Public history and decolonisation are vitally linked.

Public history and decolonisation are vitally linked. It is critical for our understanding of history that we exorcise the colonial preconceptions that have permeated traditional narratives for centuries, and conducting this process in public is equally important as this is the way to change broader attitudes. My proposed project ties these two things together, taking the expansive poster collection of the People's History Museum as a starting point to study anti-racist activism, and producing online exhibitions to share my findings with the public. Central to the movement's imagery is the raised fist symbol, which appears remarkably often on these posters but has not received the academic attention that it merits. Both my undergraduate and postgraduate studies in history at the University of Sheffield have given me invaluable tools to carry out this exciting project. For example, I have experience working with public history through my modules and a work placement, and this has included decolonial approaches focusing on personal stories, so I am well-equipped to take on that aspect of the project. I also have strong research skills, with many of my university essays delving into lesser-known aspects of history such as Iranian poet-princesses and the diary of a German academic in 1919. My proposal will initially focus on the impact of my proposed project, before moving on to the public history elements and the issues I may encounter with this, then I will discuss the visual history that will form the core of my research approach