“If the culture wars were to come to an end, historians would be delighted”

The new president of the Royal Historical Society, LUCY NOAKES, talks to Matt Elton about the issues facing history in Britain in 2025 – and why they will matter to the country in the years ahead

MATT ELTON

Matt Elton You became president of the Royal Historical Society (RHS) in November 2024 – at what, I think it's fair to say, is an interesting moment for Britain's relationship with its past. Before looking at some of the challenges you face, can you tell us a bit about what the RHS does? Lucy Noakes We exist to support historians and to promote history as a subject and as a wider topic of interest among the public. We run public events throughout the year – lectures, talks and discussions – that can be joined in person and via our website. And we have a range of different grants and awards that we hand out to history practitioners at all stages of their careers. But increasingly central to our work is…

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Bbc History (Digital) - 1 Issue, April 2025

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