Doing History in Public

Category: Articles

  • 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…

  • British Chineseness in the mind of Susie Wong

    British Chineseness in the mind of Susie Wong

    By Charmaine Au-Yeung It’s mid-March, and my eyes are glazing over he-said-she-said bickering between Home Office officials. Unfortunately, it’s all relevant to my dissertation – I study the Hong Kong Chinese diaspora and their emigration to Britain. I desperately need another coffee but cannot bring myself to buy one (it’s London). Stretching my limbs, I…