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IHR/ TNA AHRC Collaborative Research Training Programme:
Using Archival Sources to Inform Contemporary Policy Debates
The first of four short training courses was held at The National Archives in Kew on 19-20th February 2009. They are funded by the AHRC to assist the training, and facilitate the research, of postgraduate students researching aspects of 20th century British history. It focussed also upon training them to make their research findings accessible to the public (without dumbing down) and especially how to contribute to public debate about issues of contemporary significance.
Attenders came from 19 Higher Education Institutions around the country, from Exeter to Edinburgh. In all but one session a member of TNA staff discussed TNA records relevant to the theme of the session, followed by an academic discussing how they researched the topic and promoted their research findings.
Hstorians of earlier periods were included among the speakers, to extend the horizons of 20th century specialists and alert them to the relevance of work in earlier periods than their own. Prof. Steve Hindle (Warwick) opened with an excellent discussion of the attempts to control ‘economic migration’ across Poor Law jurisdictions in 17th century England. Prof Pete King (OU) followed with a discussion of the incidence of crime and popular perceptions of crime, especially among minority ethic groups, in the 18th and 19th centuries.
There were further talks by Prof Virginia Berridge (LSHTM) on the history of drug and alcohol policy and her work with government departments; Pat Thane (IHR/CCBH) on pensions and child support; Prof David Edgerton (Imperial) on the development of science and technology policy; Dr Hugh Pemberton (Bristol) on the Treasury and economic policy in 1960s and 1970s. Mel Porter (IHR/ History & Policy) gave an excellent final talk on the work of History & Policy and how historians can disseminate their policy-relevant work.
Michael Kandiah (IHR/CCBH) opened the second day with a presentation on the value of oral history for historians of the recent past, for which documents are often closed, opaque or non-existent, especially in the electronic age. He gave an impressively clear and succinct account of techniques, and pitfalls, of conducting individual and collective interviews, in particular the Witness Seminars (when a group of actors in a past event record a collective discussion) which he has done so much to develop. He then moved into a joint discussion with Dr Sue Onslow (Cold War Studies Centre, LSE) of the series of Witness Seminars they have conducted on the history of Southern Africa, including UDI in Rhodesia and the process of settlement. They were especially illuminating on how understanding this (fudged) settlement can help us to understand the current tragic crisis in Zimbabwe.
Feedback from the students at the conference was extremely positive, and students who are interested in attending future courses should contact Jane Shillaker at The National Archives, researchandcollect@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
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CCBH News Zone: IHR/ TNA Collaborative Research Training Programme
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