Tag: reflection

Uncategorized

Launching Paper Trails: Second-hand book to living book (with sandwiches in between)

This story started with a second-hand book I had ordered from a bookseller in Toulouse. Exploring its uncut pages and recontextualising its material history led me to reflect on the idea of research stories and sparked creative ideas about our affective relationship with archives and collections. Later, in the classroom, the story continued as students reacted creatively to items from Special Collections, challenging my own … Continue reading Launching Paper Trails: Second-hand book to living book (with sandwiches in between)

Andrew W M SmithLeave a comment
Blog

Adjustments: Learning and Teaching in Lockdown

I recently wrote up a blog post about my experiences adapting to the pandemic, with some reflections on my own pedagogy, as well as experiences of being a student (on my degree apprenticeship) at the same time. You can find that piece over on the French History Network blog by following this link. I’ll be taking part in a roundtable on Online Pedagogy at my … Continue reading Adjustments: Learning and Teaching in Lockdown

Andrew W M SmithLeave a comment
Uncategorized

Doing History: A Timeline of My Book’s Publication

Someone asked me recently about my experience of publishing my book, and as I started thinking about it I realised that I’d never really put it on the page. Looking back over emails, I sketched out a timeline of the publishing process in the hope that it might be useful for anyone curious about how this works. I was very privileged to enjoy a smooth, … Continue reading Doing History: A Timeline of My Book’s Publication

Andrew W M Smith2 Comments
Uncategorized

Life Cycles: The Ephemera of Research

Parking tickets, library cards, recipes, notes, and adverts; I love second-hand books and the stuff that you can find tucked inside them. These little things seem to make the everyday nature of their reading resonate, reminding me of the material history of the book alongside the wider history that I’m researching. Coming across someone else’s expired parking tickets (or their idle doodling) calls to mind … Continue reading Life Cycles: The Ephemera of Research

Andrew W M Smith1 Comment
Uncategorized

Guarding the Limits: Voices & Memory in an Age of Narrative

Historians aren’t meant to see the future, though sometimes it feels like we’re expected to. We all know the adage that it’s meant to repeat itself, and know also that it doesn’t. Sometimes, however, the present can seem out of kilter with the past, or even over-whelmed by it. Debates about memory seem to confirm that the growing importance of ‘Identity Politics’ (which as a … Continue reading Guarding the Limits: Voices & Memory in an Age of Narrative

Andrew W M Smith1 Comment
Uncategorized

2014: A Year in Review

On reflection, 2014 offered opportunities and disappointments, as it did for all. I’m writing this not necessarily for readership, though perhaps instead as a cathartic exercise. I’ve divided it into 3 sections, to make it more accessible and to help me divide my thinking: Publications and Research, Teaching and Employment, and Personal. As I’m writing this, I’ve realised it is over-long, navel-gazing and perhaps a … Continue reading 2014: A Year in Review

Andrew W M SmithLeave a comment