Medieval role-play, applied fellowships & EGOS (Newsround)

Fun ideas, interesting opportunities, and getting ready for winter conference submissions

Oct 26, 2026

Role-playing game: Cost of living during medieval famine
Fellowships at the Social History Archives
List of EGOS sub-themes available

1. Cost of Living in a Medieval Society

If you are in Birmingham, UK, some of my business school colleagues are running a role-playing game as part of the ESRC Festival of Science centred around economic history:

Step into medieval England and navigate the Great Famine of 1315 in an interactive role-playing workshop exploring inequality, crisis and decision-making.

Cornelis Springer View of the Aachen Cathedral

Wednesday, 4 November 2026 (18:00 - 20:00) (UK)

This even is in-person only and our University of Birmingham Edgbaston campus you can Register for this event.

ESRC Festival of Social Science 2026

Join a participatory role-playing workshop in which members of the public take on the roles of different social classes in medieval England and collectively navigate the Great Famine of 1315. The workshop uses the medieval grain crisis as an accessible politically neutral lens through which to explore questions that are urgently contemporary: how do external economic shocks affect different social groups unequally? Why are the poorest households hit hardest, even when they produce essential goods? And what role do institutional responses — government intervention, market behaviour, community solidarity — play in cushioning or compounding a crisis?

2. Applied History Fellowships at the Social History Archives

As the academic year gathers pace, there’s plenty happening at The Social History Archive, and we’re pleased to share some of our latest news with you.

We’re excited to announce that applications are now open for the second year of our Applied History Fellowships, delivered in partnership with the Institute of Historical Research and the Royal Historical Society. It’s hard to believe how quickly the past six months have passed with this year’s Fellows, Sadie Levy-Gale and Matthew Stephens. Their contributions have been invaluable, and we would like to thank them both for their enthusiasm, insight and hard work.

Find out more about the programme and how to apply for this year’s fellowship below.

Applied History Fellowship application

We are delighted to launch a new programme in conjunction with The Royal Historical Society

The RHS / The Social History Archive Partnership provides historians who are Fellows and members of the Society with six months’ free access to online primary source materials through The Social History Archive. The scheme is designed for researchers at all career stages who require access to these resources for their research but do not have access through an existing institutional affiliation or subscription.

Calls for the Partnership take place twice a year, with up to 30 researchers receiving free access to The Social History Archive for a 6-month period in each round. The first call opened on 21 September and runs to 30 October 2026, with access beginning for six months from 1 January 2027.

Apply here