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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 2m

This afternoon, the Visit considers 'History and AI', with a contribution by @jesussanjurjo.bsky.social. Jesús recently published on this subject for the RHS blog: 'The Machine’s Silences' bit.ly/4ycn7dZ - part of the Society's new series on ‘AI and History Teaching in UK Higher Education’.

Opening page of the RHS blog post 'The Machine’s Silences: Teaching History with AI' by Dr Jesús Sanjurjo.

Full abstract: In this post Dr Jesús Sanjurjo reflects on lessons learned from the use of AI in The Prison Blueprint Project, a research project led by the University of Strathclyde with the National Archive of Cuba and the universities of Glasgow and Havana, and supported by the UK Economic and Social Research Council. Jesús explains how he plans to draw four lessons from his research into his classroom this academic year. This post is part of a series commissioned by the Royal Historical Society on ‘AI and History Teaching in UK Higher Education’ in Autumn 2026. The series includes a range of perspectives on the uses and limitations of Generative AI and LLMs from history educators and research academics

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 39m

We're having a wonderful day @unistrathclyde.bsky.social with historians from the university, city and wider region. The Society's visit includes panels on historical practice, collaboration, advocacy and AI & history. Our thanks to our hosts, attendees, and our guest lecturer, Meleisa Ono-George

Exterior of the University of Strathclyde.

Lecture as part of the RHS Visit to historians at the University of Strathclyde and the region.

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 7h

Today, the Society's President and members of Council are in Glasgow for a visit to historians at the University of Strathclyde and region. We'll be discussing teaching, research, interdisciplinary working, AI and history, and advocacy. We look forward to meeting all those attending #Skystorians

Image of building with logos for the Royal Historical Society and University of Strathclyde with text: 'Royal Historical Society Visit to the Department of the Humanities at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, 7 October 2026.'

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 05/10/2026

This Wednesday we visit historians and students @unistrathclyde.bsky.social, and the wider region, to discuss topics of priority in history teaching / research. The day ends with a public lecture by Dr Meleisa Ono-George (Oxford): 6pm, free and open to all, and followed by a reception #Skystorians

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 01/10/2026

Gillian's is the 27th title in the New Historical Perspectives series. All are available @uolpress.bsky.social, free Open Access and in paperback print: bit.ly/3UwLJ2Z The NHP series is supported by @ihr.bsky.social & @echistsoc.bsky.social. RHS members receive 30% discount on all print titles 2/2

Selected titles and book covers from the New Historical Perspectives book series, from the Royal Historical Society and University of London Press.

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 29/09/2026

For more on the RHS Prizes 2027, including eligibility and the four winning authors from 2026, please see: > First Book Prize: bit.ly/4y1PWd2 > Early Career Article Prize bit.ly/47nTXgJ #Skystorians 2/2

Image of the web page for the RHS Early Career Article Prize.

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 24/09/2026

History UK's survey report comes on the same day as @royalhistsoc.org published the first three in a series of commissioned articles on 'AI and History Teaching in UK Higher Education': here offering perspectives from historians as teachers bit.ly/4htgtcT #Skystorians 1/2

mages of three opening blog posts for the RHS series 'AI and History Teaching in UK Higher Education', with contributions by:

> 'History is a Human Craft' by Dave Hitchcock

> 'The Machine’s Silences: Teaching History with AI', by Jesus Sanjurjo

> 'Generative Artificial Intelligence and the Evolving Arms Race in History Assessment & HE Policies' by Miguel Hernandez

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 24/09/2026

New from History UK: a valuable and interesting survey of UK history students use of and attitudes towards GenAI in HE teaching - their preliminary report is published today: bit.ly/4hatsRR The report is by Dr Sarah Jones and Dr Simon Peplow @simpep.bsky.social #skystorians

Opening page of History UK's statement on their survey and report on AI and History Students in UK universities. Full text:

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become impossible to ignore in higher education. For historians, working in a discipline which depends on interpretation, evidence, and critical thinking, the development of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has raised particularly significant questions. In 2026, we launched a survey to gather the perspectives of people who are often overlooked in considerations of the impact of AI and appropriate responses – history students themselves.

