Peter Mitchell

Currently an oral historian at 'Voices of COVID-19', a major national project supported by the AHRC and directed by Dr Stephanie Snow out of the Centre for the History of Science, Medicine and Technology at the University of Manchester. On a consultant basis, I am also currently engaged in oral history and heritage projects with Cambridge University Hospitals and Canterbury Christ Church University.

My first trade book, 'Imperial Nostalgia: How the British conquered themselves' is released with MUP in July 2021: https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526146205/

Previously a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Sussex University's School of Global Studies; working on 'Snapshots of Empire' - a Leverhulme-funded interdisciplinary project under the direction of Professor Alan Lester, focusing on nineteenth-century imperial governance in the Colonial and India Offices. This project culminated in a major co-authored book for Cambridge University Press, titled 'Ruling the World: Freedom, civilisation and liberalism in the nineteenth-century British empire': https://www.cambridge.org/gb/academic/subjects/history/british-history-after-1450/ruling-world-freedom-civilisation-and-liberalism-nineteenth-century-british-empire?format=PB

My thesis, entitled 'The Centre of the Muniment: The India Office Records and the Historiography of Early Modern Empire, 1875-91', studied the records of the East India Company's first few decades (1600-c.1625) in the light of their career as historical and antiquarian documents in the late nineteenth century India Office. While completing my PhD at the School of English, Queen Mary University of London, I taught courses on medieval and early modern literatures, Shakespeare, and introductory literary theory.

I also do museum and public engagement work, consult with The Culture Capital Exchange on creative industries and HE policy, undertake freelance writing, editing and research jobs (most recently doing background research for Sathnam Sanghera's bestselling 'Empireland'), write on politics and culture for outlets including the Guardian and Tribune, and review books for pretty much anyone who asks. In my last freelance job I was employed by Tottenham Hotspur FC as a consulting historian, researching the history of their charitable foundation's new premises (a 1740s Georgian townhouse connected to the Percy family, with a long history of mixed occupation, political activity, sporting history, and possibly pirate radio), and producing a book, exhibitionary materials and a series of lectures and workshops for local historical societies, schools and community organisations.