Professor Paul Ward - a life in the North
Tue, 16 Dec 2014 15:04:00 GMT
Paul took his first degree and doctorate at Queen Mary University of London, specialising for his research in modern history and left wing patriotism from the 1880s to the 1920s, and going on to teach these subjects in his first post at Royal Holloway University of London before moving on to Huddersfield. “I found the prospect of teaching at a new university appealing, and was particularly keen to work at an institution which obviously took its teaching seriously. I felt I was going to be somewhere where I could make a difference.” The History department had – and still has – a good reputation for labour history, and Paul saw great opportunity for continuing his research into British identity and for getting a completely different view on the world from a completely different demographic.
The research that Paul undertakes still revolves around national identities, focussing on the years since the 19th Century. “There are 60+million people in the UK, which means there are 60+ million stories to research, which is a source of endless fascination for me” Paul says. “I cover these from the point of view of radical patriotism and social patriotism rather than conservatism, the right and the flag – it’s about the health and wealth of the nation, not about power.” He also looks at Welsh nationalism, Scottishness, Northern Irishness, and, lately, has become interested in ethnic diversity in national identity.
In common with many of his colleagues in the School of Music, Humanities and Media, Paul is a frequent collaborator with colleagues not only in other institutions, but with people working in the local community on local projects. He’s co-authored two journal-articles – one on Welsh history with Cardiff University lecturer Martin Wright, and one with alumni Daniel Travers, now of Laurentian University, Canada, to be published next year on the Second World War and Britishness. Closer to home, Paul’s worked on two local but transnational projects - the history of Sound System Culture and black British history, and the history of the Bhangra movement with Hardeep Singh Sahota.
“I’ve always been interested in oral history. I want to listen to the voices of the 60 million – and then to give them a voice. We have the power in our ivory towers of academia to support people through the opportunity to be heard.” To that end, Paul is a firm believer in embedding impact into all research projects before they start, not as an addendum. History is ideally placed to lead on this ethos –particularly being at the heart of West Yorkshire. “We’re at the centre of a part of British history in Huddersfield”, says Paul. “we ‘own’ our heritage – which contains such disparate figures and events as Harold Wilson, James Mason, the Industrial Revolution, the Anti Poor Law movement, the Luddites, reggae, bhangra and so on.
Paul’s latest collaborative project in history in the community can be seen currently in action through the venture known as ‘Imagine’, funded by the ESRC. It ties in neatly with Paul’s philosophy of “connecting communities through research” as it works with communities to imagine better futures. One of the parts of the project, works with young women of Wakefield to explore the history of the city and the role of The Hepworth Wakefield Gallery.
Another aspect of Paul’s work as a collaborator is his work as a leading member of the academic network at the Imperial War Museum North, helping with input into their World War One exhibition ‘From Street to Trench’. He’s also involved in the AHRC-funded Heritage Consortium – a collaborative venture with the universities of Leeds Beckett, Sheffield Hallam, Bradford, Teesside and Northumbria to train doctoral students to see their research as publicly useful.
But research is only one aspect of Paul’s work. In his other role as Head of History, English, Languages and Media he oversees the three key aspects of the work of the School – teaching, research and outreach, helping to ensure that our knowledge and expertise is shared with the wider community. “I find great satisfaction in the way in which the diverse subjects from within our School work with local cultural institutions, art galleries, museums, festivals, schools, whether it be an English project with the Huddersfield Literature Festival, a Music project with the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, or a Drama project with the West Yorkshire Fire Department!”
As a lecturer, Paul likes to employ a thoroughly modern method of teaching when he can. “I teach the modules ‘20th Century Britain and Digital Victorians’ on our undergraduate courses, using new technologies to understand modern British history, to connect the national story to local heritage – which is at risk in our area. Students on the Digital Victorians module produce a website rather than write an essay. They have to think how to interpret their findings visually, and in social media”.
So it’s fairly safe to say that Paul’s instinct was right, when he made that life-changing journey north back in 2000! His input into the research and teaching life at the University has been intertwined and developed alongside the history of the department – “I like to think that the way we teach our subject makes our students think about the difference they make in the way history is told. By getting involved in the subject in a practical and connected way, by constantly working with influential people outside the University, by curating exhibitions, audio walks, researching local history for publications, our students are using their history to engage with future employers. It’s not a coincidence that our students get the jobs they want to do – we instil a confidence in them by what we do, and how we do it.”