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 24/09/2026

'AI and History Teaching in UK Higher Education': today we launch a new autumn series on the Society's blog, with perspectives from historians as teachers bit.ly/4htgtcT We start with the first three posts, offering personal commentaries on current challenges and practice #Skystorians 1/2

Images of three opening blog posts for the RHS series 'AI and History Teaching in UK Higher Education', with contributions by:

> 'History is a Human Craft' by Dave Hitchcock

> 'The Machine’s Silences: Teaching History with AI', by Jesus Sanjurjo

> 'Generative Artificial Intelligence and the Evolving Arms Race in History Assessment & HE Policies' by Miguel Hernandez

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 09/09/2026

Gillian's is the 27th title in the New Historical Perspectives series. All titles are available @uolpress.bsky.social, free Open Access and paperback print: bit.ly/3UwLJ2Z The NHP series is supported by @ihr.bsky.social & @echistsoc.bsky.social. RHS members receive 30% discount on print titles 2/2

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 08/09/2026

The Society's research funding programmes run through the year, covering a wide range of activities for historians working in and outside education, at all career stages. Full details of these programmes, and current calls, are available here: bit.ly/4qW4gS9 2/2

Image of Bowl with a scholar, anon, c.1575-99, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, public domain.

Text: Research Funding: Allocation of research funding is central to the Society’s work of supporting historians and historical research.

In the financial year 2024/25, the Society awarded nearly £150,000 in small grant funding to historians through open competitions, generously assisted by partner organisations and donors. Details of current open calls for funding applications are provided below.

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 07/09/2026

New this week in the Society's journal 'Transactions': 'Making a Usable Past? Time, Memory and Britain’s Second World War', by Lucy Noakes bit.ly/4gUK6n8 How can studies of the emerging memory of war in 1945 help us to understand its power during the Brexit debates of the 2010s? #Skystorians 1/2

First page of Transactions article: 'Making a Usable Past? Time, Memory and Britain’s Second World War' by Lucy Noakes. Full asbtract:

"This article considers the emerging memory of the Second World War in 1945 Britain and asks whether this can help us to understand its popularity and power during the ‘Brexit’ debates of the 2010s. It examines the ways in which people writing for the British Social Survey organisation Mass Observation in 1945 negotiated the ends of the Second World War. Focusing on three key moments as the war came to its conclusion – the liberation of Bergen-Belsen in April, the end of the European war in May and Allied victory over Japan in August – the article considers the ways in which these writers attempted to draw on their recent pasts to negotiate a complex and uncertain present, and to imagine a post-war future. The article argues that while the cultural memory of the Second World War may be ubiquitous in early twenty-first century Britain, a study of its emergence and utility in 1945 reminds us that its power to help people imagine a future is contingent on contemporary circumstances."

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 05/09/2026

Also this week on the Society's blog: A ‘secular sanitation pilgrimage’ with the help of The Charterhouse 'Water Maps' (c.1431-c.1624), involving historians, curators and London residents, and led by James Spellane and Rachel Delman bit.ly/3SyJvPX #Skystorians

Front page of the Society's blog with article: 'Reflections on London’s Watery Heritage: New Directions for the Charterhouse Water Maps'.

Full abstract: "Dating from c.1431-c.1624, the Charterhouse Water Maps are four large manuscript rolls illustrating the water system built in 1430 to serve the monks of the London Charterhouse in Clerkenwell, when it was a Carthusian monastery just outside the city walls.

Today, the Charterhouse is a living heritage site which keeps and displays the Water Maps in the original location for which they were intended. In this post, James Spellane and Dr Rachel Delman explain how they tested and identified new avenues for interpretation and public engagement with the Water Maps.

In three workshops, James and Rachel brought together academic researchers, museum specialists and members of the Charterhouse community and local area to explore the Water Maps with reference to three themes: Landscape, Object and Community.

The project was supported with the award of an RHS Scouloudi Public History Grant."

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 05/09/2026

New this week in the Society's journal 'Transactions' 'Transcription and Recognition in the Oral History Interview', by Lucy Newby and Fearghus Roulston bit.ly/4cRm9f8. How does creative transcription affect the reception and understanding of complex historical narratives? #Skystorians 1/2

Front page of new Transactions article: 'Transcription and Recognition in the Oral History Interview', by Lucy Newby and Fearghus Roulston.

