SHS Conference at Northumbria

From 8 to 10 April, the annual conference of the Social History Society (SHS) took place at Northumbria University, preceded by a pre-conference event on 7 April. The largest annual gathering of social and cultural historians in the UK, the conference brought 220 delegates from 15 countries to Newcastle. There were 191 papers presented across seven thematic strands.  The conference attracted new and established scholars in the field. The 'Histories of Activism' group was responsible for the local organisation of the event, with Daniel Laqua and Nicole Robertson acting as coordinators and several PhD students and Northumbria historians helping out as volunteers.

In addition to the conference panels, the event featured a number of special activities: on 7 April, an afternoon event inaugurated the new conference strand on ‘Global and Transnational Approaches’ (reflecting Northumbria’s own work in this area). On 8 April, a reception at the Great Hall of the Sutherland Building marked the launch of the SHS’s new book series. This was followed by a very memorable event at the North East Mining Institute, with stories and folk music performances by Vic Gammon and Benny Graham. Finally, on 9 April, we had the pleasure to welcome Prof. Colin Jones, who gave the keynote lecture on the topic of ’24 hours in the French Revolution’, followed by a conference dinner at the Assembly Rooms.