A web article that links to the projects being undertaken by IT Services on the Great War highlights how digitised diaries from World War One have shown how the early days of war were full of confusion about who fired its first shots. The inconsistency is just one of the insights being gained from Operation War Diary – a tie-up between The National Archives, the Imperial War Museum and online research website Zooniverse. You can find more information here, and see here for the different projects that IT Services are working on.
BBC News – Viewpoint: Why God was not killed by the Great War
It’s a popular belief that the slaughter of World War One led millions to turn away from religion. But that’s not true, writes author Frank Cottrell Boyce.
For the full article, see here.
One of our research clusters is Global War and World Religions. If you are interesting in carrying out research in this area, then see here. We have a number of academics who are working on religion and the war, including Dr. Adrian Gregory, Prof. Derek Penslar and Dr. Karma Nabulsi. Please contact them directly to discuss your research interests and see here for more information on applying to the University of Oxford with your doctoral proposal.
POMP/ESC World War I Film Seminar Series
“The End of St Petersburg”
(Soviet Union, 1927) by Vsevolod Pudovkin
Introduced by David Priestland (Faculty of History, St Edmund Hall, Oxford)
Convenor: Mikolaj Kunicki (Faculty of History, St Antony’s College, Oxford)
Thursday 13th November, 5 pm.
ALL WELCOME, AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Seminar Room, European Studies Centre, St Antony’s College, 70 Woodstock Road, Oxford
Regent’s Park College: Free First World War Exhibition and Talks
The Angus Library and Archive currently has an exhibition, For Liberty against Tyranny, to commemorate the centenary of the First World War.
The exhibition looks at the events of the First World War and how these affected the thoughts and actions of non-conformists. Featured will be never before seen items such as correspondence from Prime Minister David Lloyd George, emergency passports issued at the outbreak of war and photographs from international war fronts.
Two talks will accompany the exhibition:
Monday 10th November 6.30pm – ‘Global Religions and a Global War’ with Dr Adrian Gregory
Tuesday 11th November 6.30pm – ‘War, Peace and the Nonconformist Conscience’ with Professor Keith Robbins
Current History: Legacies of 1914
Current History, the 100-year-old publication devoted to independent analysis of contemporary international affairs, presents its November 2014 issue, a special issue titled “Legacies of 1914.” For more information—or to subscribe and gain instant online access to the current issue and our full archives of articles—please visit our website: currenthistory.com.
Current History is available for devices with a Kindle app. Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/curhist. And Twitter: @CurrentHistory1.
Our November issue includes the following essays:
The Global Legacies of World War I
by John Horne (Trinity College Dublin)
The Great War brought new forms of industrialized violence, civilian suffering, radical politics, and world order. Understanding its legacies requires a global perspective.
Rediscovering Internationalism
by Glenda Sluga (University of Sydney)
Visions of international cooperation culminated after World War I in the League of Nations. Yet internationalism in practice has always been constrained by the competing force of nationalism.
The Many Meanings of National Self-Determination
by Brad Simpson (University of Connecticut)
In 1919, Woodrow Wilson embraced the principle of nationality—but only for Europeans. Debate has continued ever since over who is entitled to nationhood, and what rights it should entail.
Genocidal Legacies of the Great War
by Mark Levene (University of Southampton)
World War I catalyzed a century of genocides. The manipulation of ethnic groups by great powers during the war weakened minority rights and led to several massacres seldom remembered today.
The Economic Consequences of the War and the Peace
by Patricia Clavin (University of Oxford)
Total war produced a new political economy: As states demanded more from their citizens, the people also expected their governments to provide more economic security.
Perspective: Contingency and Catastrophe
by Sean McMeekin (Bard College)
Drawing analogies between the global political situation in 1914 and the present misses the point: From its outbreak to its conclusion, the Great War was defined by uncertainty and accident.
Books: Dawn of the Almighty Dollar
by Emily S. Rosenberg (University of California, Irvine)
A new book by Adam Tooze boldly seeks to revise the history of World War I and the interwar era. His focus on the rise of American financial power is apt, but overlooks the role of US politics.
Current History publishes nine times per year. Each month’s issue focuses on a single region or topic—including annual issues on China and East Asia, Russia and Eurasia, the Middle East, Latin America, South Asia, Europe, and Africa. At our website, currenthistory.com, you can see the current monthly issue, search Current History’s archives, or download a free sample article from the current issue.
Dancing in the Shadow of the First World War
Dancing in the Shadow of the First World War
10:30am – 5pm, Saturday 29 November 2014
London College of Fashion
The Society for Dance Research is holding a one day symposium that explores dance during the First World War. Its impact on the political, social and economic histories of the Twentieth Century has often been explored but what was its significance for dance? This exciting day will open dialogues on a particularly under-researched area in dance history and provide new insights into dance’s complex relationship with events and values of the World War One era.
The symposium will feature a keynote speech by Theresa Buckland, Professor of Dance History and Ethnography, University of Roehampton on the topic of ‘Popular Dancing Around the First World War’. This will be followed by papers by Ramsay Burt, Charlotte Ewart, Nicole Haitzinger, Michael Huxley, Carole Kew, Dana Mills, Larraine Nicholas, Jane Pritchard, and Marianne Schultz on topics that will include: the patriotic dance programming in London during the war; the war’s influence on artists such as Isadora Duncan, Wassily Kandinsky, Léonide Massine and Pablo Picasso; and the influences and preoccupations of social dance forms.
Fee:
Society for Dance Research members: Free
Waged: £25
Unwaged: £15
For more information and how to register please visit:
http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dancing-in-the-shadow-of-the-first-world-war-tickets-13655731661
Venue: RHS West JPS133 (Room), London College of Fashion, John Prince’s Street, London W1G 0BJ
Registration and sale of tickets for this event will close on Monday 24 November.
Research Fellowship in the History of the First World War
Research Fellowship in the History of the First World War at the College of Europe, Natolin campus (Warsaw)
The College of Europe, Natolin Campus (Warsaw) is seeking applications for the position of one six-months Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship with a starting date of January 2015. The posts will be held within the framework of the European Civilization Chair, founded by the European Parliament in honour of the late Professor Bronisław Geremek.
We are looking for graduates with:
a doctorate in History or a closely related field;
a research interest in the First World War, preferably in Central or Eastern Europe;
a proven track record of research in European history, preferably with refereed publications;
a very good command of English or French; preferably both.
Tasks include:
undertaking research activities leading to high-level scholarly publications;
contributing to the activities of the European Civilization Chair, especially to the organization of the conference on the First World War planned for April 2015;
Giving a research paper to the said conference on the First World War;
providing academic support for students undertaking Masters theses related to recent European
history and European civilization, including regular participation in the seminar: ‘History of Europe’.
The College offers:
an excellent academic setting
a six-month contract under Polish law;
a generous remuneration package
an international working environment.
Candidates should prepare a research project of maximum 5 pages on a topic related to the First World War – this may be about its origins, course, impact or consequences.
E-mail applications in English or French, comprising a detailed curriculum vitae, the research project, a letter of motivation and two letters of reference, should be submitted by 15 November 2014 via e-mail to: geremek-chair@coleurope.eu