Full abstract: 'Transcription is a key part of oral history practice. Transcribed text is often the main way in which a wider audience engages with an oral history interview, and even as the possibilities for digital and multimedia presentation become wider, text remains an important component of how interviews are received and understood. Drawing on examples from our research on memories of the Troubles in Ireland, we argue that oral historians need to think creatively and conceptually about the effects of transcription, particularly in terms of how complex narratives are received and understood. We offer some examples of how creative forms of transcription can shape engagement with these narratives and with ideas of composure, coherence and memory.'

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 01/09/2026

Lucy and Fearghus's new article is available free Open Access, as is all Transactions content: bit.ly/486BF5d TRHS editors warmly welcome submission of research articles and comment pieces, on historical practice and debate, from historians working within and outside higher education 2/2

Front covers of 'Transactions of the Royal Historical Society' (2023 to 2025)

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 01/09/2026

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 01/09/2026

The Society's events programme resumes this month. Join us at 6pm on Friday 25 September for: ‘In All Our Footsteps? Rights of Way and the Battle for the Land after the 1949 National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act’, with Glen O’Hara (Oxford Brookes) bit.ly/4i0YEDS All welcome #Skystorians

Image of footpath signs and text: Professor Glen O’Hara (Oxford Brookes University): ‘In All Our Footsteps? Rights of Way and the Battle for the Land after the 1949 National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act’, on Friday 25 September 2026 (in person at the Institute of Historical Research, London, and online)

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 15/08/2026

"This book explores the multiple and long-term impacts of reservoir construction and management in rural England and Wales from the mid-nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century." Read on here free: bit.ly/4bMHGW2 Andrew also wrote last year, introducing his book, on the RHS blog: bit.ly/3U1Jt3h 2/2

Article from the Society blog, from August 2025, with article by Andrew McTominey: 'Waterscapes: Reservoirs, Environment and Identity in Modern England and Wales'. Full abstract: 'The building of reservoirs in England and Wales was key to urban growth across the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. In this post, Andrew McTominey introduces his new book—’Waterscapes: Reservoirs, Environment and Identity in Modern England and Wales’—which is published in the Society’s ‘New Historical Perspectives’ series with University of London Press. Drawing on methods from environmental history, cultural history and historical geography, Andrew’s book explores the multiple and long-term impacts of reservoir construction and management in rural England and Wales from the mid-nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century. ‘Waterscapes’ is the 23rd title in the Society’s New Historical Perspectives series for early career historians. Andrew’s book, and other titles in the series are published free, Open Access, and in paperback print. '

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 15/08/2026

With water storage in the news, a timely reminder of its history: 'Waterscapes: Reservoirs, Environment and Identity in Modern England and Wales' (2025), by Andrew McTominey bit.ly/4bMHGW2 Published in the Society's book series and available Open Access from @uolpress.bsky.social #Skystorians 1/2

Book cover for 'Waterscapes: Reservoirs, Environment and Identity in Modern England and Wales' by Andrew McTominey

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 14/08/2026

We've updated our A-Z listing of UK history societies - now with links to c.140 societies and organisations that bring historians together and provide support: bit.ly/4wodFDb. Also of value for making connections, @balhnews.bsky.social's guide to local history groups bit.ly/4gaHYHA #Skystorians

Page from RHS website listing 'History societies, organisations and networks', with image of the Uk and text: The Royal Historical Society works closely with a number of other UK and Irish societies dedicated to the study, communication and promotion of historical knowledge and understanding.

Once a year, the Society hosts a half-day meeting of heads of UK history societies to discuss subjects of shared interest, such as publishing, membership and advocacy for the discipline. The Society also holds regular online meetings with its equivalent national organisations worldwide.

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 13/08/2026

With 46,960 students, #History is the 7th most popular A-Level of the 57 available in 2026, after Maths, Psychology, Biology, Chemistry, Economics (47,157) and Business Studies (46,977) bit.ly/3RMKL1x 2/2

Chart from the Joint Council for Qualifications (JQC) showing most popular A-Level subjects in 2026 with History listed No 7 after , after Maths, Psychology, Biology, Chemistry, Economics, and Business Studies.

