Dr David Thackeray
Lecturer
Extension: 4345
Telephone: 01392 724345
I have recently completed the manuscript of a book entitled: 'Conservatism for the democratic age: Conservative cultures and the challenge of mass politics in early twentieth century England', scheduled for publication in 2013 by Manchester University Press. The book, based on my PhD thesis, explores the dramatic cultural transformation which occurred within the discourse and practice of Conservative politics between 1900 and 1924. This was a seminal period in which key features of the modern Conservative party emerged: a mass women's organisation, a focus on addressing the voter as a consumer, targeted electioneering strategies, and the use of modern media to address a mass audience. My work offers a new interpretation of the Conservative revival in the early twentieth century, based on an exploration of the party's culture which draws on histories of gender and the consumer, and (for want of a better phrase) the 'new political history'.
My new project analyses the phenomenon of 'Buying British' in the twentieth century from the politics of tariff reform to Britain's entry into the EEC. The project uses an exploration of consumer and business politics as a prism through which to explore changing attitudes to national and imperial identities in twentieth century Britain. In addition, I continue to research British political history and am currently using a study of election addresses as a way to explore the changing public culture of electoral politics.
I am keen to pursue innovative forms of teaching, making heavy use of the material held in the university special collections in seminars, from suffragette pamphlets to early film magazines. Recently, I helped students from my 'Gender and citizenship' course stage an exhibition at the Bill Douglas Centre for film studies, you can read about it here http://humanities.exeter.ac.uk/history/news/title_199002_en.html
