Helen Berry

• Dean of Postgraduate Studies and Professor of British History
• Email: helen.berry@ncl.ac.uk
• Telephone: +44 (0) 191 208 5562

I specialise in British history circa 1660 to 1800, and have a particular interest in social, cultural and economic history.  My research and teaching are closely linked, and cover a wide range of themes, from the history of how a new kind of consumer society emerged in Britain during the eighteenth century, to how global trade and economics shaped personal experiences, families and communities. 

 The following areas are my pet subjects: the history of the mass media - the rise of newspapers and periodicals that reflected and informed public debates from the late-seventeenth century onwards; coffee house sociability and politeness; the history of gender and sexuality, particularly in the shifting definitions of marriage over time.  Having benefitted from working for several years with fellow historians and archaeologists at Newcastle University who have particular expertise in World History, I am passionate about encouraging people to think more broadly about British history in a global context.  My most recent book, The Castrato and His Wife (Oxford: OUP, 2011) is a microhistory that - among other things - explores the impact of Italian culture in the British Isles.  In addition to my books and articles which explore various national and international perspectives on British history, I have also published widely on the history of North-East England, on subjects ranging from high-design glassware and regional identity, to architectural style and taste in Newcastle.  An ongoing interest in transdisciplinary research, landscape history and the Tyne river system has led to my participation in the 'Rivers of the Anthropocene' project.