David Olusoga is one of the best known public historians of the time.
His work ranges from black history and the impact of slavery to identity and the house through time series. Perhaps his trademark is a focus on going back to archival research, reminding a wider public that history is not just opinion.
He is also a producer of TV programmes and sits on the Scott Trust that oversees the Guardian.
I’m not sure he has a clearly defined political position but very much of the liberal democratic left it could be argued.
His appearance on Traitors is unusual in the respect that well known public historians of earlier generations for example Eric Hobsbawm and E P Thompson chose wider political engagement.
The exception perhaps was AJP Taylor who used to do TV lectures on historical matters to a mass audience.
Olusoga on Celeb Traitors is an interesting historical experiment on the status and impact of the public historian in 2025
Leave a Reply