Modern History Research Centre

Follow the links below to find out more about our research interests, areas of supervision and latest publications.

Conveners

• Dr Graciela Iglesias Rogers, Senior Lecturer in Modern European and Global Hispanic History
• Prof. Chris Aldous, Professor of Modern International History
• Dr Emily Stiles, Lecturer in Modern History

Members

• Dr Lisa Bernasek, Senior Lecturer In Social Anthropology
• Dr Xavier Guégan, Senior Lecturer in Colonial and Postcolonial History
• John Blockley, Lecturer in Modern British and European History
• Neil Curtin, Senior Lecturer in American History
• Dr Sian Edwards, Senior Lecturer in Modern British History
• Dr Carey Fleiner, Senior Lecturer with expertise in 1960s popular music
• Prof. Chris Mounsey, Professor of Eighteenth-Century English Literature
• Dr Emiliano Perra, Senior Lecturer in Modern European History
• Dr Christina Welch, Reader in Theology, Religion and Philosophy
• Dr Ulrike Ziemer, Senior Lecturer in Sociology

MHRC organises an annual series of research seminars as well as academic conferences and other events such as exhibitions, and we develop media material. Our seminar series sees scholars from around the world and closer to home present their research alongside Winchester modern historians. We also support student events.

MHRC seminars are open to anyone. They are free for the University of Winchester community and MHRC subscribers. (Not yet a subscriber? Find out how to subscribe.) Otherwise, individual entry costs are £6, and £3 for concession.

2024-25 News and Events

Forthcoming events:

Support Before the Pill: the Family Planning Association 1945-1955, by PhD student Susan Birch

29 January 2025, 16.30 - 18.00. Online and in St Alphege Building room 002, King Alfred Quarter, Sparkford Road, Winchester SO22 4NR

Traditionally historians have focused on the advent of the pill and the notion of a sexual revolution in the 1960s. More recent research such as Claire Langhamer’s work Meanings of Home in Post- War Britain has examined the importance of the 1950s in terms of developing sexual attitudes.

In this talk, Susan Birch builds on that research to examine birth control clinics and the Family Planning Association, a national organisation, during the late 1940s and 1950s. The first birth control clinic opened in London in 1921 through the work of Dr Marie Stopes, including through birth control clinics in caravans. The national organisation was established in 1930 (then called the National Birth Control Council) through the work of Lady Denman and Margery Spring- Rice. Susan will argue that the organisation provided not simply contraceptive support for women but also for married couples and men. This support included infertility assistance which was a major focus of the work of the organisation during the period. Case studies of birth control clinics in Birmingham and Winchester will be evoked in the talk  to contrast a big-city urban environment with a smaller one surrounded by a rural setting to address the level of support available during the post-war period.

Book your ticket here
 
Susan Birch is a PhD student at the University of Winchester. Her research examines the Family Planning Association after the Second World War in Birmingham and Winchester. As well as exploring support, the research addresses the work of women in delivering family planning assistance in these two locations. Susan studied History at the University of Birmingham and gained a Masters at the University of Worcester. Susan is the first to benefit from a new pilot placement at the Wellcome Trust, as part of her PhD research. Read the full story.

Holocaust Memorial Day 2025

HMD is the annual International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust and more recent conflicts. For HMD 2025, Modern History staff and students will team up with the University's Holocaust Education specialists for a series of engagement events with local schools and colleges, an online conference, a roundtable discussion, a webcast and various talks and presentations, in collaboration with the Holocaust Educational Trust and the British & Irish Association for Holocaust Studies.

Find out how we marked Holocaust Memorial Day in recent years.

Recent events

13 Nov: Everyday Life in Post-Socialism. History Doesn’t Travel in One Direction, by Prof. Markus Wein (American University of Bulgaria)

Prof. Wein argued that the collapse of state socialism ushered in dramatic political and economic change, producing new freedoms and opportunities, but also new challenges and disappointments.

9 Sept: How the past shapes present and future challenges - and potential solutions 

This panel presentation, part of the University’s annual Research and Innovation Day, sought to demonstrate a few ways in which the past has shaped both present challenges and potential solutions. It did so by looking into three matters of current and often intense topical discussion: the case for heritage restitution, the construction of contemporary identities and the advocacy of nature amid the climate crisis.

Papers presented:

Dr Lisa Bernasek, Colonial collecting practices and the case for restitution: a case study from North Africa

Sociologist Dr Lisa Bernasek shared the findings of her research into the colonial collecting practices in North Africa, the idea of ‘consent’ and the role of indigenous agency in shaping those collections with a view to suggest what position museums should take in relation to ethical stewardship today, and whether and how objects should be repatriated in the future.

