Pat Thane: Reflections on history, policy and action

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On Friday 8th November 2024 a workshop was held at the Institute of Historical Research (IHR), London in honour of Professor Pat Thane. This workshop was generously funded by the Royal Historical Society and the Social History Society and with the support of the IHR. Pat is a pathbreaking figure in the historical profession, spearheading research on public policy, politics and activism in modern Britain. She is one of a pioneering generation of female scholars who changed the face of their respective fields and left a legacy in the work of their supervisees and collaborators. There was a large audience of 45 academics for the main part of the day followed by a book launch to which a further group of 10 friends and colleagues joined for the launch of her new publication, The Rise and Fall of the British Welfare State From Poverty in 1900 to Poverty in 2023 (Bloomsbury, 2024).

The workshop consisted of two panels of early career researchers. The first panel on Old Age and Pensions had papers that built on Pat’s groundbreaking work on old age, and spanned case studies from Italy, Argentina and the UK. The second panel on inequalities, Faring well’ and the welfare state, looked at women’s grassroots activism in the UK and postcolonial migration. There were also two roundtable discussions, both on topics close to Pat’s work, the first on welfare and politics and the second on inequalities. Each of these roundtables consisted of seven senior colleagues and former PhD students who explored how their work and careers had been influenced by Pat’s work. These panels sparked lively, engaged discussions.

The whole day was intellectually engaging and a tribute to the breadth and range of Pat’s work. It was also a testament to the deep affection and personal regard that so many of the participants feel for her. Whilst it is difficult to sum up the many conversations it is possible to draw a few broad themes that emerged during the day. Firstly, the pathbreaking nature of her work. In so many instances her work has been the first to explore important subjects such as women’s grassroots  politics, old age, inequalities and poverty. She has also been a pioneer of work into welfare and the welfare state, tracing  the importance of the shifting and contingent nature of the relationship between the national and local state, and the erosion of gains made in social supports since the 1980s. Finally, her work moves beyond stereotypes to really interrogate the real lived experiences of her subjects, not ascribing heroes and villains but offering a ‘cool neutrality’. Alongside, these discussions of academic contributions there were also conversations about the importance of friendship and support within academic communities, the difficulties faced by academic women who were in the minority in history departments in the 1970s and 1980s and the many many ways in which Pat has personally supported and encouraged colleagues. We are so very grateful to all the participants a day that was full of friendship, debate and fun.

Workshop organisers: Ruth Davidson, Caitríona Beaumont, Kate Bradley, Mary Clare Martin, Helen Glew

Author: Ruth Davidson

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