Cultural Histories@Kingston

Who are we? Cultural Histories @ Kingston (CHK) is an interdisciplinary research group that was originally based in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Kingston University. It is now run by the History team in the School of Arts, Culture and Communications, which is located in the KSA Faculty (Kingston School of Art).

Aims: Centred around the concept of the ‘cultural text’, the group has included scholars from the fields of politics, literature, film, media, history, music, dance, performance, and journalism, who have been brought together by a shared interest in the way in which narratives – written, visual, archival, and performative – shape and have shaped individual and communal experience, material culture, history, events, and everyday social life.

Cultural and historical identities: The group is concerned both by how these diverse narratives describe cultural and historical identities, and the contribution they make to how such identities are formed, engaging both with the role of the cultural text and the conditions of its production. Extending from the past, to the present, and to future culture, the group has been engaged in research that historicises cultural practices from Early Modern culture right through to the present.

Activities: CHK hosts regular lectures and events, which are free and open to all. Recent events have included ones on the French Revolution, Conspiracy theory in history, the politics of Social Democracy, the 100th Anniversary of the end of World War One, Politeness and manners in 18th century Britain, and the mainstreaming of Black History in 1960s/70s America.

You can follow CHK on Twitter, like our Facebook page, or check out our site on Kingston FASS here. Cultural Histories at Kingston is currently co-chaired by Dr. Jeremy Nuttall, Senior Lecturer in History.