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 31/07/2026

"Details, in their singularity and idiosyncrasy, point to the capaciousness of human experience." New today in the Society's journal 'Transactions': Joe Moran 'On Detail in Historical Writing': bit.ly/44UMi8C Now available OA @joemoransblog.bsky.social @massobsarchive.bsky.social #Skystorians 1/2

Opening page of the Transactions article 'On Detail in Historical Writing' by Joe Moran.

Full abstract: "This Comment considers the role of detail in historical writing, inflected through my own experience of writing ‘trade’ books for a general rather than specialist readership. I argue for the value of the detail that is slightly recalcitrant, that is more than just flesh on the bones of an argument or evidence marshalled to make a point. Detail is itself a kind of argument and thus, since beauty and elegance in writing derive from economy, a way of making a point without belabouring it. The gratuitous fact can be seductive, suggesting that the world has a randomness and overabundance that can't easily be rounded up into a dataset. Details, in their singularity and idiosyncrasy, point to the capaciousness of human experience. They correct our tendency to fixate on one story, to focus on the eventful at the expense of the marginal, and to invent a false unity of experience that erases social differences. With their obdurate specificity, they can shatter our presumptions about the past. I explore these ideas with reference to modern literature (Flaubert, Chekhov), the Mass-Observation archive and examples from my own work in contemporary cultural history and family history."

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 29/07/2026

We've two new volumes in the Society's Camden Series of primary editions: > 'The Correspondence of Katherine Jones, Viscountess Ranelagh, 1640–91', ed Evan Bourke > 'Francis Slingsby (1611–42) and the Jesuits', ed Brian Mac Cuarta - published next week More on our latest Camdens bit.ly/4wvv9P1

Cover images of six recent volumes in the Royal Historical Society's Camden Series of primary source editions:

Francis Slingsby (1611–1642) and the Jesuits, edited by Brian Mac Cuarta
The Correspondence of Katherine Jones, Viscountess Ranelagh, 1640–1691, edited by Evan Bourke
A Collector Collected. The Journals of William Upcott, 1803-1823, edited by Mark Philp, Aysuda Akan and Curtis Leung.
The Holograph Letters of Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scots (1489-1541), edited by Helen Newsome-Chandler
The Papers of Admiral George Grey, edited by Michael Taylor
THE HOUSEHOLD ACCOUNTS OF ROBERT AND KATHERINE GREVILLE, LORD AND LADY BROOKE, AT HOLBORN AND WARWICK, 1640–1649, edited Stewart Beale, Andrew Hopper, Ann Hughes

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 21/07/2026

New today on the Society's blog: 'How to Read Foreign-Language Sources in 80 Days' bit.ly/4fx6TVp Dr Jasper Heinzen on the value of, and routes to, better language understanding for Year 3 History students. Jasper's project was supported by an RHS Teaching Fellowship for 2025-26 #Skystorians

$Opening page for the post: 'How to Read Foreign-language Sources in 80 Days: Helping History Students Get the Most out of Translation Software', by Dr Jasper Heinzen, University of York. Full abstract: "In this post Dr Jasper Heinzen reflects on the design and implementation of his recent project, ‘How to Read Foreign-language Sources in 80 Days: Helping Students Get the Most out of Translation Software’. This project, run at the University of York, was supported by the award from the Society of a Jinty Nelson Teaching Fellowship for 2025-26. The project enabled Year 3 History Undergraduates to gain a basic understanding of the German language in order to support primary research in German texts for their dissertations. Jasper emphasises the necessity of expanding language knowledge and education ‘to prevent the refraction of global cultural knowledge through the prism of one language’. The Society’s Teaching Fellowships programme runs annually to encourage innovative practice in the teaching of history in higher education. The Fellowships are generously supported by the Scouloudi Foundation. Recipients of Fellowships for 2026-27 will be announced in the near future."$

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 16/07/2026

Fellowship and Membership applications are welcome at anytime from those working with history, across all career stages and sectors: bit.ly/43bmMLe Next closing date: 27 July. Today's Fellows teach / research in 13 countries; our new PGR Members are studying in 43 universities in 12 countries 2/2

Map image with text: Join the Royal Historical Society: Fellowship, Associate Fellowship, Membership, Postgraduate Members. Closing dates for next applications: Mondays 27 July and 5 October 2026.

