Dr Seán Lang

I am a teacher by background and outlook. I started my career teaching history in secondary schools and since then I have taught in schools, colleges and universities, including some twenty years teaching for PACE, both on its International Summer Programme and Weekend Courses at Madingley Hall. I specialise in what historians call the modern period, though not everyone will think it very modern, as it goes from the eighteenth century onwards. I have a particular interest in the history of empire and also in modern European history, but I am very happy to range more widely.

History is not just a huge interest or even a passion for me: it’s a way of looking at and understanding the world itself. History enables you to see the modern world in its context of time, to see how it compares with earlier events or fits into longer-term trends and patterns – and it always does. All of life has a history and history, properly understood, encompasses all aspects of human existence.

In addition to teaching I broadcast regularly on radio and have often appeared on television, mostly talking about history or history teaching, but also commenting on current affairs from a historical angle. I have also been very active in the Historical Association, which is a national body for all people interested in history, especially history teachers: I served twice as its Honorary Secretary and I led the Cambridge for many years.

Alongside history, I am also heavily engaged in theatre, mainly as a writer. I have had plays performed in Cambridge and London, and also in Canada, Australia and Ireland, and I founded BOATS Theatre (Based On A True Story) which, as its name suggests, uses theatre to explore the past and our relationship with it.

Learning together is a powerful way to forge bonds and it is particularly important to do so between people from different parts of the world. My hope is that PACE courses like this one help to build international understanding both through the content of the courses and through the relationships that develop among students and teachers.