by Dr. Sacha Hepburn (IHR) and Olivia Robinson (Oxford), Conference Organisers

Past & Present is pleased to be supporting “Beyond the Home: New Histories of Domestic Service” at the University of Oxford this autumn. 

Our conference in Oxford on the 7th and 8th September 2017 will explore the lives and experiences of servants beyond their domestic workplaces. Domestic service, in its various forms, has long provided one of the most significant sources of employment for men, women and children around the world. Existing studies have successfully explored the servant experience in their place of work, yet contributions made by servants outside the home – to social, cultural, economic and political life – have been little explored. Beyond the Home will be an opportunity to explore fresh perspectives on both the history of domestic service and its impact on society at a local and global level.

The conference’s 20-minute papers reflect diverse chronologies and geographies. Topics will include, though are not limited to:

•    Social lives and sociability
•    Writing, painting and creative practices
•    Religious affiliations
•    Community organisations
•    Servants’ own homes and families
•    Political activism
•    Participation in civil society and worker organisations

An aim of the workshop is to focus upon developing our ideas around these themes with a view to publishing an edited collection of papers.

A full conference programme is now available here, the keynote address will be given by Prof. Carolyn Steedman of the University of Warwick.

Registration for the conference is now open. Waged registration costs £20, unwaged registration costs £10, this covers both days and refreshments.

Past & Present logo, 2017 all rights reserved

Past & Present is pleased to support this event and others like it. We welcome funding applications from historians of all fields and time periods at any stage in their career. More information can be found here.