The Social History Society greatly values its postgraduate members.

We have a proud record of supporting postgraduate researchers through reduced membership rates and substantial postgraduate representation at our annual conference.

However rewarding, postgraduate study can be a difficult experience. Getting involved with a lively community like the Social History Society can offer a great personal and professional boost. Membership provides a platform to share your research and to network with your fellow historians.

There are three main ways you can get involved:

1. Attend our conference

Postgraduates are encouraged to submit paper proposals and research posters for the annual conference or simply to attend, make contacts and enjoy the diverse range of papers on offer.

The Society also has a strong record of providing conference bursaries for postgraduates (either through external sponsorship or from our own funds). For our 40th anniversary conference in 2016 we awarded five bursaries, including a full bursary in memory of our late colleague Neil Armstrong. In 2017, the UCL Institute of Education awarded three Richard Aldrich Bursaries. For our 2018 conference, Keele University’s School of Humanities has generously funded two bursaries for postgraduate or early-career researchers. And in 2019, we awarded ten postgraduate bursaries from our own funds.

Find out more about our conference

2. Join the committee

We take the opinions of postgraduates and ECRs into account on all major issues. To ensure this, there are two postgraduate representatives elected to the Society’s executive committee. As well as participating in the regular business of the Society, they also bring to the attention of the committee matters that of particular pertinence to postgraduate and early career researchers.

Find out more about postgraduate representatives

3. Enter one of our prizes

The Society has long awarded a prize for the best paper given by a postgraduate at the annual conference. In 2015, a second prize was established for the best research poster displayed at conference by a postgraduate student. We have recently launched a third prize for postgraduate students who can demonstrate excellence in taking their research beyond the academy.

Postgraduate Paper Prize  Postgraduate Poster Prize  Find out more about the Public History Prize