Skills for New Historians Seminar: Commissioned Histories
Now that we’re well and truly into 2022 (eek!), we’re thrilled to announce that the Skills for New Historians Seminar Series is back! Our term as ECR Co-Representatives is winding down, but there are still some areas of modern academic life that we want to shed light on and have a conversation about. This month’s seminar is one such area. We know that the academy is a tough place, that permanent, secure work is no guarantee, and that we often have to look for opportunities to earn money. And of course, teaching and RA work continue to be important sources of paid work, but what else is out there?
This month, we’re looking into commissioned histories — essentially, being contracted by an external organisation to write a history. But how do we find these opportunities? What do commissioned histories look like? And what do external organisations really want from the historians they hire? Our expert panel will speak to these questions and more:
- Professor Melanie Oppenheimer (ANU): AHA president and author of commissioned histories, including Australian Women and War (2008, Department of Veterans’ Affairs) and The Power of Humanity: 100 Years of Australian Red Cross 1914-2014 (2014, Australian Red Cross)
- Dr Stephen Townsend (UQ): co-author of The Playmakers: The History of Basketball Queensland (forthcoming 2023, Basketball Queensland)
- Emma Cross (Paul Ramsay Foundation): Policy & Design Officer at PRF, currently working with the Australian Centre for Public History at UTS on the Darlinghurst Public History Initiative
Details:
- Skills for New Historians: Commissioned Histories with Professor Melanie Oppenheimer, Dr Stephen Townsend, and Emma Cross
- Thursday 28 April, 1.30-3pm AEST (via Zoom)
- To register, log into the seminars page of the AHA website, and scroll down to the bottom to find the registration link.
The seminar will be recorded and the recording afterwards available in the Members Only section of the AHA website.
Registrations close Wednesday 27 April. Having problems logging into the Members Only section of the website? Contact Bethany, the AHA’s executive officer, at executive@theaha.org.au
Skills for New Historians is open to ECRs and HDRs who are members of the AHA. If you’d like to join in and aren’t a member, head over to the AHA website where you can renew your membership, or become a member for the first time.
If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch. We’re looking forward to seeing you!
Australian Historical Association Early Career Researchers 