Call for Applications: Editorial Fellowships at History Workshop in 2023-25

History Workshop is seeking to appoint three Editorial Fellows for the period October 2023 to September 2025.

These paid fellowships are intended to support early career historians to develop their expertise in public, radical, and digital history and to gain valuable experience as working as part of an editorial team. Editorial Fellows are expected to work collaboratively, use social media creatively, and commission, edit, and publish engaging content.

In this round, we are advertising two fellowships that are open to early career scholars with specialism in any area of history. We have a preference for applicants with expertise in:

  • ancient or medieval history
  • and/or in African, East and South-East Asian, or Pacific history

A third fellowship is being advertised to support and co-ordinate the online and digital dimensions of Issue 100 of History Workshop Journal. We have a preference for applicants with expertise in radical history after 1970. Like other fellows, we expect the successful candidate to use their own research interests and networks to commission content. Those who have previously held an editorial fellowship at HW are eligible to apply for this post.

Applicants should be in the final year of their PhD or recently post-doctoral. We particularly encourage early career historians identifying as BAME to apply.

Fellowships are valued at £2,300 per annum and are taxable. Fellows are expected to dedicate about 3 hours a week to their work for History Workshop.

Editorial Fellows are nominated to a non-stipendiary Associate Research Fellowship at Birkbeck, University of London, and have access to library and IT resources there.

About us

Established in 2010, History Workshop is a digital magazine of radical history. It seeks to deepen understandings of the past, cast fresh light on the present and agitate for change in the world we live in now. HW is a politically pluralistic platform and publishes a wide spectrum of progressive radical opinion.

We continue the democratising spirit of the History Workshop movement, and expand the ongoing work of History Workshop Journal. You can find out more about us here.

Job description

Core duties of editorial fellows include:

  • Publishing: Work within the mandate of History Workshop to commission, edit, and publish articles regularly [a minimum of one article per month]
  • Series: During their fellowship, each fellow will commission and curate a thematic series based on their research interests and networks, with a broad chronological and geographical reach. Past examples include Radical Friendship and Whose Streets?
  • Social media: Promote HW and its content regularly on our social media channels, using creative methods to help generate engagement, online conversation, and new content for the site.
  • Teamwork and admin: Work collaboratively with the wider HW team to develop shared priorities and participate in administrative tasks, including email account management. Fellows will also attend team meetings online every few months.
  • Podcast: Fellows will also have the opportunity to produce episodes of the History Workshop Podcast

Person specification

The successful applicant will:

  • Have research interests and networks that speak to the (pluralistic) radical remit of History Workshop
  • Have strong social media experience and online literacy
  • Have a demonstrable commitment to public history, history from below, history and activism, and/or radical history
  • Have a record of excellent administrative and organisational skills
  • Have a vision of how they would like to use their time as an editorial fellow, including a series that they would like to commission (please note that the Issue 100 fellow is also expected to develop a series)

Experience of using WordPress or audio editing software would be an asset, as would previous editorial experience.

Eligibility

This fellowship is intended for early career historians, in the third year of their PhD or beyond, who will not normally have a full-time, permanent academic post.

We particularly encourage early career historians identifying as BAME to apply.

Those who have previously held an editorial fellowship at HW are eligible to apply for the Issue 100 fellowship.

We are legally required to ask the appointed candidate to demonstrate that they have the right to work in the UK.

Applying

Please specify whether you are applying for the two open fellowships or the Issue 100 fellowship.

Eligible applicants are asked to send one PDF file, containing:

  • a one-page CV, highlighting previous relevant experience and the names of two referees.
  • a one-page cover letter. The cover letter should outline the way that your research and experience make you suitable for this role, using the job description and person specification. It should also contain an brief outline of a series you would seek to commission as an editorial fellow.

Applicants should also complete and submit the following Equality and Diversity Monitoring form with their application:

Applications should be submitted by midnight on Monday 14th August 2023 to hwoeditors@historyworkshop.org.uk.

All candidates will be informed about whether they have been shortlisted for interview on Tuesday 5th September.

Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed over Zoom on Wednesday 20th September.