History Programme, University of Otago

15/05/2026

The History Programme was very saddened by the recent passing of our alumna, colleague and friend Dr Jane McCabe.

Jane finished a BA in History in 1997, and after completing a degree in Clothing and Textile Sciences, she returned to undertake a PGDip in History in 2010. She then enrolled for a PhD, completing an outstanding thesis in 2014. That work explored the history of the ‘Kalimpong Kids’, mixed-race children of British tea planters who were educated in Kalimpong, in northeast India, and then were subsequently resettled in New Zealand. Jane developed that thesis into two fantastic prize-winning books, but her research also helped many New Zealand descendants of those resettled to better understand their family histories and ties to India.

Between 2014 and 2020, Jane was a popular teacher in the Programme, serving as a Teaching Fellow and Lecturer, and she also held a prestigious Marsden Fast-Start award. During this period, she collaborated with several Otago staff members on other projects, workshops, and conferences. One of these was a volume she co-edited with Barbara Brookes and Angela Wanhalla, 'Past Caring? Women, Work and Emotion'. Jane’s important role in that project was in keeping with her historical interests in gender, families and emotion, and the stories we tell about the past. But Jane herself was also a caring person; a great friend who was wise, thoughtful, and deeply interested in the world.

A number of current and former staff, as well as former students, attended Jane’s funeral, and Tony Ballantyne spoke on behalf of the Programme and the historical community. The Programme’s deepest sympathy goes to Jane’s parents, Don and Barbara, her family, and her partner, Luke Smythe, who is also a colleague, having formerly taught Art History for us. We feel Jane’s loss keenly.

08/05/2026

Please join us on the occasion of John Stenhouse's Inaugural Professorial Lecture on Thursday, 21 May 5:30pm in Burns 2 Lecture Theatre.

John teaches courses in European and New Zealand history and the history of science at the University of Otago. His research explores interconnections between science, religion, politics, race and gender in the modern world, using New Zealand and the British empire as the main sites of investigation. Recent publications include the coedited collection Eugenics at the Edges of Empire: New Zealand, Australia, Canada and South Africa (Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave, 2018) and ‘Reading Darwin during the New Zealand Wars: science, religion, politics and race, 1835-1900,’ Studies in the History and Philosophy of Science (2022) 96: 87-99. He is currently writing a book on Christian missionaries and the sciences from antiquity to the present. This research has led to an invitation to deliver the keynote public lecture at the 2026 Cain Conference on ’The Global History of Modern Science, 1400-1914' at the Science History Institute in Philadelphia.

John is a member of the New Zealand Historical Association, the Religious History Association, the History of Science Society, and in 2022 was elected as a Fellow of the International Society for Science and Religion.

This lecture will be followed with light refreshments, tea, coffee and juice.

This event will be livestreamed at the following events link:

https://www.otago.ac.nz/its/services/teaching-and-research-services/streaming/video-streaming-channel-2

08/05/2026

Congratulations to Hugh Morrison on the occasion of his Inaugural Professorial Lecture, held last night, 7 May. Hugh is a valued friend of the programme and his lecture was a moving account of his distinguished career in the fields of mission history and the history of childhood. The recording of the lecture will be available in due course on the University of Otago YouTube channel.

17/03/2026

13/03/2026

Join us in welcoming Dr Martin Nekola as he introduces the remarkable story of Czech adventurer Bohumil Pospíšil (1902–1974), next Wednesday 18 March 3:30pm in Burns 5, Arts Building.

12/02/2026

Still deciding on your 300L papers for 2026? Why not take an adventure through the past and explore the variety of cultures and themes our papers offer.

12/02/2026

NEW - SPECIAL TOPIC - HIST231: HEALERS, HELPERS, OR HORRORS? Medicine and Health in New Zealand.

As New Zealand faces an ongoing crisis in our healthcare system, have you ever wondered how did we get here? Kickstart your year with an exciting new paper examining New Zealand’s complex and unique medical history. Covering a wide range of health-related issues and multi-faceted perspectives, this interdisciplinary paper will expand your understanding of how state and society interact, and when the personal becomes public.

12/02/2026

Welcome to University! Congratulations! As current students will tell you, history is a fantastic subject for those who want to understand this increasingly complex world of ours - as well as honing the analytical and writing skills vital for today's job market. Otago's History Programme offers a great range of 100-level papers with a diverse selection of topics leading into 200-level studies. We look forward to sharing in your University journey. All the best with your studies!

100-level papers:
HIST102 'The Global Twentieth Century'
HIST107 'New Zealand in the World from the 18th Century'
HIST108 'From Medieval to Modern Europe'
HIST123 'Revolutions'

200-level papers:
HIST215 'Heretics, Witches, and Inquisitors'
HIST223 'Empires and Globalisations'
HIST225 'Totalitarian Regimes: Europe 1922-1945'
HIST231 'Medical History'
HIST244 'New Zealand Society and Religion'
HIST245 'Global Migrations: From Slavery to Refugees'
HIST246 'Activist Histories: Contesting Settler Colonialism'

Please visit our website for more details: https://www.otago.ac.nz/history/study/papers-in-history

19/12/2025

More celebrations! We gathered this week to raise a glass to John Stenhouse, who was recently promoted to Professor. Many congratulations John on this significant recognition of your work and career! We reproduce here the citation included in the formal university announcement:

John’s research focuses on interconnections among history, science, religion, race, politics and gender during the nineteenth century, using New Zealand and the British empire as the main sites of investigation. His early – and ongoing – work on the Darwinian debates in New Zealand explored how and why settlers, scientists, politicians, church people and Māori leaders interpreted and applied Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection during and after the New Zealand Wars. His research-informed teaching in this field won model course awards from the Templeton Foundation. Recent grant-funded research – with scientists Hamish Spencer and Diane Paul – investigated what made eugenics movements in British colonial contexts distinctive. He is writing a monograph on Christian missions and the sciences from antiquity to the present. