Posts tagged history

Nat West and the gentle art of forgetting

June 26, 2012 · Filed under Name Change · Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

I suppose I should be sympathetic to the plight of Nat West savers. I mean, I AM one, so if anything else goes tits up, it could well be my account, my direct debits and…well, you get the picture.

But still, I can’t help feeling a touch of schadenfreude (look it up!) at all those earnest folk in the media and on phone-ins worried about bad credit records being created through no fault of the individuals concerned – and therefore why matters should be corrected at the earliest possible, leaving not the shadow of a stain on their personal history. Read the rest of this entry »

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Event: What is LGBT(Q) History and where do we stand? History Postgraduates and LGBT History (november)

May 15, 2012 · Filed under Events · Tagged , , , , , , ,

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Yesterday once more (do mention the war!)

December 11, 2011 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , ,

There’s obviously something here that I am not getting. Because love “Yesterday” as I do, I still don’t quite get it.

That is, the “Yesterday” channel, which is often on in my bedroom late at night, as I prepare to sleep, or wind down with a spot of late night dilation.

Now, for those who aren’t aware of the channel – or who are aware but don’t watch – the idea is simple. Its, er, a TV channel dedicated, mostly, to the past.

The clue is in its original incarnation as UKTV History.

Which is splendid. Because there’s so much past to choose from. Anything, everything from the Pharaohs to Kruschev: Julius Caesar to Ho Chi Minh.

I like my history, espesh my social and cultural stuff, so I look forward to sitting down to in-depth analyses of the role of women in ancient rome. Or morality in the Victorian era. Or pretty much anything in between.

Only they don’t do that stuff. Instead, here’s a clue: World at War.

Bomber Command.

The Channel Islands at War.

D-Day to Berlin.

Nazi Collaborators.

And on and on. There is a certain same-iness to it all. And while they might also regularly show repeats of the antiques roadshow, last of the summer wine (which is scarcely “yesterday”, apart from the fact that the prog had whiskers on it the day it was released) as well as a succession of swashbuckling bodice rippers from the pen of Catherine Cookson, the entirety of history, as far as the average Yesterday viewer is concerned might as well be crammed into a period of six short years (1939 – 1945).

Or even one year, since the proportion of programming that focuses on the run-up to and immediate aftermath of the Normandy landings is pretty high within the mix.

Why?

I mean, don’t we have enough interesting other history? What happened to a thousand years of Britainicity? Our kings and queens, our laws, our social progress and religious strife.

Why, why why this obsession with war – and in particular just that ONE war.

Opinions, on a postcard, please.

jane
xx

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Events: LGBT History conference

November 9, 2011 · Filed under Events · Tagged , , , , , ,

The ninth annual LGBT History and Archives Conference is to be hosted at the London Metropolitan Archives on Saturday 3 December 2011.

This year’s conference ‘Resist… Action… Change…’ takes the theme of the responses of activists and organisations to today’s challenges in working for LGBT rights and recognition.

I have attached a conference programme detailing both our morning keynote speakers and afternoon workshops focusing on ‘Education and Learning’ and ‘Collecting, Preserving and Accessing Community Archives’.

The conference is a unique event of interest to anyone involved professionally or as a student in the field of gender and LGBT studies, those with personal or professional interest in LGBT research and community groups and individuals working for LGBT rights and recognition.

    Sessions

Achieving Authenticity: Optimizing your Personal and Professional Potential by David Equality Watters, a writer and speaker on social inequality issues and a key player in the Equal Love Campaign UK

Gateway to Heaven: Creating artistic projects from interviews with older LGBT people by Clare Summerskill, a playwright, a singer-songwriter and a lesbian comedienne with an international following.

Lenin in Warsaw – Resistance is Futile by Tim Bennett-Goodman and Hi Ching, Artistic Director of River Cultures

Resistance and Actions Needed Towards Religious and Cultural Changes by Jide Macaulay, British-Nigerian born and founding Pastor of House Of Rainbow Fellowship London

    Workshops

These take place in the afternoon and include:

Getting to the History: What Can LGBT Related Records Tell Us? led by Professor Alison Oram who teaches History, twentieth century gender history, and social and cultural history at Leeds Metropolitan University

Developing Learning Activities Using Historical LGBT Records led by London Metropolitan Archives

Archives in Action led by Ajamu, an artist and co-founder of The rukus! Black LGBT Archive

Saving and Caring for Community / Personal Collections led by The Lesbian and Gay Newsmedia Archive (LAGNA)

To book your place at this year’s conference or for more information about this and our other events please call 020 7332 3851 or email ask.lma@cityoflondon.gov.uk

Places are strictly limited and early booking is advised.

Note on the London Metropolitan Archives: this is the largest local authority archive in the UK and unrivalled in the scope and range of the materials relating to the capital that make up their extraordinary collections.

It has an established record of working with LGBT community organisations and others on archive and research projects including the conference. To find out more about the Archives visit their website.

Jane
xx

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Inappropriate games…

June 28, 2011 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , ,

the boy – all six point five years of unreasonable aesthetically challenged male youth wishes me to engage with him in his gaming habits. First up, he shows me a gruesome motorway race game, wherein the player leaps from vehicle to vehicle and if they aren’t fast enough they get splatted. Yuk!

Then on to something called 1917, which appears to be a wargame based around trench warfare, complete with soldiers getting blown to bits and gas attacks. Not sure whether i am most offended by the tasteless aspect of this game – or the historical violation.

Because, coming over the horizon, what are those? er, German tanks!

Surely not.

(Now sits back and waits for some history geek – sorry, expert – to point out that the Germans actually DID have tanks in 1917).

jane
xx

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