Dr Xavier Guégan, Family photographs, thorny histories and contemporary identities

Dr Guégan explored various tensions and themes behind old family photographs taken not just by relatives and friends, but also colonial authorities, army officials, commercial photographers, ethnographers, journalists and photo amateurs, to argue that they need to be faced because they infused our contemporary identities. 

Dr Graciela Iglesias-Rogers, Speak up for Nature! Voices from the Hispanic Anglosphere (19th-20th century).

Dr Iglesias-Rogers traced the role of the Hispanic Anglosphere in the development of the advocacy of wildlife in the UK, which was already under threat in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, to highlight a few strategies that remain relevant today.

3 Sept: New Insights into the Hispanic Anglosphere

A hybrid workshop showcasing the work of early-career researchers relating to the Hispanic Anglosphere, in collaboration with our partner the Universidad Adolfo Ibañez in Chile.

Papers presented:

The Hispanic Anglosphere as a Knowledge Bridge between South America and the German States: Translation cases from the Duchy of Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach (1816-1826).

Speaker: Claudio Soltmann (Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz/Germersheim)

The Patriotic Mobilization of the British Community in Chile During World War II: A Network of Transnational Collaboration from South America.

Speaker: Roberto Pérez Castro (Universidad de San Sebastián).

12 June: Britain, the Commonwealth and the Tokyo Trial: a new transnational approach

A talk by PhD student Michael Alexander, chaired by Prof. Chris Aldous and Dr Graciela Iglesias-Rogers

Largely overshadowed by the more famous Nurnberg trial, the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (Tokyo Trial) was the second of the two major trials established to deal with war crimes in the aftermath of the Second World War. The Tokyo Trial took place between April 1946 and November 1948, presided over by eleven judges from around the world who heard testimony from over 400 witnesses and considered over 4000 pieces of evidence relating to the 28 Japanese individuals suspected of war crimes.

This talk looked at the historiography through questioning the jurisdiction of the Tokyo Trial according to key sources such as the Potsdam Declaration and the Tokyo Charter – all as a prelude to introducing some of the personnel involved in the trial, with particular emphasis on the judges from the British Commonwealth.

Michael Alexander is a PhD student at the University of Winchester investigating the role played by British Commonwealth judges (Australia, Britain, Canada, India, New Zealand) in the International Military Tribunal for the Far East. He has a BA and an MA in History, also from the University of Winchester.

15 May: The Hispanic Anglosphere Network in relation to Argentina

A talk for The Anglo-Argentine Society in London by Dr Graciela Iglesias-Rogers alongside Dr Juan I. Neves Sarriegui (Univ. of Oxford)

This talk highlighted recent findings of the Hispanic Anglosphere Network in relation to Argentina. The speakers expanded on findings included in the book The Hispanic Anglosphere from the Eighteenth to the Twentieth Century – An Introduction, edited by Graciela Iglesias-Rogers (London: Routledge, 2021).

6 March: Photography under difficulties: stereoscopic photography and colonial exploration in south-west Africa in the 1860s

A hybrid talk by Prof. James R. Ryan, Professor of History, University of Portsmouth

This talk related the attempt to use stereoscopic photography to visualise environments as they came within the orbit of colonial power. Prof. Ryan considered colonial expeditionary stereoscopic photographs made in southwest Africa (today Namibia and Botswana) in 1860-64 by the explorer and trader James Chapman and their relationship with the paintings of his fellow explorer, the artist Thomas Baines. In 1861 James Chapman joined forces with the experienced expeditionary artist Thomas Baines in a failed attempt to cross south central Africa from Walvis Bay (in today’s Namibia) on the Atlantic coast to the mouth of the Zambesi on the Indian Ocean on the east. The resulting sketches, paintings, photographs as well as the separate published and unpublished accounts by both men show the close association between these two individuals and their chosen respective visual arts. Prof. Ryan argued that photographers did not operate the new technology in a cultural vacuum and that photographs produced on the colonial frontier were not wholly projections of colonial discourse - they were complex co-productions produced with rapidly evolving colonial environments. His research shows how photographs became meaningful as colonial discourse in a variety of ways, including through circulation and display in a range of spatial settings.

20 March: Migration: why it matters, a hybrid panel discussion

Dr Anna McGuire (UCL) in conversation with MHRC members Dr Emily Stiles, Dr Xavier Guégan and Dr Graciela Iglesias-Rogers.

