Why History Matters: Highlights from History East – A Festival of History

The event, hosted by the renowned historian and broadcaster Professor Amanda Vickery, was organised in collaboration with the School of History, the Mile End Institute and the Raphael Samuel History Centre. It brought together leading voices from historical fiction, politics, diplomacy, drama and feminism to ask: Why does history matter? 

Held in the Octagon, the heart of the original People’s Palace on Queen Mary’s Mile End campus, the festival featured two lively panel discussions chaired by Tom Sutcliffe. (best known as the host of Front Row and Start the Week on BBC Radio 4). 

The festival also celebrated Queen Mary’s fine tradition of public engagement and the communication of history beyond academia, exemplified by the careers and charisma of the late Professor Lisa Jardine and Professor the Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield. 

Reflecting on the event, Professor Amanda Vickery said: 

“It was a privilege to welcome such a distinguished and starry panel of writers, public intellectuals and household names to Queen Mary. It was fitting that History East was staged in the Octagon – once the library of the People’s Palace – honouring our long tradition of outreach. It looked beautiful on the night and was packed to capacity. The panels reinstated the value of history amidst a welter of fake news, lies and AI, and the signal importance of our mission to train students to verify the truth of events and weigh up competing claims. The boundary of fact and fiction came up again and again, as did the prestige and rigour of a history degree. Afterwards, a diverse audience of local Sixth Formers, undergraduates, postgraduates, historians, journalists, SpAds and old friends of the University encouraged drinks with the panels to a jazz piano accompaniment. My only regret is that there was no foxtrotting. 

Thomas Chidwick, Manager of the Mile End Institute, added: 

“With the multitude of serious challenges facing Higher Education in Britain, History East was a timely reminder of Queen Mary’s fine tradition of involvement in public and political debate, exemplified by the remarkable lives and careers of Lisa Jardine and the Mile End Institute’s beloved patron, Peter Hennessy. It reminded us of the need to communicate why History matters beyond our lecture theatres and seminar rooms and how we, as students and teachers of History, can encourage politicians and policymakers to think about the past as they make sense of the present.