London Socialist Historians Group
Media Release 14th February
Contact Dr Keith Flett 07803 167266
Socialist Historians call for an end to Culture Wars on British historical research
The London Socialist Historians Group that organises the socialist history seminar at the Institute of Historical Research has said that plans by the Government to appoint a Free Speech Champion for Universities and tell cultural institutions that they must not airbrush British history is part of a Tory Culture War. It has little to do with history and a lot to do with the Tories striking stances on things they think will win them votes.
At the same time the historians say that the apparent ignorance that Culture Minister Oliver Dowden has about history and what historians to do cannot go unchallenged. British history is not some static unchanging thing. Obviously there are key factual events but how each generation understands them and which bits of British history are discussed and remembered is subject to change. At least some of that relates to work that historians do to better understand British history.
LSHG Convenor Dr Keith Flett said, I would suggest that Oliver Dowden reads Sheila Rowbotham’s Hidden from History and Peter Fryer’s Staying Power. Without those foundation texts the history of women and ethnic minorities would have stayed airbrushed out of the British historical record.
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