Few topics generate so much heated debate as that of migration. According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, we are currently experiencing the largest increase of international migration on record, with this trend set to continue as the world faces increasing pressures from climate change, warfare, and demographic growth. 

This event focussed on the UK reaction to the phenomenon from a historical perspective, opening with a talk by Dr Anna Maguire, Lecturer in Public History at University College London, who questioned the role played by Britain as a sanctuary, particularly during the period 1951-2000. Her talk opened a wider conversation with three members of the MHRC who have also been investigating the subject from different perspectives.

27 Jan: Holocaust Memorial Day

Once again the University marked Holocaust Memorial Day with a varied programme highlighting the breadth of our expertise on this important topic. Explore the Holocaust Memorial Day page to find out more, from projects to podcasts.

2023 News and Events

22 Nov: Atomic Agriculture and Insects in Mexico (1950s-1990s)

with Dr Thomas Rath (University College London)

After WWII, atomic agriculture exerted great appeal. Scientists around the world tried to use radiation to hone research, improve seeds, eradicate pests, and fight hunger. In this talk, Dr Thomas Rath examined this neglected history through an exploration of the international campaign against a notorious pest: the 'screwworm' fly, whose flesh-eating larvae kill livestock, wild mammals, and occasionally humans. Mexico's experience can help explain why some projects of atomic agriculture succeeded, and others did not.

8 Nov: Hampshire Days (1903) wildlife & rural activism from the Hispanic-Anglosphere

with Dr Graciela Iglesias-Rogers (University of Winchester) and Conor Mark Jameson (author).

This year marks the 120-anniversary of the publication of a book hailed as a ‘highly influential rural classic’. It was penned by William Henry Hudson (1841-1922), the wildlife activist considered to be the world’s first literary environmentalist. In this event ,Dr Graciela Iglesias-Rogers argued that Hampshire Days is not a bucolic account of a bygone era, but a rallying call to defend biodiversity and rural heritage shaped by Hudson’s experiences in the Hispanic world - and with strong echoes in the present day. The argument was presented in conversation with Conor Mark Jameson, author of Finding W. H. Hudson: The Writer Who Came to Britain to Save the Birds (London: Pelagic Publishing, 2023) praised by The Wall Street Journal for being a ‘creative blend of detective work and narrative intuition’ as well as an ‘impeccably researched book’.

10 May: Unlocking Modern History in the Hampshire Archives

with Dr Graciela Iglesias-Rogers and Dr Emily Stiles

In this webinar organised with the Hampshire Archives Trust, two leading MHRC members offered tips and ideas on how to make the most from researching the Hampshire Archives to discover hidden stories and specific material from the sixteenth century to recent years. The speakers shared some of their experiences in finding sources relating to the entanglement of Hampshire with the global Hispanic world and the settlement of refugees in and around Winchester since 1800.

14 Mar: The BBC: Entertaining the Nation, Speaking for Britain, 1922-2022, with Professor Simon Potter (University of Bristol) 

In this talk, Prof. Simon Potter looked back over a century to ask whether the BBC is really the 'voice of Britain', exploring its role in changing wider culture and society and promoting particular versions of British national identity, both at home and overseas. 

15 Mar: Slavery and Abolition: A Napoleonic Blind Spot?, with Professor Alan Forrest (University of York) 

Professor Alan Forrest is one of the world's leading authorities on the French Revolution and the Age of Napoleon. In this talk, he explored the longstanding pro- and anti-slavery debate that divided opinion in France and across the Atlantic world, with some dreadfully enduring consequences.

27 Jan: Holocaust Memorial Day

We were proud to mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2023 with a varied programme highlighting the breadth of our research and teaching on this important topic. Explore our Holocaust Memorial Day 2023 page to find out more.

2022 events

14 December 2022: The importance of 19th-century Spanish American emancipation in forging the political cultures of Spain and the UK

Dr Rodrigo Escribano Roca, Director of the Centre of American Studies at the Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez in Chile, introduced his latest book, a study of the impact of Spanish American independence on the political cultures of Spain and the United Kingdom. This online event was organised by the MHRC in partnership with the Hispanic Anglosphere project.

2022 news

May 2022: modern historian and Russia specialist Dr Natalya Chernyshova brings her expertise to bear in the three-part Channel 5 documentary series The Chernobyl Disaster. 

