Dr Sarah Hellawell

As Lecturer in Modern British History, I was Module Leader for:

• HIS116 'British History since 1750'
• HIS212 'Britain's Age of Reform, 1750-1846'
• HIS395 'A Brave New World: Interwar Britain'
• HIS396 'Special Project: Activism, Gender and Social Change: Britain and Beyond, 1850s-1970s'

I also taught on 'Introduction to History', 'Special Project', 'History in Ancient and Contemporary Debates'. I supervised undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations, including MA and MPhil student projects. I have examined two PhD projects.

My PhD research sheds light on the British Women’s International League (WIL), an organisation that campaigned for peace, disarmament and international law, alongside goals for women’s rights. Having formed part of an international association – the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) – WIL offers a unique perspective on the women’s movement and the interplay between activism at local, national and international levels. My project engages with the broader historical themes of citizenship, class and social activism. It makes a distinct contribution to the historiography on the British women’s movement by considering the influence of internationalism on activism. I am currently revising my research for publication as a monograph.

As Research Assistant, I conducted archival research in London and the North East on the history of student activism after the First World War. Funded by AHRC World War One Engagement Centre at the University of Hertfordshire and led by academics at Northumbria University and University College London, I also worked in collaboration with community partners – the National Union of Students and North East branch of the Workers Educational Association – to organise dissemination events in London and the North East. This project has led to a pop-up exhibition, public talks, a blog and a journal article.

• 20th Century British history
• Women's and gender history
• Transnational social movements