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 16/07/2026

Alison's new article is available free Open Access, as is all content published in 'Transactions': bit.ly/486BF5d TRHS editors warmly welcome submission of research articles and comment pieces, on historical practice and debate, from historians working within and outside education 2/2

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 16/07/2026

New article today in 'Transactions of the RHS': 'Men, Emotions and the Sickbed in a Sorcery Trial from Seventeenth-Century Germany', by Alison Rowlands bit.ly/453Xe3F A story and its meanings of illness, harmful magic and bewitchment in 1660s Rothenburg. Now available OA #Skystorians 1/2

Front page of new Transactions article: 'Men, Emotions and the Sickbed in a Sorcery Trial from Seventeenth-Century Germany', by Alison Rowlands. Full abstract:

"Some early modern Europeans believed that illness was caused by an act of harmful magic perpetrated against a sufferer by another person. This attribution of magical blame was not inevitable, however, although historians’ understanding of the social and emotional dynamics of the process by which illness might be linked to bewitchment remains patchy. This article deepens our understanding of this ‘witch-making’ process and how it was gendered through in-depth analysis of a seventeenth-century German sorcery trial involving two urban craftsmen. It explains how two men who had previously had a socially intimate relationship reached a point at which one began to suspect the other of bewitching him into ill-health. It also establishes when and why the moments of greatest social and emotional tension were reached between the men and their families. This article argues that the sickbed constituted a particularly important temporal stage and spatial context in this process. As a site of bodily suffering, caring expectations and practices, and intense emotions, it required visitors and caregivers to manage their interactions carefully to maintain peace between neighbours. In the trial examined here, those efforts failed."

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 15/07/2026

This sharp decline in early career staff and pathways has meant a profound reshaping of the profile of academic History staff in UK HE, 2012/13 to 2024/25. The following chart, drawn from the BA data, shows four career stages as a % share of total staff numbers, at three points since 2012/12, 2/2

Chart showing 'Academic Staff, History, by contract / career stage, for the years: 2012/13, 2018/19 and 2024/25'

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 15/07/2026

In addition to today's data on staffing in UK HE, @britishacademy.bsky.social has produced several briefings, including one on the very significant decline in early career academics, 2012-24: bit.ly/4wGBTcl History has seen a 32% decline in early career staff numbers since 2012/13 #Skystorians 1/2

he British Academy
Mapping SHAPE academic staff briefing:
Pathways for early career
SHAPE
academics are in decline

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 15/07/2026

The @britishacademy.bsky.social resource also shows significant and v. concerning trends in recruitment of academic historians. The period 2018/19 to 2024/25 has seen a 25% fall (435 FPE) of staff with the contract type 'early career'. This compares to a 4% rise for senior staff #Skystorians 3/3

Screen shot of British Academy mapping staff in SHAPE showing decline in History staff (contract type 'early career' for 2018-19 to 2024-25 in all institutions: 25% decline (435 FPE).

Screen shot of British Academy mapping staff in SHAPE showing rise in History staff (contract type 'Professors' and 'Senior Career' for 2018-19 to 2024-25 in all institutions: 4% increase (30 FPE).

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 15/07/2026

Changes in staffing vary considerably by institution / region. The period 2018/19 to 2024/25 has seen a 25% (200 FPE) decline in History staff in Post-92 institutions. HESA regions with marked falls in staff for this period incl: South-East (-32%), East of England (-22%), Yorks & Humber (-18%) 2/3

Screen shot of British Academy mapping staff in SHAPE showing decline in History staff for 2018-19 to 2024-25 in Post-92 institutions: 25% decline (200 FPE).

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 15/07/2026

The Society will write up a summary for History for next week. Key points at this stage include: > 11% decline (-440 FPE) across all History staff between 2018/19 and 2024/25, compared with a 7% decline across all humanities > loss of 140 FPE History roles 2022/23 to 2024/25 #Skystorians 1/3

Screen shot from British Academy mapping SHAPE staff resource, showing change in History staff between 2018/19 and 2024/25. A loss of 440 FPE or 11% of the total.

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 15/07/2026

A new resource from @britishacademy.bsky.social, out today, maps changes in UK academic staff numbers and contract types between 2012/13 & 2024/25 for the arts, humanities & social sciences bit.ly/4w47SmP You can search by subject (incl history), provider, region & forms of employment #Skystorians

Main page of new British Academy resource on Mapping SHAPE academic staff in UK HE.

