Advocacy Committee Report

Background

This committee was convened by NACBS President Michelle Tusan in early 2025. The members are Mikki Brock, Esther Cuenca, Chris Frank, Jason Kelly, Brian Lewis (Chair), Amanda Perry, and Priya Satia.

Five main factors can be identified as the immediate background for the striking of this committee:

1.      The publication in August 2023 of the NACBS Strategic Planning Committee Report which, inter alia, recommended multiple ways of fostering a community of scholars engaged in British studies and creating a meaningful presence in the lives of NACBS members beyond the annual conference.

2.      The pervasive sense of crisis in the British History tenure-track job-market in North America—a questioning of how long the current richness of scholarship in the field and the strength of the NACBS itself can be sustained if the model on which they depend (the training of younger generations to replenish the ranks of established scholars) is in danger of collapse.

3.      Ideas floated at the “Crisis in British Studies” panel at the 2024 annual conference in Denver.

4.      The election of a US federal government hostile to the humanities, to DEI principles, to historical truth, and to the fundamental tenets of free inquiry.

5.      The formation of an NACBS Finance Committee to advise on how best to spend in a responsible and sustainable manner annual surpluses generated by invested funds.

The committee met online twice to deliberate, in January and April 2025, and thereafter via email. The consensus was to produce a concise report in time for the 2025 conference in Montreal, one that would propose practical, realistic, concrete steps moving forward.

What is Advocacy?

The principal questions driving this report are: what can the NACBS do for us, its members, to improve our scholarly lives? What should we add to the things we are doing already and/or what should we do differently?

From the outset, the committee needed to clarify the meaning of advocacy. Two interpretations emerged: (1) advocacy to protect British Studies and historians and other scholars of Britain against political attacks; and (2) advocacy to maintain and enhance British Studies in North America. The committee’s recommendations speak to both.

The committee recognizes the need to be realistic. With just one salaried official (part time) and otherwise dependent on the labour of volunteers with multiple other time-commitments, we cannot hope to mirror the educational and advocacy programs of well-staffed, well-funded, subsidized and/or endowed institutions like the American Historical Association, the Huntington Library, the National Humanities Center, the Institute of Historical Research, and the Royal Historical Society.

That said, the committee applauds and strives to build upon all the invaluable work accomplished by our Executive Directors in recent years. Their initiatives have already made substantial strides in transforming us from an organization devoted principally to the annual conference and to oversight of the Journal of British Studies to a year-round society that has a much greater presence in our members’ scholarly lives. These initiatives include: the much enhanced website with its resources constantly updated; the Broadsides series with concise commissioned articles commenting on current matters of debate or historical milestones; the Zoom book launches; and online workshops, especially aimed at emerging scholars, often organized by the Graduate and Early Career Caucus.

With that in mind, we make the following recommendations:

Recommendations

Recommendation 1:

That the NACBS advocate, clearly and unwaveringly, for academic freedom; for our right to undertake research or to teach on any subject without fear, reprisal, or government interference; and for the continued funding of work in the humanities.

This should include:

 —Signing statements and petitions of solidarity generated by organizations such as the American Historical Association and the Organization of American Historians.

—Generating statements and letters of our own (ideally ready-to-issue statements for a timely response) whenever a scholar in British Studies is harmed or threatened by government policy.

—Keeping track of all our advocacy activities on a dedicated webpage.

Recommendation 2:

That the NACBS be a port of call for guidance.

This should include:

 —Amplifying and keeping updated our “Resources” webpage with links to useful contacts, articles, and advice for scholars under threat or negotiating uncertainty.

 —Working with such scholars to prepare letters and statements of protest.

 —Working with early career scholars by, for example, writing to department chairs on their behalf  to advocate for “achievement related to opportunity” at the time of application for renewal or tenure, so that junior colleagues are not penalized if they cannot access cancelled grants.

 —Working with advocacy bodies in such organizations as the Royal Historical Society and the American Historical Association to share resources, ideas, and tactics.

Recommendation 3:

That the NACBS facilitate, where possible, and as a perk of membership, access to digital scholarly resources and discounts on memberships and publications. The new IAHI-NACBS Visiting Research Fellowships are fine examples of creating greater access to communities and resources; such initiatives should be encouraged and replicated.

Recommendation 4:

That all the excellent recent initiatives (Broadsides, book launches, workshops, etc.) be continued, encouraged, and (if possible) expanded. One such added initiative might include an annual speaker series in coordination with our regional associations as a way of strengthening our ties.

Recommendation 5:

That the annual conference always have a hybrid component for those scholars who are unable to travel (for example, because of cost or the dangers of crossing national borders); that the registration costs continue to be as low as possible for graduate students; and that the program of conference travel grants be extended whenever feasible.

Recommendation 6:

That, whenever possible, the NACBS (1) makes the case to university departments for replacement positions in British History and for the continuing vitality of our field and (2) compiles and keeps updated a list of institutions that do not have British history lines.

Recommendation 7:

That a committee be struck to devise a policy for the preservation of NACBS archives. In the age of email communication, we are in danger of losing a precious record of our history. As a historical organization, this is something we should address.

Recommendation 8:

That the President write to the membership shortly after each annual conference to outline the above benefits of remaining engaged with the NACBS and making use of our resources.

Respectfully submitted, September 2025,

Mikki Brock

Esther Cuenca

Chris Frank

Jason Kelly

Brian Lewis

Amanda Perry

Priya Satia