Societies

Semester one for History Society has been unlike any I have experienced before and I have been incredibly proud of the committee for how they have managed to overcome and, in many ways, make the best out of an unprecedented situation. History Society has a well-established social calendar, including, of course, the Winter Ball. This year however due to Covid-19 we have hosted all of our events - academic and social - online as well as all of our committee meetings. I am, yet to meet some of the committee in person, but feel as if I know them all so well already.

Academically, this semester has been an undeniable success, our Academic Secretaries Scarlett and Connall having engaged in some particularly topical subjects. To mark the US election, they held two events with great turn outs. First, we were joined by Edinburgh’s own Dr Robert Mason (Professor of TwentiethCentury US History) who spoke to us about how the modern Republican party has sought the highest office in US politics, the Presidency. We then hosted the “Whiskey Rebellion Podcast”, which is led by Edinburgh University’s Professor Frank Cogliano and Dr David Silkenat where we engaged in a lively Q&A surrounding the latest developments in the US.

We have also marked Black History Month this Semester. On 26 October we hosted our “Black History Month: Hidden Histories” event, organised by our Postgraduate Representative, Daniel, alongside the Academic Secretaries. We heard three papers, first from Lisa Williams, founder of the Edinburgh Caribbean Association who spoke about ‘The Caribbean presence in Edinburgh in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries’, then from Anna Adima who’s paper was entitled ‘Female African students in European universities from the early 20th century to the present: inclusive readings of history to decolonise the academy’ and lastly from Charlotte James Robertson who spoke on ‘“Lives Free of Fear of Any Kind”: The Establishment of Specialist BME Women’s Refuges in Britain, (1979-1989)’. Then on the 18 November launched our workshop series “Scotland, Slavery, and Black History: Wikipedia Editing Workshops” alongside Professor Diana Paton, historian of the Caribbean, Ewen McAndrew, the University’s resident Wikimedian, and BlackEd. This was a launch of our collaborative project taking place in the new year which is designed to train a dedicated focus group on Wikipedia editing whose attention will then be directed at important figures in Scotland’s Black History whose pages need updating. We had some great discussions about the role of Wikipedia in public history, the importance of this type of work in the wake of BLM protests and how to stimulate important conversations around race in other disciplines, particularly in STEM. We are looking forward to starting our related series of workshops in semester two.

Since this year has presented many challenges, for new students particularly, many of History Society’s social events have focused on mental health, creating connections amongst students, and getting to know Edinburgh virtually. Our Student Experience Officers, Lauren and Shreya, collaborated with the brilliant local charity Health in Mind on a virtual stress awareness workshop which focused on an open discussion about signs and management of stress for university students. Our First Year Representatives, Helena and Olivia, have worked hard on their ‘Speed Friending’ project which has connected up to forty first year students to another individual. This has, we hope, enabled some first years to experience face-to-face interaction whilst sticking

HCA Societies

History Society

to the Covid-19 guidelines. In addition, our Trip Secretaries, Sara and Katie, have been working hard on their ‘Edinburgh Recommends’ posts which give recommendations for COVID-19 safe activities students can do in our beautiful city. Keep an eye out from some exciting updates from our Social Secretaries (Scarlett and Sophie) next semester who have a massive project their excited to announce which focuses too on this drive to develop feelings of community within the History, Classics, and Archaeology School.

Our Postgraduate Representative deserves a special shout out in this piece: Daniel Heathcote is the second postgraduate representative ever in the history society committee. This was a role established in 2019 to attempt to create a better bond between postgraduate and undergraduates’ communities in HCA and Daniel has been hard at work. Over November and December, Daniel has been working on his seminar series ‘Don’t Diss the Diss’, for honours students and MSc students which was designed to give students help and advice from current postgrads on the dissertation, covering topics ranging from managing mental health, research methods, and enjoying the dissertation. Legend has it that he is now referred to in the postgraduate WhatsApp

Lucy Parfitt History Society President (2020-2021) group as the ‘History Society Lad’.

Lastly, the History Society Sports Teams - Hockey, Men & Women’s Football, Men’s Rugby, and Women’s Netball - all deserve huge praise this semester, having been able to foster team spirit and friendships despite the restrictions and uncertainty placed on them. A big shout out to Men’s football who entertained us with their Movember efforts and Men’s Rugby who covered the distance from the Scotsman Steps in Edinburgh to the Scotsman Pub in St Julian’s, Malta, raising money for the men’s mental health charity Loose Headz. In total, the guys raised £3,136 and we are so proud that they have managed to achieve so much despite the difficult circumstances.

I want to take the opportunity, again, to thank my wonderful committee for all their hard work, resilience, and creativity this semester. Even though it has not been the experience we may have hoped for or imagined, you have all made the most of it and the result of that is plain to see in the success of your events.

Classics Society

Salvete!

In a year of online classes, no household mixing, and cancelled plans, we went into semester one unsure of what the Classics Society would look like this year. However, when we logged into our first online meet and greet session, we were surprised and elated to see so many attendants smiling back at us through their webcams. Many of these attendants were first years who were understandably anxious about their university social life in the COVID pandemic. However, the success of our zoom quizzes and drunk history nights, is a testament to the hard work of our social secretaries Charlie Hodgson and Jenny Shearer, who managed to bring a much needed distraction from the current world.

One definite positive of the strange new times we find ourselves in, is the use of technology to connect with people across the world. One of my personal favourite events we held this year was our ‘Evening With’ series organised and hosted by our incredible Academic Liaison Molly McDowell. Using zoom meant that we were able to host guest lecturers from outside Edinburgh, including Edinburgh University alum Hardeep Dhindsa, and Hamilton College Professor Shelley Haley from the US. These talks were both aimed at de-colonising classics, and were a refreshing and much needed perspective on the importance of making classics accessible for all.

The Classics Society social media accounts, run by the fantastic Tessa Rodriguez, have been crucial assets this year in bringing the classics community at the university together. A great feature we have started is the ‘Classics Staff Spotlight’ in which we interview and get to know the lecturers more, as a way to make students, especially first years, more familiar with the staff. The Classics Society holds such a dear place in my heart and has been the source of great joy and friendships throughout my university career. I am eager to see what 2021 will bring, as we have exciting projects in the works, and hopefully we will be able to return to in person socials in the near future. I am so grateful for the hard work of my committee during this tough academic year, and it is my hope that we continue to be a place for students of all backgrounds to share their love of classics.

Bonam fortunam!

Frances Butland Classics Society President (2020-2021)