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New partnership venture for Raphael Samuel History Centre

Wednesday 29 October 2008

The Raphael Samuel History Centre, one of Britain’s leading social and cultural history research centres, is being relaunched as a three-way partnership between the University of East London (UEL), Birkbeck, University of London and Bishopsgate Institute.

The aim is to transform the Raphael Samuel History Centre into one of the UK’s most dynamic centres for historical research. Expanding the Centre’s existing work, this partnership will strengthen links with other institutions while fostering new connections within and beyond the university sector. The current Raphael Samuel History Centre programme will continue with new research projects including the history of the Thames gateway and domesticity in the capital, a new urban studies seminar, a London local history database, and ‘Young Historians’ events for schools.

The successful annual Raphael Samuel Memorial Lecture series continues with leading historian and author Jerry White’s lecture, ‘Pain and Degradation in Georgian London: Life in the Marshalsea Prison’. Giving extraordinary insight into starvation, torture, brutality and murder at Marshalsea, the most feared of London’s gaols, White charts the baleful influence of gaol culture on Londoner’s lives throughout the eighteenth century. Following in the tradition of recent years where lectures have been given by eminent historians including Janet L Nelson, Stuart Hall, Christopher Bayley and the late Roy Porter, this year’s lecture and following relaunch celebration will be held on 7 November 2008 at the Bishopsgate Institute. Both are free of charge and open to all, full details at www.raphael-samuel.org.uk.

Barbara Taylor, director of the Raphael Samuel History Centre and Professor of History at UEL, said: “We are delighted to welcome Birkbeck and Bishopsgate Institute into this ambitious venture.”

Joint Director of the Centre, Birkbeck’s Dr Matt Cook, added: “I’m very excited to be part of this initiative: the Raphael Samuel Centre already has a great reputation, and this new partnership will allow it to move forward with some really innovative new work.”

Andrew Fuller, Chief Executive of Bishopsgate Institute, where the Centre will be based, said: ‘We are delighted to be part of this initiative which builds on the already fruitful relationship we have with UEL and the RSHC and which will continue to make accessible to everyone the rich material contained in our archives on East London history as well as the Raphael Samuel archive itself.’

Background
In 1995 the historian Raphael Samuel created a centre for east London history in the School of Social Sciences, Media and Cultural Studies at the University of East London. Following his death in 1996, the Raphael Samuel History Centre was founded to continue his work. In the years since, the RSHC has become a leading centre for London history, memory studies and psychoanalytic approaches to history. It has a rich programme of seminars, conferences, and outreach activities, many in conjunction with Bishopsgate Institute (where the Raphael Samuel archive is housed) and the Institute of Historical Research. It also has strong links with History Workshop Journal, the Museum of London Docklands, and the ‘History & Policy’ network. For more information, visit www.raphael-samuel.org.uk

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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