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 14/07/2026

Nilakshi introduces her new TRHS article with a blog post on 'Unsettling Shared Identity' bit.ly/4pm1Dbx As she argues, insider status is not a stable category but a relational condition. Reflecting on disciplinary training matters as much as consideration of our biographical identities 2/2

Opening page of the RHS blog post: 'Unsettling Shared Identity: Positionality and the Oral History'.

Image of recording equipment and full abstract:

'In this post, Dr Nilakshi Das introduces her new article, ‘Positionality in Oral History Research: Proximities and Paradoxes of an “Insider” Status’, recently published in ‘Transactions of the Royal Historical Society’. Drawing on thirteen life-history interviews with South Asian scientists who trained in post-war British universities, the article asks what happens to the familiar ‘insider’ and ‘outsider’ distinction when a researcher shares a broad regional identity with the people they interview. It argues that insider status is not a stable category but a shifting, relational condition, and that reflecting on our disciplinary training matters as much as consideration of our biographical identities. The article proposes a more nuanced application of positionality in historical research and analysis—one that is fluid, reflexive and critical of exclusive knowledge claims based on demographic sameness. Nilakshi’s article is now available, Open Access, via FirstView in ‘Transactions of the Royal Historical Society’.

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 14/07/2026

What determines relationships between interviewer and interviewee in oral history research? bit.ly/4gwipCy Nilakshi Das's new Transactions article questions the value of 'insider' status, arguing instead for models of positionality based less on identity than training and approach #Skystorians 1/2

Opening page of Dr Nilakshi Das's article in 'Transactions of the Royal Historical Society': 'Positionality in Oral History Research:
Proximities and Paradoxes of ‘Insider’ Status'.

Full abstract: "A long-standing debate in oral history centres on the researcher’s positionality as either an ‘insider’ or ‘outsider’ to the research participants. This comment argues that insider
status is not a stable but a relational category, one that must be critically interrogated to avoid privileging insider perspectives. Reflecting on thirteen life-history interviews with South Asian scientists who undertook postgraduate training at post-war British universities, I examine how the normative assumption of a shared ‘South Asianness’ shaped my negotiation of the insider/outsider positionality continuum. My positionality as a South Asian researcher in the UK studying previous generations of South Asian students certainly reduced
intersubjective distance with interviewees. However, the presumption of insider status also exposes the instability of identity-based claims to authority. The immense heterogeneity of nationality, language, age, class, gender, occupation, educational and migration trajectories of the interviewees complicated any straightforward claim to insider status on my part. By examining how shared identity both enabled and complicated the research encounter, this comment destabilises the insider/outsider dialectic underpinning research positionality, arguing instead that positionality is a shifting intersubjective condition, constituted through
an iterative process of reflexive praxis within historical research and analysis."

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 11/07/2026

This week we reviewed #history undergraduates' responses to the 2026 National Student Survey: bit.ly/44Xrlty Notable is the high level of appreciation for history degrees (their quality, intellectual stimulation and rigour) and the university historians who design and teach them #Skystorians

Graphic taken from a recent post in WonkHe showing responses by history students to the 2026 National Student Survey, 26 questions in total: dark green indicates the response 'Very Good' and light green 'Good'.

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 09/07/2026

Qu 9 in the Survey asks: 'How well has your course developed your knowledge and skills that you think you will need for your future?' History again scores well here. It's within +/- 2% of responses for degrees in subjects often considered more vocational. See Chart 4: bit.ly/4eOf2FO #Skystorians

Chart of NSS 2026 date relating to Question 9: 'How well has your course developed your knowledge and skills that you think you will need for your future?' This shows all available CAH Level 1 subjects (including History within 'Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies') in terms of their positivity score for Question 9. HPRS scores 84.4% against an all subject mean of 86.8%.

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 09/07/2026

Archive NSS data also allows us to compare trends for these same 8 questions for comparable surveys, 2022-26. See charts 2 & 3: bit.ly/4eOf2FO Positivity rates are rising, with a notable increase in those responding positively to Qu 9 about how well history prepares students for the future 2/2

NSS 2026 data, showing the change in positivity scores for Questions 5, 6, 7 and 9 of the Survey, including NSS Question 9: 'How well has your course developed your knowledge and skills that you think you will need for your future?'

