Workshop in Glasgow, 11 September 2025
Convenors: Dr Anna McEwan (University of Glasgow/Leibniz-Zentrum für Zeithistorische Forschung (ZZF) Potsdam), Dr Eliska Bujokova (University of Glasgow/University of New Brunswick)
We are inviting participants to a one-day workshop resulting in a podcast entitled, Behind the Pages: Lives of Early Career Historians: Resource Sharing and Podcast Production. The event will take place at the University of Glasgow on September 11th 2025.
The workshop will bring together early career historians to discuss the multifaceted challenges in the early stages of our careers. We aim to create a forum for collective resource sharing and reflection as well as a podcast tailored to the needs of early career historians. The workshop is underpinned by two interrelated goals:
- Community Building: We hope to build community among early career historians across institutions and historical subjects, providing a space for participants to share experiences, exchange resources, and foster connections. Navigating the early career stage often involves a range of uncertainties, from securing funding to managing life transitions. This workshop seeks to demystify these challenges through collaborative engagement.
- Creation of a Long-Term Resource: We will record the workshop discussions to produce the podcast which will offer themed episodes focussed on the challenges of the early career lifestyle, including international travel, parenting and navigating precarity. Our aim is to produce a resource that complements existing guidance on academic processes, is accessible, relatable, and useful to early career historians.
The workshop will be structured around five themes (though we are open to alternatives), each corresponding to a podcast episode:
- Choosing the Right Path: Navigating the post-PhD Stage
- Moving Country for Career
- Parenting with a Postdoc
- Competition versus Collaboration
- Navigating a Short-Term Lectureship
We are seeking UK-based participants in the early stages of their career (broadly defined) who can speak to the above episode themes or have alternative suggestions that fit broadly with the framework. Participants are asked to submit a 250-word expression of interest by 31st July 2025, covering the theme they would like to speak to as well as a short bio. Please send expressions of interest to: anna.mcewan@zzf-potsdam.de. Refreshments and lunch will be provided. Limited travel funding is available, please indicate in your submission whether this is something you require.