News

On 4 June 2015, Helen presented a lecture to the Forschungskolloquium der Abteilung Historische Bildungsforschung at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. The lecture gave an overview of the content of Helen's first monograph, Sparta's German Children.Read more...

Helen's review of Christian Ingrao's monograph Believe and Destroy: Intellectuals in the SS War Machine (2013) has just been published in the Book Reviews section of the Wiener Library Blog.Read more...

On 17 April 2015, Helen presented a paper at a two-day conference organised by the Leibniz Universität Hannover's Institut für Didaktik der Demokratie, entitled 'ExpertInnen Workshop: Die Klosterkammer in der NS-Zeit - Relevante Fragen, Quellenlage, vorläufige Thesen'.Read more...

Helen's monograph, Sparta's German Children: The ideal of ancient Sparta in the Royal Prussian Cadet Corps, 1818-1920, and in National Socialist elite schools (the Napolas), 1933-1945, has been critically acclaimed in the most recent issue of The Classical Review.

The reviewer, Philipp Strauss, praises the book’s quality and the convincing nature of its arguments, concluding that it makes 'a valuable contribution to the research on the mirage spartiate and its transformation in modern societies, as well as to the history of educational institutions'.Read more...

On 16 January 2015, Helen presented a paper entitled 'The Challenges of Engaging with Childhood under the Nazi Regime' at a conference on 'Challenges in the History of Childhood', Queen Mary, University of London.Read more...

Hindsight in Greek and Roman History, edited by Anton Powell, to which Helen contributed a chapter entitled 'Spartan Supremacy: A "Possession for Ever"? Early fourth-century expectations of enduring ascendancy' has recently received a favourable review in the German online journal Sehepunkte: Rezensionsjournal für die Geisteswissenschaften.

The reviewer, Uwe Walter, describes the volume as 'very well worth reading, and likely to enliven further scholarship'.Read more...

On 29 November 2014, Helen presented a paper entitled 'Narrating the Nostoi of the Napolaner: Nazi elite-school pupils' travels during the collapse of the Third Reich' at a conference on 'War, Travel, Travel Writing', University of East Anglia.Read more...

On 18 November 2014, Helen gave a lecture to the 4th and 5th Form History Society at Dauntsey's School, West Lavington, Wiltshire, entitled 'When the Nazis came to Dauntsey's'.Read more...

Helen's essay 'Kadettengeschichten: Exploring the Prussian cadet-school story' has just been published in the catalogue for a new exhibition organised by Durham University's Palace Green Library, entitled Books for Boys: Literacy, Nation and the First World War.

A selection of editions from Helen's comprehensive collection of Prussian cadet-school literature will also be showcased as part of the display. The exhibition, which runs from 27th September 2014 to 11th January 2015, explores boyhood during the earliest years of the twentieth century.Read more...

On 1 August 2014, Helen presented a paper entitled '"The Cadets are Revolting": Reactionary violence, the Freikorps, and the legacy of the “Great” war for the Royal Prussian Cadet-Corps' at an international conference entitled 'Perspectives on the "Great War" / Rückblick auf den ersten Weltkrieg', Queen Mary, University of London.Read more...