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 09/07/2026

The results are striking for their positivity. A comparison of responses to 8 key questions, for 'history' vs 'all subjects', shows those who teach history in UK HE, and the courses they create, compare very well when set against all subject options. See chart 1: bit.ly/4eOf2FO #Skystorians 1/2

Chart showing selected NSS date for 2026. Eight selected questions from this year's survey, comparing responses for all subjects and for History.

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 09/07/2026

How highly do recent UK history graduates rate their courses and the academic historians who design and lead them? bit.ly/4eOf2FO Yesterday's publication of the 2026 National Student Survey offers a snapshot for #history and historians. Our new blog post summarises selected responses #Skystorians

Opening page of Royal Historical Society blog post: 'History and its Historians in the National Student Survey, 2026'

Full abstract: This week sees publication of the National Student Survey for 2026, by the Office for Students. This year’s survey asked final-year undergraduates (2025), finishing their studies in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, to complete the annual set of 26 questions on themes including teaching and assessments, academic support, and the wider student experience. The resulting data may be filtered to provide insights on recent students’ experience of a particular subjects at degree level. This includes ‘history’ and allows comparison of responses from 2025 graduates with those for all subjects studied in UK higher education. Archived data also shows trends in the views and experience of history undergraduates. In both cases, UK history undergraduates demonstrate very high levels of appreciation: for the quality of teaching by university historians, for the rigour and intellectual richness of the courses designed by these historians; and the value of a history degree in preparing them for personal and professional life on leaving university.

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 06/07/2026

Friday 10 July is also the closing date for applications for the Society's next round of Teaching Fellowships: bit.ly/3QRapBH Grants support projects in innovative teaching practice, or studies of #History teaching in higher eduction. Fellowships are named for Jinty Nelson, RHS President 2000-04.

Text for Jinty Nelson Teaching fellowships, 2026-27: Launched in 2023, the Jinty Nelson Teaching Fellowships support History teaching in UK Higher Education. The Fellowships are named after Dame Jinty Nelson FBA (1942-2024), President of the Society between 2000 and 2004.

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 06/07/2026

A reminder: this Friday (10 July) is the closing date for applications for the Society's Funded Book Workshop Grants, 2026-27 bit.ly/4vfL6av Grants fund a day workshop for historians writing a 2nd or 3rd monograph, to discuss their project and manuscript with up to 6 specialist readers #Skystorians

Image of book with accompanying text: "The Society's Funded Book Workshop Grants support historians, currently working on a second or third major research project, and which will lead to publication of a monograph. The Book Workshops enable an author to bring together fellow scholars to discuss and develop the manuscript of a scholarly monograph."

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 06/07/2026

To accompany his new article, Marc also writes today for the Society's blog: bit.ly/3QWWcDi. Marc's new article is available free Open Access, as is all TRHS content via CUP's FirstView: bit.ly/4go55QE Submission of articles for review is warmly welcomed from all historians bit.ly/4aBnDZU 2/2

Opening page of the RHS blog post, 'Dwarfism, Institutionalisation and Marginalisation at the Court in Early Bourbon France' by Marc W. S. Jaffré. Image of Person with dwarfism dressed as a fool accompanying the fairy Macette in the court ballet Les Fées des forêts de Saint-Germain (1625). Daniel Rabel, Macette La Caprioleuse (1625). BnF, RESERVE QB-3-FOL.

Full abstract for post: "In this post, Marc Jaffré introduces his new article — ‘Dwarfism, Institutionalisation and Marginalisation at the Court in Early Bourbon France, 1589–1715’ — published in Transactions of the Royal Historical Society.

Marc’s article is a study of people with dwarfism employed as court dwarfs during the reigns of Henri IV, Louis XIII, and Louis XIV of France. Through an analysis of the varying positions held by people with dwarfism at court, and the roles they performed there, the article challenges existing historiographies that emphasise contemporary responses of ‘wonder’ and curiosity regarding physical difference.

Marc focuses instead on the activities and experiences of people with dwarfism. This shows how the archival invisibility of people with dwarfism is partly due to their reticence to be identified with the office of court dwarf. More broadly, its demonstrates the rich potential of an approach to early modern court studies that de-centres the monarch, ministers and absolutism to better understand the court – its institutions and its culture – in its own right. Marc’s new article is now available, Open Access, in Transactions via CUP’s FirstView."