March 2022: In a new article for The Conversation, Dr Natalya Chernyshova, Senior Lecturer in Modern History, explains how the 2020 Belarusian revolution proved a pivotal turning point in the long and complicated history of the relationship between Misk and Moscow, ultimately facilitating Russia's attack on Ukraine.

On 2 March 2022, Dr Andrés Baeza Ruz, Assistant Professor at the Department of History and Social Sciences, Universidad Adolfo Ibañez, Chile, presented The birth of primary schooling in Chile - the role of the Hispanic Anglosphere.

January 2022: Dr Emily Stiles has been working with the Imperial War Museum's Holocaust Exhibition, and we are delighted to announce that her book Holocaust Memory and National Museums in Britain is now out.

2021 News and Events

On 8 December, we welcomed Thomas French from Ritsumeikan University, Japan, who spoke about The First ‘Occupation’ of Japan – The British Garrison of Yokohama 1863-1875. 

17 November 2021: Virtual talk on Pandemics and Global Entrepreneurship. Dr Graciela Iglesias-Rogers explored the role played by pandemics in shaping the destiny of a man once described as ‘the richest commoner in England’: William ‘Guillermo’ Gibbs (1790–1875). Particular attention was given to his formative years in Spain and the measures he undertook with his brother George Henry Gibbs to transform the family company Antony Gibbs & Sons into a global commercial powerhouse.

July 2021: A discussion of the recently published book The Hispanic Anglosphere from the Eighteenth to the Twentieth Century – An Introduction (edited by Dr Graciela Iglesias Rogers, MHRC Convenor and and principal investigator of the Hispanic Anglosphere project) at the Centro de Estudios Americanos (Centre of American Studies) of the Universidad Adolfo Ibañez in Chile. Speakers: Dr Graciela Iglesias-Rogers (University of Winchester), Dr Andrés Baeza Ruz (Universidad Adolfo Ibañez), Dr Manuel Llorca-Jaña (Universidad de Valparaiso). Watch the video:

May 2021: What is the Hispanic Anglosphere and what is it good for? An online discussion organized by the PECBAL (Programa de Estudios sobre la Comunidad Británica en America Latina – Study Programme on The British Community in Latin America) at the Universidad de San Andrés in Argentina. Speakers: Dr Graciela Iglesias-Rogers (University of Winchester), Dr José Brownrigg-Gleeson Martínez (National University of Ireland, Galway), Juan I. Neves-Sarriegui (University of Oxford). The initial conversation was in Spanish followed by a Q&A both in Spanish and English. Watch the video on YouTube.

In 2021, Dr Natalya Chernyshova, an expert on recent Belarus history, was interviewed on several occasions as part of her British Academy-funded project to write the first scholarly biography of Soviet Belarus's charismatic former leader Petr Masherau, then a war hero, now a national hero. In a series of podcasts and webinars, she highlighted and explained the links with the current volatile situation in Belarus. Find out about more about the Masherau project, listen to the podcasts and watch the webinar video.

2019 News and Events

May 2019: public conversation at Winchester Cathedral on 'transition', hosted by MHRC. History is full of good and bad examples of how to get through periods of transition, and never was this topic more relevant than today, with Brexit and climate change looming large. The event saw five leading international modern historians engage in a round-table discussion, taking the long view of transitions and bringing them into the present. The podcast and videos of the event can be found on the Hispanic Anglosphere website.

2018 News and Events

2018 Events focussed on 'minority histories', celebrating diversity in modern history. The 2018 Minority History Annual Event was the 'People on the move' exhibition, a collaboration with Winchester Discovery Centre. This exhibition, which ran throughout March 2018, was an international exploration of historical perspectives, experiences and events linked to migration and communities in modern history.

June 2018 saw the launch of Youth Movements, Citizenship and the English Countryside: Creating Good Citizens, 1930-1960, by Dr Sian Edwards. The book, which is the new addition to the Palgrave series Studies in the History of Social Movements, explores the role and significance of the countryside in mid 20th-century youth movements. It looks at the way in which a rural setting was used for the development of 'good citizenship', through such activities as wholesome outdoor recreation and work on the land. Dr Edwards also looked at how these models of good citizenship were intrinsically gendered, highlighting tensions between domesticity, citizenship, gender and class in a rapidly changing world. Dr Edwards is currently investigating the modern rural teenager.

In May 2018, we hosted Physicians and cultural authority in 20th-century France, a talk by by Dr Joan Tumblety (University of Southampton). How do medical doctors acquire and maintain public trust, and what does that trust enable them to achieve outside the practice of medicine? Dr Tumblety addressed these and other questions.