Department of History, The University of Auckland

Kia ora koutou,

If you are into podcasts, and you'd like to know more about our own Professor Maartje Abbenhuis's just-published book on the global history of the Dum-dum bullet, this is for you. It's part of the "Research and Reason" series of podcasts from the Faculty of Arts and Education

Research and Reason Podcast · Faculty of Arts and Education, University of Auckland · Explore research and perspectives from the Faculty of Arts and Education at the University of Auckland. Academics from a range of disciplines discuss their findings, breaking down important and often complex topics. Gain a deeper un...

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Please join us for this week's History Seminar (Thursday 13 August), as we welcome Dr Marianne Schultz, one of our own former postgraduates. Her talk is entitled: " ‘The atmosphere was awful. Men were dancing with men and women with women’: The 1934 police raid on London’s Caravan Club"

Thursday 13 August 4:00-5:00 pm
Humanities Tea Room (206-523)
All welcome!

Abstract: How has dance been used to identify gender and sexual identity in the past? This seminar focuses on an undercover police raid on the Caravan Club, a short-lived, underground establishment in London’s Soho that catered for ‘queer’ clientele. How men and woman danced, who they danced with and where the dancing occurred signified ‘normal’ or ‘abnormal’ behaviour, and was cited as evidence in convictions of ‘lewd, scandalous, b***y, and obscene performances and practices’. Primary source documents, including police depositions, testimonies from those arrested, photographs and a membership book highlight both the danger and freedom surrounding dancing in public at this time.

About our speaker: Dr. Marianne Schultz holds a Masters and PhD in History from the University of Auckland, in addition to a Masters in Performing Arts from Middlesex University London. She is the author of _Performing Indigenous Culture on Stage and screen: A Harmony of Frenzy_ (2016) and _Limbs Dance Company: Dance For All People, 1977-1989_ (2017). She convenes the dance history course, Aotearoa Dance, for contemporary dance students in the Bachelor of Performing and Screen Arts programme at Unitec.

Kia ora koutou,

Warmest congratulations to our own Prof Maartje Abbenhuis, whose new book entitled _The Dum-Dum Bullet: A Lethal History 1850-1950_ has just been published by Cambridge University Press. You can learn more about the work and the research behind it in this great profile from University news:

The lethal history of the dum-dum bullet – University of Auckland How a particular bullet came to cause a moral panic, be banned, but still remain in wide use around the world is the focus of a new book by Maartje Abbenhuis.

Kia ora koutou,

For our first History Seminar of Semester 2, we are thrilled to welcome our own A/P Lisa Kaaren Bailey (C&AH and History). Come hear Lisa speak on the topic "Excellent mystery / filthy chains: The paradox of marriage in early medieval saints’ Lives"

Thursday 30 July 4-5 pm
Humanities Tea Room (206-523)
All welcome!

Abstract: Both of these descriptions of marriage come in one early medieval text (the Life of Glodesind) and they epitomise the paradox around the elevation of marriage as a symbol of union with Christ, alongside the denigration of marriage as a social experience (especially for women). Previous scholarship on marriage has focused very much on the latter and on the development and spread of the ideal of female virginity as the main or perhaps only path to female holiness. However, there are many married saints in the early middle ages, both male and female, and many saints’ Lives also have a surprising amount to say about marriage. I argue that the depiction of marriage in early medieval saints’ lives reflects the embedding of Christianity within the social structures of the period. This has implications for our understanding of how men and women experienced marriage on religious terms, which was a relatively new idea.

About our speaker: Associate Professor Lisa Kaaren Bailey, History/Classics and Ancient History at the University of Auckland Waipapa Taumata Rau, has recently published her third monograph, _Servants of God, Slaves of the Church: Service as Religious Metaphor and Social Reality in Early Medieval Europe_ (Cornell University Press, 2026). Her new project is a cultural history of marriage and religion in early medieval Europe.

Kia ora koutou,

Enjoy this fascinating commentary from our own A/P Jennifer Frost, reflecting on how the 250th anniversary of American Independence is being celebrated this year...

Comment from Auckland University: Trump’s Freedom250 has held a mixed martial arts cage fight on the White House grounds and a daylong Christian worship service to rededicate the USA as ‘One Nation Under God’

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Before we enter exam season, we just wanted to let prospective students know about our Semester 2, 2026 undergraduate History courses. See the attached poster for a single list of courses taught by History staff (and which all may be counted towards the History major).

We're including the poster for a exciting reboot of one of our Aotearoa NZ Stage 2/3 courses as well!

We hope this gives students better visibility for their course choices and we look forward to seeing many of you next Semester! Good luck on your assignments and exams!

Semester 2, 2026 History offerings:

HISTORY 104 Pacific History: An Introduction
HISTORY 107 Titiro Whakamuri: Histories of Aotearoa
HISTORY 239/339 Medieval Cultures
HISTORY 250/350 Global Cold War
HISTORY 252/352 New Zealand Cultural History
HISTORY 300 Thinking History
ANCIENT 214/314 Ancient Barbarians and Others

Kia ora koutou,

For our final History Seminar of the semester, we welcome back an Auckland alumna, Dr Emma Wordsworth. Join us on 4 June to hear Emma speak on "The Moral Politics of ‘Natural’ Disasters: Colonial Double Standards in British Framings of Famine Causation in India, China, and Asia Minor, 1873-1879".

