Introduction
2011 Seminar Series: Authorship, Memory & Manuscripts
Four seminars, held from January to March 2011, explored the writing of political biographies and memoirs. Each speaker introduced a document from the Bodleian’s modern political collections and explained its significance both to them, and more widely. The seminars, open to academics, students and the general public, were held in the Pitt Rivers Museum Lecture Room. Convened by the Bodleian’s modern political curator, Helen Langley, the sessions (on Benjamin Disraeli, Harold MacMillan, Barbara Castle and Geoffrey Howe) were chaired by Professor Martin Ceadel, New College, Oxford (24 January and 7 March) and Professor Anne Deighton, Wolfson College (7 and 21 February).
An information session highlighting recent modern political papers cataloguing projects took place on Monday 14 February. Archivists Chrissie Webb, Catherine Parker, and Elinor Robinson spoke about the papers of Anthony Sampson (1926-2004) writer and journalist, and Edmund Dell (1921-1999) politician, historian and founding chair of Channel 4 television.
New seminar series planned for 2012
A new series of four seminars and an information session is in preparation for 2012:
- Tuesday 24 January: Clement Attlee papers (Lord Hennessy)
- Monday 6 February: Roy Jenkins papers (John Campbell)
- Monday 13 February: Workshop on current archival projects
- Monday 20 February: Speaker to be confirmed
- Monday 5 March: David Butler interviews ( Sir David Butler)