A group of students on our undergraduate History degree courses, joined Senior Lecturer Dr Steve Hewitt on a one-day trip to Belfast.
Dr Hewitt is a British/Canadian academic specialising in security and intelligence in the past and present and in a US/UK/Canada context. His research has covered a range of topics, such as state surveillance against Canadian universities, UK and US counter-terrorism, and a history of informants.
The students are all studying the final year History Special Subject, ‘Terrorising History: Terrorist Motivations, Methods, and Mayhem’.
The day started with a talk from Professor Richard English - Professor of Politics at Queen’s University Belfast and a world-leading expert on the conflict in Northern Ireland. In 2018 he was awarded a CBE for services to the understanding of modern day terrorism and political history.
The group then moved on to the Ulster Museum for ‘The Troubles and Beyond’. This exhibition brings together the wider social, economic, cultural, and political, influences which have shaped Northern Ireland. Objects on display include civil rights posters, prison artwork, LGBT history and Dame Mary Peters’ Olympic gold medal.
The day concluded with an afternoon walking tour around central Belfast locations related to terrorism.
