27 September – 15 October 2010
On 27 September Clare Mulley presented a paper to the Voluntary Action History Seminar on the philanthropist and founder of Save the Children, Eglantyne Jebb . Based upon her recent award-winning biography: The woman who save the children: a biography of Eglantyne Jebb founder of save the children (Oxford, 2009), Mulley delves into Jebb’s life, work and motivations and asks why someone that did not particularly like children in her own life ended up as one of the most important fundraisers and supporters of children’s rights.
We began the second week of October by welcoming to the podcasting fold for the first time, the Sport and Leisure History Seminar. On 11 October, Professor Tony Collins from Leeds Metropolitan University gave a fascinating talk on ‘Representing the Nation? Welsh Rugby, Its Players and the Imaginary’. Professor Collins has examined the background of Welsh International Rugby Union players and asks if an international team represents in anyway the nation in terms of class structure and occupation.
Our second paper of the week marks our first attempt at recording the after-paper discussion. We hope t
hat you will find this addition interesting and would welcome any feedback. Dr Matthew Hughes from Brunel University talks about Britain’s military suppression of the Arab Revolt in Palestine between 1936 and 1939. In part Dr Hughes presents a controversial paper to the Military History Seminar, as he defends British actions in contrast to other colonial and post-colonial armies of the time. Dr Hughes is quick to point out that he is no apologist for the British military or their actions, which at times could be morally repulsive, but is attempting to paint an accurate image which is embedded in the context and attitudes of the 1930s. The post-paper discussion explains and debates this stance and in this sense is crucial to understanding Dr Hughes’ argument.
Our third and final seminar paper of the week, presented on 13 October, is again a welcome new addition to podcasting and in this case represents our only non-modern podcast this week. Tim Reinke-Williams from the University of Northampton presented to the Metropolitan History Seminar group, a paper entitled ‘Gender and sociability in early modern London’. This paper examines women of the middling sort and labouring poor in relation to London neighbourhood communities of the sixteenth and seventeenth century. Reinke-Williams scrutinises this topic through neighbourliness, company and civility.