Historian Pierre Purseigle on WW1

Pierre Purseigle, Senior Lecturer in Modern History at Birmingham University, delivers a lecture and podcast on WW1 and its Centenary.

Delivering his lecture entitled “Uneasy balance: reflections of a First World War historian on scholarship and memory”, Purseigle’s talks highlights the problematic intricacies of history and memory and the politics of commemoration, a timely subject with 2014 ahead.

The University of Birmingham’s website also contains an interview with Purseigle: “The British public is still interested in the ‘Great War’, but our conception of the conflict has been shaped by its depiction in popular culture, such as Blackadder Goes Forth, which has highlighted some elements and obscured others. Pierre says that historians will be using the centenary to educate the public further, to enhance our understanding of a war that changed not just the political map of Europe, but of the entire world.”

To read about Pierre Purseigle, click hereand to access a podcast of his thoughts on the forthcoming Centenaryclick here.

Images courtesy of the University of Birmingham website.