Thursday 4 June 4-5 pm
Humanities Tea Room (206-523)
All welcome!

Abstract: Conceptualisations of a problem’s causes fundamentally shape how people respond to said problem. This paper examines how British elites’ framings of famine causation in Bengal (1873–1874), Asia Minor (1873–1875), Madras (1876–1878), and North China (1876–1879), respectively, differed and why they did so. Despite each famine having broadly similar structural causes, these Britons characterised Indian famines as so-called ‘natural disasters’ whilst interpreting the Ottoman and Chinese famines as symptoms of governmental failure. This paper explores why British elites invoked the specific frames of ‘natural disaster’ and ‘governmental failure’ to explain famine causation in British colonial territories and extraimperial areas of interest, respectively. By extension, I consider how these Britons used each framing to justify and mobilise specific forms of British intervention in different geopolitical contexts.

About our speaker: Dr Emma Wordsworth attained a PhD in History from the University of Cambridge in 2026 and is currently working as a historical researcher at Te Tari Whakatau. Emma is an alumnus of Waipapa Taumata Rau, the University of Auckland, having completed BA, BA (Hons), and Master’s degrees in History between 2016 and 2021.

Kia ora koutou,

A reminder that with this week's History Seminar on Thursday 21 May, we will be hosting a colleague from Northeastern University (Boston, MA, USA) who is presently Visiting Faculty, Te Wāhanga Ture o Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland Law School. Please join us to welcome Professor Kara W. Swanson (Professor of Law/Affiliate Professor of History, Northeastern University), who will be speaking on "Invention of a Slave: Race, Patents, and Memory in the United States, 1858-2026".

Thursday 21 May, 4-5 pm
Humanities Tea Room (206-523)
All welcome!

Abstract: In 1858, the US Attorney General declared that inventions by slaves were not patentable. Within a few years, legal changes rendered the opinion obsolete and, to legal scholars, “forgotten.” I argue, however, that it was continuously remembered by Black Americans as part of civil rights campaigns in the post-Emancipation United States. This remembering teaches us the surprising and unique role the patent system has played in those campaigns. It also teaches us the costs of law’s selective memory. I argue that understanding this story as part of the living present of race and law has implications for the patent system and our ongoing national conversation about paths to citizenship.

About our speaker: Kara W. Swanson, JD, PhD, is Professor of Law /Affiliate Professor of History at Northeastern University, Boston, MA. Her scholarship examines historical intersections among law, science, medicine, and technology. Her first book, _Banking on the Body: The Market in Blood, Milk and S***m in Modern America_ (2014), is a medicolegal history of human body property. Her book-in-progress is _Inventing Citizens: A Surprising History of US Inventors, Patents, and Civil Rights_.

Kia ora koutou,

Please join us for this week's History Seminar on Thursday 7 May, when we will be hosting our very own Dr Alexandra Forsyth March. Alex completed her PhD earlier this year and her presentation this week is entitled, ' "Strengthen against fluxions of the blood": Lapidary Medicine in the Portraits of the Valois Dauphines'. All welcome!

Thursday 7 May, 4-5 pm
Humanities Tea Room (206-523)

Abstract: In Jean Hey’s c.1490 portrait of Marguerite of Austria, the young princess is adorned with a dazzling pelican pendant set with a pearl and ruby, projecting her majesty and beauty. Yet the wearing of healing stones in the form of jewellery also allowed an individual to display concern for their health and wellbeing. In this case, Marguerite materialised her commitment to ensuring her health and future reproductive capacity. Drawing on medical texts, portraits, and inventories, this paper examines the significance of pearl and ruby jewellery in the iconography of Valois dauphines and young queens. By applying the lens of lapidary medicine to royal portraits, this paper offers fresh insight into how dauphines and young queens sought to ensure the future arrival of an heir to the Valois dynasty, thus securing their position at court.

About our speaker: Dr. Alexandra Forsyth has recently completed her PhD in History at Waipapa Taumata Rau, titled “Age Fertility, and Childlessness of the Valois Dauphines, 1350-1559.” She is a research assistant in the School of Humanities and has a forthcoming chapter on late medieval botanical-based fertility remedies.

Kia ora koutou,

As we prepare to return to classes from the mid-semester period, a quick reminder that we are delighted to announce not one but two talks of interest to our History community!

First, on Tuesday 21 April, the Classics and Ancient History Seminar series features our very own A/P Lisa Bailey, who will present on "The fame and fortune of Balthild, slave-queen". Lisa's talk will be at 4pm on Tuesday 21 April, with reception to follow. You may also join this talk via Zoom [https://auckland.zoom.us/j/91846902743]

Second, on Thursday 23 April the History Seminar Series is delighted to host Dr. Nick Thompson (THEOREL) and Jo Birks (He Māra Mahara | Cultural Collections) speak about "The Medieval Manuscript, the Incunable and the Graduate: Stories of a Book". All Welcome! 4-5pm Thursday 23 April in the Humanities Tea Room (206-523). This talk is in-person only (no Zoom, sorry!)

For more information (including abstracts and speaker bios) please view the attached posters!