topic, their favourite archival find, as well as the best (and worst) advice they’ve received as academics in training. History…

  • Cultivating research skills: artificial flowers and the process of making

    Cultivating research skills: artificial flowers and the process of making

    By Zara Kesterton. On Sunday 15 May, I hurried out of the Garden Museum in Lambeth clutching a precious parcel. In a paper bag, covered with a raincoat to avoid a heavy spring downpour, were two delicate blush-pink dog roses, a bud about to open, and a sprig of leaves. I did not pick these…