New course brings the swinging sixties to the history department

The cult music, art and literature of the 1960s are discovered by most students during their time at University, but now the history of that period will be taught at honours level by new Professor Callum Brown (right). Callum has just joined the Department along with Professor Jim Tomlinson (below), another 20th century expert.

"Attracting top quality staff to Dundee and making the University environment a place where the finest talent can blossom and thrive is vital to the University's strategy for a successful future." according to the Principal. That objective has been realised with the appointment of these two new History professors.

Callum and Jim have joined the department as Chair of Religious and Cultural History and Bonar Professor of Modern History. The two professors will be involved in an ambitious project to bring a new postgraduate Masters course in 20th century history on board by the start of the next academic year.

The Principal said, "I am very happy to welcome our newest history professors. Taken with the recent promotion of Bob Harris to a personal chair, these three appointments reinforce and elevate Dundee's activity in an area where our reputation is already on the rise."

Jim Tomlinson has come to Dundee from Brunel University, London where he had taught in the departments of economics and government. Previous to that he was a postgraduate and undergraduate student at LSE, where he studied modern economic history, and then went on to achieve a PhD in Anglo Indian economic relations around the first world war.

Commenting on his move, Jim said, "I wanted to join a history department that was highly ranked in research terms and Dundee is just that. The department is also developing courses in the area of 20th century history, which is my area and I was keen to be working in a department that was expanding."

He added, "Dundee is an interesting city for a historian. Part of my PhD research involved examining the cotton trade between Britain and India, and with Dundee’s history of jute production there are strong links with India here as well."

Jim's recent publications include The Labour Government 1964-1970 Volume 3, Economic Policy, published by Manchester University Press.

Callum Brown has moved from the University of Strathclyde to join Dundee's history department. He has also taught at the University of Central Lancashire and was educated at the Universities of St Andrews and Dundee.

The history of religious ritual, popular culture and sport are just some of Callum's research interests. He is an expert on the history of religious decline and the development of Europe into a secular continent, as well as the period of the 1960s.

Callum said, "I'm interested in postmodernism, which can be looked at from a huge number of angles, for example postmodernism and psychology, postmodernism and science, so I hope to collaborate with other academics across the University in this area of my research."

He added, "I think that interaction between research and teaching is key and I strongly believe that students should be taught by people who are at the forefront of research."

Callum has just completed Postmodernism for Historians, The University Experience 1945-75, with two co-authors, and is currently writing Religion and Society in Britain in the 20th Century.

Commenting on the new appointments, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Chris Whatley said, "The arrival of Jim and Callum, both outstanding scholars in their respective fields, will further strengthen the research reputation of history at Dundee but also enable us to attract masters and research students who have interests in 20th century history, where demand is particularly robust at present."