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Family History Workshop 3: Migrant ancestors and the politics of mobility

When: —
Venue: Online

No booking required

Many people who do family history in Britain find themselves thinking about mobile ancestors. As part of huge waves of emigration from the British Isles, our family members past can be found in Australia, Canada, Europe, India, Southern Africa, and the United States to name a few. Other family historians find their family’s mobility went the other way, as part of the flows of people from the British empire into the British Isles. This session will focus on the context and experience of these kinds of migrations.

Programme

3:30-4:15 Reflections from the field

• Chandan Mahal on Family History and Place

• Yasmin Khan on global and migrant families

• Julia Laite on settler colonial family histories

• Margaret Makepeace on India Office records and family history

4:15-4:30 Break

4:30-5:30 Breakout room workshops

1. Why did individuals and families move? What bigger stories of changing work, culture, empire, and technology was this part of?

2. What challenges are there for researching migrant ancestors?

3. How do stories of migration become part of our family stories?

4. How can thinking about our mobile ancestors challenge narratives about migration in the present day?

5:30-5:45 Report back and closing remarks

 

The event is free but booking essential. Book your place here: 

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/family-history-workshop-3-migrant-ancestors-and-the-politics-of-mobility-tickets-145047660457 

 

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This event is organised by the Raphael Samuel History Centre and is associated with the Department of History, Classics and Archaeology's Discover the Past events series, open to the public and students. To see the full list of events, visit the Discover the Past web page. 

The Raphael Samuel History Centre is a research and educational centre devoted to encouraging the widest possible participation in historical research and debate. It has a large programme of research, teaching, and public events and works with universities, museums, libraries, and schools, to create new forums for historical education and discussion. 

The Department of History, Classics and Archaeology at Birkbeck has a distinguished tradition as an international centre of excellence. We are the only university department in London to include archaeologists, classicists and historians investigating every period from prehistory to the early twenty-first century. Join us to discover the past and engage with the present across continents and cultures.

 

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