A Time of Judgment (23-24 June 2016): Conference Report

Judgment everywhere. Implacable judgment in scarlet up in the Central Criminal Court or delivered in measured tones in the High Court of Chancery. Beside the Embankment in the imperial senate, judgment confidently uttered before the witnesses in committee chambers or mumbled amid the gilded crockets of a stifling House of Lords. Judgment by the bearded… Continue reading A Time of Judgment (23-24 June 2016): Conference Report

Feature: “Knowledge is Power. And fun: The Brave New World of Mechanics’ Institutes”

Manchester Mechanics' Institute, Cooper Street, UK (1825)

BY DOUG WATSON Sometimes we take education and learning for granted. We’re swimming in an ocean of knowledge. We have added “The Information Age” to the timeline of Western Civilisation. Finding something out is just a click, or a voice command (and in a few years, potentially just a thought impulse) away. Yet today is… Continue reading Feature: “Knowledge is Power. And fun: The Brave New World of Mechanics’ Institutes”

New edited collection on Early Modern Letter Writing

Prof James Daybell has just published a new book, with Andrew Gordon of Aberdeen University, entitled Cultures of Correspondence in Early Modern Britain. This edited collection about early modern letter writing, published in the University of Pennsylvania Press’ Material Texts series, brings together leading scholars in the field from around the world including Nadine Akkerman, Mark Brayshay, Christopher… Continue reading New edited collection on Early Modern Letter Writing

17-19 June 2016: Spies on British Screens conference

The enduring appeal of the James Bond franchise and the rise to prominence of other spy thrillers will be explored during a conference at Plymouth University which runs from 17-19 June. ‘Spies on British Screens’ will see academics debate the impact of spy dramas from the 1960s to the present day on British culture, as… Continue reading 17-19 June 2016: Spies on British Screens conference

Feature: “Who ya gonna call? Spiritualism in Victorian Plymouth & Exeter”

Hypnotic séance. Painting by Swedish artist Richard Bergh, 1887 (artwork in public domain)

BY JAMES GREGORY Devonport in the early 1870s. A former Baptist minister from Bristol leads meetings in the gas-lit parlour of a tradesman. The audience gather around an ordinary cloth-covered table. But the phenomena that they are there to experience will be decidedly out of the ordinary. Over the next few years, members of various… Continue reading Feature: “Who ya gonna call? Spiritualism in Victorian Plymouth & Exeter”

23-24 June 2016: What did ‘Judgement’ mean in the 19th century?

The Judgement of Salomon by Gaspar de Crayer [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Registration is now open for ‘A Time of Judgement: The Operation and Representation of Judgement in 19th century Cultures’ to be held on 23 and 24 June 2016 at Plymouth University. Please note that you can benefit from the Early Bird Delegate rate and save £25 by booking before 31 May. This international, interdisciplinary conference seeks… Continue reading 23-24 June 2016: What did ‘Judgement’ mean in the 19th century?

Conference: “Gender, Power and Materiality in Early Modern Europe, 1500-1800” (7-9 April 2016)

This three-day conference (7-9 April 2016) at Plymouth University on the theme of ‘Gender, Power and Materiality in Early Modern Europe, 1500-1800’ is part of a two-year AHRC-funded international research network run by Professor James Daybell (Plymouth University), Professor Svante Norrhem (Lund University), Dr Nadine Akkerman (Leiden University) and Professors Susan Broomhall and Jacqueline Van… Continue reading Conference: “Gender, Power and Materiality in Early Modern Europe, 1500-1800” (7-9 April 2016)

Feature: “Voices of angels & men: religious identity and pilgrimage to the Mont Saint-Michel in 16th & 17th century France”

BY ELIZABETH TINGLE   The abbey of the Mont Saint-Michel is located on a spectacular natural site, a small rocky outcrop in the bay of Avranches in Normandy which is an island at high tide but accessible on foot at low tide. In 708 AD, Aubert, bishop of Avranches, founded a sanctuary on the Mont… Continue reading Feature: “Voices of angels & men: religious identity and pilgrimage to the Mont Saint-Michel in 16th & 17th century France”

Maritime History Conference for New Researchers – 15/16 April 2016

This conference at Plymouth University provides a unique opportunity for emerging scholars to present their work in a supportive environment and to build relations with other maritime historians.  The conference will feature presentations on research in maritime history from research degree students, the world of museums, and by independent scholars. The keynote is Dr J.D.… Continue reading Maritime History Conference for New Researchers – 15/16 April 2016