Research Ethics in Contemporary History

The issue of ethics in contemporary historical research is a topic demanding careful thought and consideration. Unlike other disciplines such as Sociology and Criminology, History as a field doesn't yet have a distinct code of ethical practice to guide academics and researchers.  As a result historians often refer to other disciplinary codes or seek guidance from one another, from archivists and public/oral historians, and from their home institutions when it comes to ethical guidelines and standards.  At the same time the question of ethics is becoming ever more important to historical practice.  With the digitization of archival sources and documents, resulting in the names of individuals being shared in the public realm, careful decisions need to be made about the sharing and publishing of historical data while at the same time protecting the right to privacy of individuals (and their families) and ensuring compliance with GDPR rules. This roundtable sets out to start a conversation about these issues drawing on the experience of historians, archivists and the editor of the international journal Research Ethics. The aim is to start identifying how best to navigate the challenges of good ethical practice in historical research.

Kate Chatfield is Deputy Director of the Centre for Professional Ethics at the University of Central Lancashire, and Editor in Chief of Research Ethics. Her publications include Traditional and Complementary Medicines: Are They Ethical for Humans, Animals and the Environment? (2018), and she was deputy lead for the EU-funded TRUST project which developed a Global Code of Conduct for Research in Resource-Poor Settings.

Lindsey Earner-Byrne is the Professor of Contemporary Irish History at the School of Histories and Humanities, TCD. She has researched and published widely on modern Irish history with a particular focus on poverty, welfare, gender, sexuality, health and vulnerable and marginalised groups. Most recently she has co-authored a history of Ireland’s abortion journey with Professor Diane Urquhart of Queen’s University Belfast, The Irish Abortion Journey, 1920-2018 (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019). Her other publications include Letters of the Catholic Poor: Poverty in Independent Ireland, 1920-1940 (2017) and Mother and Child: Maternity and Child Welfare in Dublin, 1922-50 (2007). She narrated and co-authored documentary Forgotten: The Widows of the Irish Revolution (RTÉ One, May 2022).

David Geiringer is Lecturer in Public History & Heritage at Queen Mary University of London, UK. He is a social and cultural historian of modern Britain, with particular interests in the histories of religion, sexuality, and emotions. He has published on Catholicism and contraception, participatory oral history methods, the history of the home computer and religious antiracism.

Tom Hulme is a Reader in Modern British History at Queen’s University Belfast, where he leads the AHRC-funded project ‘Queer Northern Ireland: Sexuality before Liberation’. His specific interests are in male same-sex relationships and cultures in Belfast, from the late nineteenth to mid twentieth century.

Holly Smith is an Archivist at University of Leeds Special Collections and Galleries. During her time as Project Archivist for the Women’s Aid Federation of England Archive, Holly took part in a Professional Fellowship with the National Archives and Research Libraries UK where she focused on inclusive cataloguing practice. Within this theme Holly was able to explore ideas such as trauma informed practice, community engagement, and approaches to sensitivity and language in archives. This research informed her approach to the Women’s Aid Archive as well as her current role as Archivist within the University’s wider Special Collections.

– This event is free, but booking is required.
Please note that bookings for this event will close 24 hours in advance, to allow the convenors to distribute the meeting link.