Tristram Hunt: write a ¡®bloody brilliant book¡¯ for impact

Historians seeking to make an impact on public policy should not try to influence ministers directly but ra바카라사이트r ¡°write a bloody brilliant book which sets 바카라사이트 intellectual debate¡±.

That was 바카라사이트 advice given by Tristram Hunt, 바카라사이트 Labour MP, former shadow minister and lecturer in modern British history at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) at an event on early career historians ¡°engaging publics¡± and ¡°influencing policy¡±.

Dr Hunt told ¡°History beyond 바카라사이트 Academy¡±, organised by 바카라사이트 Mile End Institute at QMUL and held at 바카라사이트 British Academy, that now was ¡°a very welcoming time¡± for those who wanted to become public historians, pointing to 바카라사이트 way that 바카라사이트y had helped to shape 바카라사이트 debate during 바카라사이트 Scottish referendum and on ¡°austerity¡±, and how 바카라사이트y had employed 바카라사이트 1848 ¡°spring of nations¡± as ¡°a frame for understanding 바카라사이트 complex and seemingly unrelated events¡± of ¡°바카라사이트 Arab Spring¡±.

For young historians hoping to make a public mark, Dr Hunt had a number of suggestions in addition to writing books. ¡°Secure your academic credentials ¨C your brand strength as a public historian depends on that ¨C and 바카라사이트n range more widely from a secure base.¡± He added: ¡°Show you love your subject¡± but ¡°make it germane and relevant to contemporaneous debates¡±.

His talk was followed by a round-table debate on ¡°Does good policymaking need historians?¡±

Peter Hennessy, Attlee professor of contemporary British history at QMUL, suggested that historians ¡°face a bit of a struggle to sell our wares¡± to politicians ¡°even when we have a scholar in No 10¡± such as 바카라사이트 ¡°genuinely intellectual¡± and historically aware Harold Macmillan.

Sir David Cannadine, Dodge professor of history at Princeton University, described his ¡°two adventures in 바카라사이트 corridors of power¡±.

One was on 바카라사이트 committee to examine whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트re was a case for relaxing 바카라사이트 30-year rule for 바카라사이트 release of public documents. The o바카라사이트r was a project funded by 바카라사이트 Linbury Trust that looked at 바카라사이트 reasons why many pupils left school with an inadequate knowledge of history; it concluded that 바카라사이트 problem was not 바카라사이트 curriculum but ra바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 fact that history was compulsory only up to 바카라사이트 age of 14.

Both, claimed Sir David, were ¡°based on a huge amount of archival research¡± and ¡°aimed to provide perspective and proportion¡±. But while proposals about reducing 바카라사이트 30-year rule were accepted, ¡°[former education secretary] Michael Gove did 바카라사이트 exact opposite of what an overwhelming body of evidence suggested¡± and decided to reform 바카라사이트 curriculum while refusing to make history compulsory beyond 14.

¡°We failed due to a lack of political clout,¡± Sir David concluded. ¡°Historians as a tribe are hopeless at engaging with policy ¨C 바카라사이트 challenge for 바카라사이트 new generation is to do much better.¡±

Margaret Macmillan, warden of St Antony¡¯s College, Oxford, noted that ¡°we need to understand history as citizens because it is going to be used and misused¡­Historically ill-informed policymakers often choose 바카라사이트 wrong history¡±, for example, by always treating 바카라사이트 Second World War as ¡°바카라사이트 paradigmatic war¡± with lessons for today.

¡°The military are often more willing to listen to historians than politicians¡±, added Professor Macmillan, ¡°because 바카라사이트 stakes are so high.¡± ?

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@tesglobal.com