History/Archaeology: Archaeological Insights into The Cold War – National Identity, Resistance, Dissent & Counterculture With Professor Will Bowden & Dr Polly McMichael, University of Nottingham

insight4me is a series of subject specific webinars for current Year 12 & 13 students. The sessions support students’ current studies by giving an insight into particular curriculum areas whilst affording students the opportunity to talk to different universities and make informed comparisons about how, in this case, History and Archaeology is taught.

In this insight4me History/Archaeology webinar for schools and colleges, University of Nottingham will present two talks within the overall session theme of Archaeological Insights into The Cold War.

This session will look at some of the roles played by archaeology and material culture during the Cold War.

Prof. Will Bowden will look at the ways that archaeology and the past are used and abused in the creation of national identities. He will explain how Marxist thought and the search for a new national identity drove the development of archaeology in communist Albania, whose leader, Enver Hoxha, sought to create a past for the country that linked its population to the ancient Illyrians.

Dr Polly McMichael will look at unofficial recordings as material culture associated with different generations of music-lovers in the Soviet Union, and how these relate to cold war cultural paradigms of resistance, dissent, and counterculture. 

Through the discussion, universities are encouraged to provide an insight into the teaching and learning experience of this topic at university, and compare and contrast how other subject areas across the History and Archaeology spectrum might be treated. Students will gain an insight into how these subjects continue beyond A-levels, T-levels, IB, BTEC and equivalent qualifications.

Our events are designed so that a group of students can take part from a classroom or students and teachers can take part as individuals, either from school or from home. This means that sessions will continue irrespective of possible school closures.

As a live, participative event, this session will not be recorded but slides and other resources will be shared after the event, where available.

Suitable for: Year 12 & 13 students (and equivalent) studying, or with a possible interest in studying, History and Archaeology and related disciplines.

Preparation/Pre-Reading: Students may wish to consider the 2 topics and discuss some of the key elements in advance. Students can also think about questions they have about studying History and Archaeology at university level.

The IT Setup: The event will be run on Bluejeans and participants will be able to join using laptops, tablets, and mobile devices. If you are joining as a school group, we recommend connecting with one device and projecting on to a whiteboard. You will be able to interact with the university via a microphone and/or typed comments and questions. Full details will be sent to those who have registered (see below) prior to the event.

Booking a Place: This is free for schools and colleges. If you would like to take part in this event, please register your interest using the link to the registration form below: