Congratulations to Juliana Adelman and Celeste McNamara on new open-access publication

We’re delighted to celebrate our colleagues Dr. Juliana Adelman and Dr. Celeste McNamara on the publication of their latest open-access article, “History and historical fiction: Experiences from history undergraduates,” in the journal Arts and Humanities in Higher Education.

The paper explores how historical fiction can be used in university teaching to help students think differently about the past. While historical novels are often used in schools to encourage empathy and engagement, Juliana and Celeste show that they can also play an important role in higher education. Their research highlights how fiction can push students to reflect on how history is written, the role of interpretation, and the blurred lines between fact and narrative.

Drawing on a history module delivered by Celeste at DCU, the article shows how undergraduates responded to reading novels, watching films and TV shows, and even creating their own short pieces of historical fiction. Students reported that this approach made history feel more alive, helped them understand different perspectives, and encouraged them to think critically about both academic and popular histories.

The paper is a great example of transformative teaching happening in the School of History and Geography, and we’re proud to see it published and shared with a wider audience.

Congratulations again to Juliana and Celeste.