In March 2026 the British government published its policy paper on community cohesion: Protecting What Matters: Towards a more confident, cohesive and resilient United Kingdom. The paper asserts that ‘throughout our history, the UK’s ability to withstand external challenges has been underpinned by a strong social fabric’. It goes on...

Thank you for being a member of the Historical Association. Your membership is what enables the HA to continue supporting the teaching, learning and enjoyment of history at all levels, for generations to come. As part of our membership community you are important in shaping the development of the association,...

2026 has been declared as the National Year of Reading, a timely reminder of the importance of literacy, but also the power of the written word.  Throughout recorded history the ability to read and write has been an important form of communication, often used to control access to power and...

The Historical Association was founded in 1906, with individual branches established in the months and years that followed. Some of those original—or near‑original—branches are still active today, making them historic Historical Association branches in their own right. One such branch is the Bath Branch, founded in 1926 during the interwar...

Our 2026 annual conference is now over – join us at next year's conference in May 2027!  See the 2026 conference programme Catch a train to Newcastle upon Tyne and join us for our annual conference on 15-16 May 2026. In one of the oldest cities of English history (Romans onwards)...

March is Women’s History Month, which conveniently overlaps with International Women’s Day (IWD). This year’s IWD has the theme 'Give to Gain', emphasising that providing resources and opportunities to women and girls benefits everyone: ‘When women thrive, we all rise’. Where has this message come from? From the real-life experiences of women over generations, which is of...

February is LGBTQ+ History Month and the Historical Association has spent a number of years ensuring that the ways in which the past has recorded and represented these communities has been included in our general output. A key issue of presenting the work of historians who are investigating this history...

New year – a new set of historical events to understand and learn about. Coming up for 2026 are some exciting anniversaries including some on technology – telephones in particular; important books and authors – see Paddington and Beatrix Potter; musical births – time for the jazz hands; protest and...

It is over twenty years since Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) was introduced in the UK. The purpose was to have one day where all the elements of the horror of the Holocaust (the Nazi Genocide against the Jews of Europe and the Gypsies, Roma and Sinti) and the Nazi Persecution...