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 06/07/2026

New article in Transactions: 'Dwarfism, Institutionalisation and Marginalisation at the Court in Early Bourbon France, 1589–1715', by Marc W. S. Jaffré bit.ly/4viF2Ou Marc's article demonstrates the value of creative archival research for the study of marginalised groups. #Skystorians 1/2

Opening page of the 'Transactions of the Royal Historical Society' article: 'Dwarfism, Institutionalisation and Marginalisation at the Court in Early Bourbon France, 1589–1715' by Marc W. S. Jaffré.

Full abstract: "This article is a study of people with dwarfism employed as court dwarfs during the reigns of Henri IV, Louis XIII and Louis XIV of France. Through an analysis of the varying positions held by people with dwarfism at court and the roles they performed there, it challenges existing historiographies that emphasise the wonder their physical difference elicited and their function as the monarch’s alter ego to explain their presence at court. Instead of focusing on symbolic meanings attached to dwarfism, this study centres on the activities and experiences of people with dwarfism. This approach reveals that the invisibility of people with dwarfism in the archive is partly due to their reticence to be identified with the office of court dwarf. Indeed, they struggled to power the institutional development of the office because it was a constant reminder of their marginal status at court. The office’s eventual disappearance under Louis XIV thus reveals how marginalisation combined with processes of institutionalisation to destabilise the lives and careers of people with dwarfism at court. The article’s analysis rests on a granular approach to primary sources, re-emphasising the value of archival research for the study of marginalised groups, even when surviving material is relatively lacking."

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 02/07/2026

Rebecca's lecture was a fascinating study of the relationship of warfare and the circulation of wealth and goods in the early modern world. Video and audio recordings will be available soon. Thanks again to Rebecca for a brilliant Prothero Lecture and to all who attended in person and online 2/2

Professor Rebecca Earle gives the 2026 Royal Historical Society Prothero Lecture: ‘The Last Voyage of the Santiago: A Ship and its World in the Age of Revolution’, on 1 July 2026.

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 02/07/2026

Gianamar and Stephanie were presented with their prizes by the Society's President, Lucy Noakes, as part of the Prothero Lecture and Summer Party on the evening of Weds 1 July. Our congratulations to them both, and all those shortlisted for the 2026 Early Career Article Prize bit.ly/4ayG69t 4/4

Lucy Noakes announces the winners of the 2026 RHS First Book and Early Career Article Prizes.

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 02/07/2026

Yesterday evening, the Society was delighted to announce the winners of its 2026 First Book and Early Career Article prizes: bit.ly/44HbAH2 Many congratulations to the winners of the 2026 RHS Early Career Article Prize: Dr Gianamar Giovannetti-Singh and Dr Stephanie Wanga 1/4 #Skystorians

Images of the journals 'Past and Present' and 'Development and Change' and the text: Early Career Article Prize

WINNERS, 2026

Gianamar Giovannetti-Singh &
Stephanie Wanga

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 02/07/2026

Kiran and John were presented with their prizes by the Society's President, Lucy Noakes, as part of the RHS Prothero Lecture and Summer Party on the evening of Wednesday 1 July. Our congratulations to Kiran and John, and all those shortlisted for the 2026 First Book Prize bit.ly/4at61PV 4/4

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 02/07/2026

John Latham-Sprinkle's book, 'The North Caucasian Kingdom of Alania, 850-1240' is described by the judges as 'a masterly study which shows how historical analysis can be brought to bear even when source material is largely absent or fragmentary.' 3/4

Cover image of of John Latham-Sprinkle's book The North Caucasian Kingdom of Alania, 850-1240 (Cambridge University Press, 2025)

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 02/07/2026

Kiran Mehta's book, 'To Detain or To Punish: Magistrates and the Making of the London Prison System, 1750-1840' bit.ly/4xRg23k is described by the judges as 'a highly original monograph that addresses a notable gap in studies of early modern crime and punishment' 2/4 @kiranmehta.bsky.social

Image of Kiran Mehta's 'To Detain or To Punish: Magistrates and the Making of the London Prison System, 1750-1840' (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2025)

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