Welcome to BECC

The Birmingham Eighteenth Century Centre connects researchers across the University of Birmingham who study the literature, art, and history of the eighteenth century. We nurture a community that includes students, graduate researchers, and scholars from inside and outside formal academia. We hold all sorts of events, from scholarly seminars and workshops to public-facing panels and … Continue reading “Welcome to BECC”

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BECC Spring Programme 2024

Thursday 1 February, 5-6.30pm, Arts 224 (Danford Room) Matthew McCormack (Northampton), “Shoes from Northampton, Buckles from Birmingham, and Men from the Long Eighteenth Century“ This event is sponsored by the Centre for Midlands History and Cultures . Wednesday 14 February, 1-3pm, Aston Webb Main Lecture Theatre (C-Block) Nathan Perl-Rosenthal (University of Southern California), “The Age … Continue reading “BECC Spring Programme 2024”

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The Georgians, A Forum: Part 4

by Penelope Corfield, Royal Holloway A few authors, having published a book, regard its appearance in print as a ‘done deal’. But many, if not most, writers enjoy the creative post-publication dialogue. Comments, criticisms, appreciations, denunciations, corrections: all are grist to the mill. Publication is like throwing a stone into a pool, hoping for ripples … Continue reading “The Georgians, A Forum: Part 4”

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The Georgians: A Forum, Part 3

by Esther Wilson, University of York Given Penelope Corfield’s focus, in The Georgians, on connecting with the 21st-century audience, and my own public history background, Tom asked me to emphasise this sort of angle in my comment. I suppose in summary, I really found it a wonderful read and appreciated the way in which the … Continue reading “The Georgians: A Forum, Part 3”

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The Georgians, A Forum: Part 2

by Dave Smith, University of Warwick As a specialist researcher it’s refreshing to read a general history, especially one which is such a good read as The Georgians. I enjoyed the thematic approach and the elasticity of the periodicity. The time-shifts at the end of chapters connect the reader to historical themes such as film, … Continue reading “The Georgians, A Forum: Part 2”

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Joseph Priestley’s Material Voices

by Alice Rhodes, University of York In Spring 2022, thanks to the generous funding of the BECC and BSECS Early Career Fellowship, I spent a week in the Cadbury Research Library researching the Joseph Priestley Collection for my current project on bodies and voices in Romantic literature. The Cadbury library holds a number of manuscript … Continue reading “Joseph Priestley’s Material Voices”

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Histories of Care in the Cadbury Library Special Collections

by Kate Gibson, University of Manchester Support from BECC and BSECS allowed me to visit the Cadbury Library to examine a small collection of 31 letters, written by gentry woman Ann Ambler. Revealing her care of siblings Isabella and Thomasin Ibbetson, the letters provide new insight into fostering in the eighteenth century. The girls were … Continue reading “Histories of Care in the Cadbury Library Special Collections”

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Autumn Programme

11 October, 5-7pm, Cadbury Research Library: Launch of Rebecca Whitely, Birth Figures: Early Modern Prints and the Pregnant Body. A brief introduction to the book and conversation between Rebecca and Dr Elizabeth L’Estrange will be followed by a chance to examine some early modern midwifery books held in the collections of the Cadbury Research Library. At 6pm … Continue reading “Autumn Programme”

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Spring Programme of Events

Wednesday 15 March, 2-3.30pm How Global Was the Age of Revolutions? Co-sponsored with the Birmingham Research Institute for History and Cultures (BRIHC), this online roundtable features world-leading scholars, including Sujit Sivasundaram (Cambridge) and Joanna Innes (Oxford), in discussion on the late eighteenth century’s global turn. Please follow the link to register online for this event. *** … Continue reading “Spring Programme of Events”

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Unhomely Empire: A Forum, Part 3

By Onni Gust (University of Nottingham) I am writing this response in the uncomfortable and over-lit departure gate of Chicago O’Hare’s international airport, heading back to the UK from the NACBS conference, and from a state, Illinois, that I once fleetingly and ambivalently called ‘home’. This seems like an apt place to be reflecting on … Continue reading “Unhomely Empire: A Forum, Part 3”

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