International Women’s Day 2026

Posted on 4 March 2026 by ljones

This March, to mark International Women’s Day 2026, the History Faculty Library’s book display shines a light on women whose lives, labour, and influence have too often been overlooked. The theme, untold and forgotten female histories, invites us to look beyond familiar names and stories, and to consider how history is shaped by power and access. These books challenge us to ask why so many women have been left out of historical narratives.

Among the works on display is The Graces: The Extraordinary Untold Lives of Women at the Restoration Court, which uncovers the political, cultural, and personal influence of women navigating the male-dominated world of seventeenth-century England. Similarly, Immaculate Forms: Uncovering the History of Women’s Bodies explores how women’s bodies have been understood, controlled, and represented across time, revealing the deep connections between gender, medicine, and social power. Together, these texts show how women’s experiences were central to historical change, even when they were excluded from official accounts.

We are also highlighting HFL’s online materials such as Thanks for Typing: Remembering Forgotten Women in History, dedicated to recovering the uncredited female contributions throughout history. From court insiders to clerical workers, these books and resources remind us that history is full of hidden lives waiting to be rediscovered.

This International Women’s Day, we invite you to explore the display, reflect on whose stories have been marginalised, and consider how recovering women’s histories can reshape our understanding of the past.

Books featured on the display above, from left to right:

Legenda : the real women behind the myths that shaped Europe by Janina Ramirez | Medieval women religious, c. 800-c. 1500 : new perspectives by Kimm Curran and Janet Burton | I am not afraid of looking into the rifles : women of the resistance in World War One by Rick Stroud | Femina : a new history of the Middle Ages, through the women written out of it by Janina Ramirez | The graces : the extraordinary untold lives of women at the Restoration court by Breeze Barrington | Not just a man’s war : Chinese women’s memories of the war of resistance against Japan, 1931-45 by Yihong Pan | La Duchesse : the life of Marie de Vignerot : Cardinal Richelieu’s forgotten heiress who shaped the fate of France by Bronwen McShea | Women, witchcraft and the Inquisition in Spain and the New World by María Jesús Zamora Calvo | Public faces, secret lives : a queer history of the women’s suffrage movement by Wendy L. Rouse | Immaculate forms : uncovering the history of women’s bodies by Helen King | Bringing home the White House : the hidden history of women who shaped the presidency in the twentieth century by Melissa Estes Blair.

These e-book resources can be accessed via SOLO, which will require an Oxford University SSO login. Alternatively, they can be used through a Bodleian reader account for external readers who can access the material by connecting to the Bodleian Libraries Wi-fi network or logging on to the reader PCs within the library.

LGBT+ History Month 2026

Posted on 4 February 2026 by ljones

With the start of February comes LGBT+ History Month in the UK, which was founded by the LGBT+ education charity Schools OUT in 2004. You can learn more about their history and work on their official website.

Here in the Radcliffe Camera, we have put together a display to celebrate this important period of observance, focused on the theme of ‘Science & Innovation’.

Our display covers multiple aspects of this theme: spotlighting the lives of queer scientists and other intellectuals, showcasing their work, as well as considering the harm and other discrimination LGBT+ people have faced in the medical world and beyond due to bias and prejudice or even just inadequate research. Therefore, our selection features varying topics.

You will find several biographies, as well as compiled letters, first-hand accounts and other writings from queer voices in these relevant spaces. There are stories from AIDS activists, collections of medical and social research over the years, and the published works of LGBT+ writers.

Examples include: gay rights activist Frank Kameny, an astronomer who was fired for his sexuality during the Lavender Scare; marine biologist Rachel Carson, the nature of whose relationship with Dorothy Freeman has been debated as a result of them destroying many of their letters before her death, and the contents of the correspondence that remains; Florence Nightingale and Leonardo da Vinci, two widely renowned figures who are believed to have been queer in some way.

Of course, most historic figures can only be speculated as LGBT+, given that the times and societies they lived in did not have the same standards and definitions we use today. Until recent years, it would be rare to find records of anybody identifying with specific queer terminology.

Interpretations are made based on their words and actions and relevant cultural context, and it’s important to remember that we can appreciate and identify with those that were likely queer without needing to assign strict labels. We encourage readers who are interested to have a look into these fascinating people themselves!

Books featured on the display above, from left to right:

Florence Nightingale : the woman and her legend by Mark Bostridge | The New Negro edited by Alain Locke ; with an introduction by Arnold Rampersad | Turing : pioneer of the information age by B. Jack Copeland | The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall ; with an introduction by Maureen Duffy | Silent Spring by Rachel Carson ; with an introduction by Caroline Lucas | Let the record show : a political history of ACT UP New York , 1987-1993 by Sarah Schulman | How to survive a plague : the inside story of how citizens and science tamed AIDS by David France | Before AIDS : gay health politics in the 1970s by Katie Batza | The Transgender Studies Reader 2 edited by Susan Stryker and Aren Z. Aizura | I’ll stand by you : selected letters of Sylvia Townsend Warner and Valentine Ackland with narrative by Sylvia Townsend Warner ; edited by Susanna Pinney | Leonardo : the artist and the man by Serge Bramly | Generation on fire : voices of protest from the 1960s : an oral history by Jeff Kisseloff

Accessing the following e-resource materials will require a Single-Sign-On Login for Oxford University members. External readers will need to log in with their Bodleian accounts while using the Bodleian libraries network (either with a device connected to the Bodleian Libraries Wi-Fi network or using the reader PCs within the library).

The Remedy : Queer and Trans Voices on Health and Health Care edited by Zena Sharman

Queer Science: The Use and Abuse of Research into Homosexuality by Simon LeVay

International Day of Education – 24th January 2026

Posted on 7 January 2026 by ljones

24^th January marks International Day of Education, with the theme for 2026 focusing on AI and education. To mark the occasion, our HFL book display highlights some historical research on access to education, and the development and dissemination of knowledge. Among these books are historical studies on segregated education, the impacts of war on learning, and AI technology in the classroom.

Alongside these historical perspectives, these books invite us to consider how today’s debates around artificial intelligence fit into longer histories of educational change and technological innovation. From the printing press to digital learning, new tools and perspectives have continually reshaped education and how we share knowledge. By exploring these books, we can place contemporary discussions about AI in education within a broader historical and social context of equitable access to quality education.