The History Department were delighted to welcome Dr Miranda Kaufman to KEHS last week to talk about her research on Africans living in Tudor England, as well as her book Black Tudors, which was recently shortlisted for the Wolfson History Prize. Miranda read History at Christ Church, Oxford and is currently a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies. She has previously worked for The Sunday Times, the BBC, the National Trust English Heritage, and has published articles in The Times, The Guardian, History Today and BBC History Magazine. In her talk, she related the stories of two ‘Black Tudors’ explaining how she conducted her research; this was particularly interesting for Lower Sixth historians as they embark on their own research for their History coursework. It was fascinating to hear about the way Francis Drake’s relationship with Africans shaped his outlook on race. After her talk, Dr Kaufmann took questions from the students, and later commented how impressed she was by the insight of the girls. Some staff and girls also took the opportunity to have their copies of Black Tudors signed, and there is now a signed copy available in the library—I highly recommend it.
The great Easter Debate: a sweet, chaotic showdown
If you were expecting a serious, well-structured debate at this year’s Easter debate, you were in for a surprise. What unfolded was less of a formal argument and more of a theatrical masterpiece – complete with flying chocolate, wild accusations and a speaker who somehow turned it into a human rights campaign for sugar.
