Trafalgar 1805-2005

The British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1

Saturday 14 January 2006

£10 Conference Fee (£5 concessions)

A British Academy Symposium convened by Dr Holger Hoock, Lecturer in British Cultural History, University of Liverpool, and chaired by Professor N A M Rodger, FBA, Professor of Naval History, University of Exeter, and Rev'd Professor John Morrill, FBA, Selwyn College, Cambridge

ABOUT THIS EVENT | PROGRAMME

October 2005 marks the bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar, January 2006 that of the state funeral of Britain's greatest naval hero, Admiral Nelson. These events will be commemorated by academic conferences, exhibitions, best-selling biographies, and TV documentaries, as well as with re-enactments, regattas, yacht rallies, a Royal Fleet Review, Trafalgar dinners, parades, fireworks, beacons, church services and bell-ringing across Britain.

Who drives the commemoration of historical anniversaries and to what ends? How have Trafalgar and Nelson been commemorated over time? To whom do the battle and the Admiral matter today? What drives the Trafalgar Festival 2005 and the Nelson publishing industry?

This public event, aimed at an academic and a broader interested audience, will explore the notion of the historical anniversary and the commemoration of the Battle of Trafalgar and Nelson and their role in national memory since 1805/6. It will also attempt a critical retrospective of the academic and public bicentenary events with a view to establishing the meaning and significance of Nelson today. Speakers include leading academic historians and experts in exhibition and event management, broadcasting and A-level teaching.