On this page you can see details of previous monthly meetings. Recent reports about the main speakers are on the next section. For previous years please scroll to the lower part of the page. This also shows how to find out details about past second subjects presented at the monthly meetings.

Recently
89. June — David Edgerton: The Rise and Fall of the British Nation: a Twentieth Century History. Professor Edgerton painted a vivid picture of the changes in the UK between 1900 and today.  In 1900 we were the only great free-trading nation in the world, importing half of our food and exporting more coal than anywhere else. There was political tension between the desire for an imperial economy and the belief in a global free trade economy. After the war our economy became almost self-sufficient with nationalisation and the growth of infrastructure. Later governments can be said to have lived off the product of that programme of national reconstruction. We reinvented ourselves in the 1970s as part of the EU and overseas manufacturers began to dominate. This was a fascinating and eye-opening talk; more insights can be found in David's book The Rise and Fall of the British Nation: a Twentieth-Century History. Or you can read an article by Professor Edgerton here.

88. May — Lis Howell: There are fewer than you think: why expert women are under-represented on the news. Since 2010 Professor Howell and her students have been studying the trends in the numbers of female experts being used in news programmes. Her "Expert Women Project" has mapped the changes over the last eleven years. The figures are more encouraging now than in the past and the current man to woman ratio stands at 2.2 to 1. The numbers fluctuate according to what is in the news at the time, for example, during the Super League crisis the figures rose to 2.9 to 1, whereas during the coverage of the murder of Sarah Everard the ratio of male experts to females fell to 1.6 to 1; so the nature of the story has a noticeable effect on how it is covered. You can see the recording of Lis's presentation here.

87. May — Sarah Corn: The Old Operating Theatre Museum & Herb Garret: a Contemporary Approach to Curating. If we weren't already grateful to live in the age of anaesthetics and analgesics before this presentation, we certainly are now! Sarah's slides showcased an alarming array of saws, knives and other tools which were used in those early days at St Thomas' Hospital, and she recounted the tale of the surgeon who was so keen to impress the onlookers with his speed that he had a 300% mortality rate — he killed the patient and also two of the spectators. She took us through the history of the hospital, the church and the operating theatres. The old operating theatre for women, which was rediscovered in 1959, is now open as part of the museum and herb garret, and welcomes international visitors as well as school parties and research students. We all enjoyed Sarah's knowledgeable and informative talk. Recording of the presentation here.

86. April — Philip Kenrick: The Romans in Algeria: an under-appreciated heritage. Philip made a welcome return visit to us when we were taken on a tour of the historic sites of Algeria, the largest country in Africa. The Greeks, Phoenicians and Romans invaded and immigrated to Algeria over many centuries, followed more recently by the French. We were aided throughout the talk by Philip's excellent slides which showed many extensive Roman remains. The French in the 19th Century demolished some ancient buildings and used the materials for military purposes but the good news is that there are still many sites yet to be fully excavated.
Link to Philip's website and Tours here — click on the image:
Recording of the presentation here.


 
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