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Raphael Samuel Archive

c1950-1996

  1. Archives
  2. Raphael Samuel and History Workshop Archives

About this Archive

Administrative/Biographical History

Raphael Elkan Samuel (1934 - 1996) was a British Marxist historian, described by Stuart Hall as "one of the most outstanding, original intellectuals of his generation". He was Professor of History at the University of East London at the time of his death and also taught at Ruskin College from 1962 until his death.

Samuel was born into a Jewish family in London. His father, Barnett Samuel, was a solicitor and his mother, Minna Nerenstein, was a composer and partner in Jewish publishers Shapiro, Valentine. Samuel joined the Communist Party of Great Britain when he was a teenager and left following the Soviet Union's invasion of Hungary in 1956.

Samuel was awarded a scholarship to Balliol College, Oxford where he became a member of the Communist Party Historians Group, alongside Christopher Hill, E. P. Thompson and others.

He co-founded the journal Past and Present in 1952, and pioneered the study of working-class history. He founded the Partisan Coffee House in 1956 in Soho, London, as a meeting place for the British New Left. He took a leading part in founding the History Workshop movement at trade union connected Ruskin College, Oxford.

Samuel and the History Workshop movement powerfully influenced the development of the approach to historical research and writing commonly called "history from below".

Starting in 1967, the 1970s, and early 1980s, saw the History Workshop movement grow in popularity, leading to the formation of a number of local History Workshops and the publication of a series of pamphlets, books and journals, including the History Workshop Journal in 1976. The British movement also inspired several international History Workshops in Europe, South Africa and America.

In 1987 Samuel married the writer and critic Alison Light. After Samuel's death in 1996, the East London History Centre of the University of East London was renamed the Raphael Samuel History Centre, in honour of his role in creating it.

Scope and Content

Research materials, cuttings, extracts, articles, copies notes and drafts compiled in the preparation of all of Samuel’s major works including: Theatres of Memory: Volume 1 and 2, East End Underworld (and material for the proposed unpublished second volume), People’s History and Socialist Theory, Culture, Ideology and Politics, Patriotism: Volume 1 and 2, The Enemy Within, The Myths We Live By, along with research materials for essays, lectures, and articles, including The Lost World of British Communism, British Marxist Historians, Puritanism, the Tory Interpretation of History, History, Nation and the Schools and others; general research notes on oral history, local history and London History, c1950-1997.

Quantity

c300 Boxes

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  • SAMUEL Archives Catalogue

    5.5 MB PDF
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Raphael Samuel and History Workshop Archives Go to this category page.

A black and white photo of students sitting in rows. The image is from the London History Workshop Centre Archive

London History Workshop Centre Archive

1977-1992

Tim Mason Archive

1960-1995

Raphael Samuel Ruskin Papers Archive

1972-1993

A paper reading "February 13 & 14 1971. Ruskin College History workshop no. 5 Admit One."

History Workshop Centre for Social History (HWCSH) Archive

1976-1992

A black and white photo of a man speaking in front of a room full of students. The image is from the History Workshop Audio Archive.

History Workshop Audio Archive

1977-1991

An image from the History workshop Archive. It is a poster that says "Nationalism and regionalism.  History Workshop. Leeds. 19-21 November 1993." The writing is white and pink on a black background.

Raphael Samuel Poster and Plan Collection

1958-1995

History Workshop Journal front cover 1988. It is a red cover and says in white writing: "History Workshop, a journal of socialist and feminist historians. Issue 26.  Autumn 1988."

History Workshop Journal Archive

1975-2008

A group of people sitting in rows, with leaflets in their hands. They are looking expectantly to the front of the room. This image is from the History Workshop Events Archive.

History Workshop Events Archive

1966-1995

History Workshop group with Raphael Barbara Taylor Jerry White and more, taken in June 1982

History Workshop Publications Archive

1967-1996

Find More Raphael Samuel and History Workshop Archives

Three people are sitting in a cafe talking. This is a black and white photo from the New Left Archive.

New Left Archive

1899-1993

Raphael Samuel Archive

c1950-1996

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EC2M 4QH
020 7392 9200enquiries@bishopsgate.org.uk

Small Print

Copyright © 2025 Bishopsgate Foundation. Registered Charity No: 1090923. Website by Supercool