Channing History Conference

Just before summer, Cristina, Darcy and I began the planning of the inaugural Channing History Conference under the very broad theme of ‘Empire’. It was to take place in what felt like the very distant future, yet these past few months have flown by.

This Wednesday was the day we had all been waiting for, and what a success it was. We invited local schools such as St Aloysius, William Ellis, JFS, and Parliament Hill to join us in listening to a series of fascinating talks on the topic of ‘Empire’. These included talks on:

• The Roman Empire
• The Dutch Empire
• The economic effects of the British Empire on Africa
• The economic and environmental effects of the British occupation of India

We were lucky enough to be joined by Professor Bishnupriya Gupta (Warwick University), Dr Benet Salway (UCL), Professor Leigh Gardner (LSE), Professor Vinita Damodaran (University of Sussex), and Dr Lauren Lauret (Leiden University in the Netherlands). Each of them offered us a new perspective and greater understanding of their respective empires through their fascinating and thought-provoking presentations.

Later, all the historians joined us on stage, giving the audience an opportunity to ask questions about the presentations they had attended. The insightful and well-developed questions truly revealed the positive impact of the historians’ presentations on both the Channing and visiting students.

We also had the privilege of hearing Mr Raine question lawyer and author Philippe Sands on the issue of the British occupation of the Chagos Islands in Mauritius. This was such an eye-opening experience—many in the audience, myself included, had not known about the issues surrounding the Chagos Archipelago. The talk was both appalling and deeply compelling.

We would all like to thank the History Department for helping to bring our plans to life. It has truly been an experience none of us are likely to forget.

Winnie D, Year 11