Histories of the Present

Since it began in the 1960s, the History Workshop movement has sought to make history relevant to contemporary politics. We continue this project through these Histories of the Present.

What

Where

When

Series

Taking Exception

Charlotte Lydia Riley

In the second of a series on 'Radical History after Brexit', Charlotte Lydia Riley reflects on British exceptionalism, and asks how historians can work with it.

Read Article "Taking Exception"

Awaiting Apocalypse

Kat Hill

In our "Apocalypse Then and Now" feature, Kat Hill explores the sixteenth century world of German Anabaptism and asks what it means to believe that you are living through the End of the World.

Read Article "Awaiting Apocalypse"

Solitude and Covid-19

Barbara Taylor & David Vincent

These are exceptional times. But the dangers of solitude are a very old theme. Barbara Taylor and David Vincent reflect on the fine historical line between loneliness and solitude in light of Covid-19.

Read Article "Solitude and Covid-19"

Archiving Insurgency

Pragya Dhital

What can official sources tell us about mass movements for liberation in colonial India? Pragya Dhital introduces a special feature on "Insurgency in the Archives", in issue 89 of History Workshop Journal.

Read Article "Archiving Insurgency"