Democratising History: Modern British History Inside and Out

A book launch to celebrate the publication of Democratising History: Modern British History Inside and Out, University of London Press, published August 2025.

Join us for a panel discussion on Friday, September 26th at the Main Lecture Theatre, Old Divinity School, St John's College, to mark the publication of Democratising History: Modern British History Inside and Out, along with Prof. Peter Mandler's retirement as Professor of Modern Cultural History at the University of Cambridge.

Edited by Laura Carter, Freddy Foks, and Philip Harling, Democratising History responds to the scholarly and professional contributions of Peter Mandler. It explores how the practice of writing Modern British history has been shaped by democratic forces.

The event will be followed by a drinks reception in the Old Divinity Schools foyer. Physical copies of the book will be available for purchase on the day at a discounted rate of £23 per copy.

Democratising History is published by University of London Press. To learn more about the book, visit the publisher's page. The book will be published fully open access and available to download via the University of London Press in August 2025.

About the Book

An exploration of the intersections of politics and public engagement, Democratising History reveals how history itself has been shaped by democratic forces.

How has democracy transformed modern Britain and the way we teach its history? Democratising History answers this question by showcasing how scholars have successfully united social and cultural histories of democracy in British history. Nine research-led chapters provide an ‘inside’ perspective on democracy in modern British history, covering the complex relationship between Britain and its Empire, the democratisation of metropolitan culture, and how experts aimed to inform public debate in a changing democratic society. An ‘outside’ perspective is brought by six interludes that engage with the democratising forces at work in the twenty-first-century academy that are reshaping the profession, and thus the histories that scholars produce. In bringing these two histories of democracy together within a single conceptual framework, this book narrates an important shift in the landscape of UK higher education from the ‘inside’ and the ‘outside’, insisting that professional and intellectual changes must be seen alongside one another. Collectively, this volume responds to the scholarly and professional contributions of Peter Mandler, whose sensitive readings of cultural discourses and their social reach has inspired a generation of modern British historians. Through novel methods, insightful case studies and broader reflections on the profession, it shows how modern British history is being transformed by these questions and wider social and economic changes in contemporary Britain.