HistoryLab 20th Anniversary Annual Conference
About this Event
The human body is more than a biological reality; it is also a cultural construct, shaped by and shaping the societies in which it exists. As a site of meaning, experience, identity, and power, the body offers a rich lens through which to explore the past.
This conference brings together postgraduate and early career researchers to examine the histories of bodies and lived experiences across periods and regions. Papers will engage with themes including medicine, health and healing, disability, gender, the senses, and the emotions, while exploring how bodies have been represented, regulated, disciplined, performed, and understood in different historical contexts.
By placing the body and lived experience at the centre of historical inquiry, the conference will consider how these themes intersect with broader questions of identity, power, culture, and society.
We are delighted to welcome keynote speaker Professor Karen Harvey, who will deliver a lecture titled 'The Radical Potential of Embodied Histories: The Case of Eighteenth-Century British Embodiment'. Drawing on her current project, Material Identities, Social Bodies: Embodiment in British Letters c.1680–1820, as well as her earlier research, Professor Harvey will explore how embodied histories can diversify and disrupt our understanding of the past. Her project uses thousands of familiar letters written by British men and women to investigate the relationships between the physical body, selfhood, and social identity. By placing people's experiences of their bodies at the centre of analysis, the project offers a history of the inhabited body and the language used to describe it, while also examining how letter writing itself shaped bodily experience.
The conference also marks the 20th anniversary of HistoryLab. For two decades, HistoryLab has provided a national platform for postgraduate and early career historians to share research, foster collaboration, and build scholarly communities. We are delighted to celebrate this milestone year and invite participants to join us for a day of discussion, reflection, and connection.
The programme will feature a combination of in-person and online presenters, allowing participation from researchers across different locations. Please note that attendance is in person only. Tea and coffee will be available throughout the day, and lunch will be provided for all registered attendees.
Whether you are presenting research or attending as a delegate, we look forward to welcoming you to this special anniversary conference.
Agenda
🕑: 09:00 AM - 09:15 AM
Registration
🕑: 09:15 AM - 09:30 AM
Welcome talk
🕑: 09:30 AM - 10:30 AM
Keynote speech: he Radical Potential of Embodied Histories: The Case of Eighte
Host: Professor Karen Harvey
🕑: 10:30 AM - 10:45 AM
Comfort break
🕑: 10:45 AM - 12:00 PM
Parallel panel 1
🕑: 12:00 PM - 12:15 PM
Comfort break
🕑: 12:15 PM - 01:30 PM
Parallel panel 2
🕑: 01:30 PM - 02:15 PM
Lunch break
🕑: 02:15 PM - 03:30 PM
Parallel panel 3
🕑: 03:30 PM - 03:45 PM
Comfort break
🕑: 03:45 PM - 05:00 PM
Parallel panel 4
🕑: 05:00 PM - 05:30 PM
Olivette Otele winner speech
🕑: 05:30 PM - 06:00 PM
Closing speech
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 0.00
