History
The Raphael Samuel History Centre was founded in 1995 to promote research into the modern history of East London. Since then its remit has broadened to London history in general and especially the history of the Thames Gateway; comparative metropolitan histories; memory studies; and psychoanalytic approaches to history. The Centre is interdisciplinary in approach, combining the interests of social and cultural historians with those of researchers in adjacent disciplines, especially cultural and political studies, English literature, and human geography.
The Centre's objectives are:
- To generate a multi-pronged programme of high quality research
- To disseminate the results of this research through publications, lectures, seminars, conferences and symposia
- To generate bids for externally-funded research projects
- To stimulate historical discussion and debate through public events and media
- To develop a cohort of postgraduate students and postdoctoral researchers
- To work with the Bishopsgate Institute library to develop the Raphael Samuel Archive
- To promote strong links between academic History and schools-taught History, so as to foster greater awareness of, and enthusiasm for History among young people.
- To work with existing local history organisations to promote local-historical initiatives across London
In September 2009, the Centre was relaunched as a three-way partnership between the University of East London (UEL), Birkbeck, University of London and the Bishopsgate Institute. This partnership enables a substantial expansion of the Centre's work on many fronts, including new research projects into the Thames gateway and domesticity in the capital, a new urban studies seminar, the creation of a London local history database, and a major 'Young History Workshop’ project for secondary schools. The eventual aim is to for the centre to become a national hub for historians working at all levels.