A Brief Publication History of The Sheik

by Beth Cole The Sheik by E. M. Hull, which celebrates its hundredth anniversary this year, was one of the most successful romance novels of its time, inspiring two hit silent films starring Rudolph Valentino as well as a slew of copy-cats in the desert romance genre. A hundred and eight different editions of The … Continue reading “A Brief Publication History of The Sheik”

Old Age, Alms Houses and Birmingham’s Lench’s Trust

by Cameron Bonfield Why did I apply? I wasn’t always certain about applying for the Undergraduate Research Scholarship and if memory serves me right, I didn’t apply until the day of the deadline! But heading into third year of university meant I had to start looking at feasible options post my university adventure and while … Continue reading “Old Age, Alms Houses and Birmingham’s Lench’s Trust”

War and Anti-War: Theatrical Responses to the First World War

by Phoebe Geary Unequivocally, World War One’s literary legacy has moulded the modern western canon more so than any other historical conflict. After all, it was the war that inspired the jolting poetry of Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen, and it was the war that produced an array of modern classics, most notably All Quiet … Continue reading “War and Anti-War: Theatrical Responses to the First World War”

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly… Oh, and the research scheme too!

by Bethany Harwood Initially, going into my research scheme, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Hours upon hours of sitting in front of my laptop under constant supervision from the head of my department struck me as extremely daunting; especially if I was struggling to come up with conclusions, or relate my findings to … Continue reading “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly… Oh, and the research scheme too!”

Counterfactual Skepticism

by Tyler Collins This summer, I’ve had the privilege of working with Dr. Nikk Effingham as part of UoB’s 2019 undergraduate research scholarship. This blog post sadly marks the end of that project and leaves me with an unusual question: How best to convey what was essentially five weeks of close reading? Unfortunately, philosophy seldom … Continue reading “Counterfactual Skepticism”

Decolonising British Heritage

by Ryan Masters On my first day of the scholarship I met up with Dr Sadiah Qureshi and Dr Kate Smith, along with Corinne Fowler, developer of the colonial countryside project (a project to demonstrate the links many country houses have to colonial affairs, something which has often been ignored, and a major part of … Continue reading “Decolonising British Heritage”

Banks, Government, Industry – Digitising the Westminster and City Conferences Tapes

by Rowan Jeffery-Wall Privatisation, de-regulation, commercialisation – the watchwords of the Thatcher and Major governments of the 1980s and 1990s. But, how were these broad-sweeping economic and social changes actually enacted and negotiated with those in business and industry? Enter the Westminster and City Conferences, chaired by Douglas French – whose large collection of cassette … Continue reading “Banks, Government, Industry – Digitising the Westminster and City Conferences Tapes”

Family Chapels in Post-Reformation England

by Oscar Bond This project has taken me from the Northern counties of Lancashire and Shropshire, to Somerset and Devon of the West Country and of course, the beautiful East Anglian; Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex. Yet, despite this area covered, I have not had to leave the library and been able to ascertain an in-depth … Continue reading “Family Chapels in Post-Reformation England”

Public Procurement: Expecting the Unexpected

by Meagan Parent As an international Law with Business Studies student, I was happy to be selected for Dr Luke Butler’s project: ‘The United States and International Trade Liberalisation: Reciprocal Defence Procurement Agreements’ (try saying that three times fast!). This seemed an excellent way to combine my study areas, which I sometimes struggle to link … Continue reading “Public Procurement: Expecting the Unexpected”

Ladies of London: Social life in the 1780s and 90s

by Lucy Cutter The Ladies of London project focussed on Angelica Schuyler, an American socialite who resided in London between 1784 and 1797. During this time Angelica was a member of British high society, her circle including, but not limited to, politician Charles James Fox, artist Maria Cosway and the Prince of Wales. Over the … Continue reading “Ladies of London: Social life in the 1780s and 90s”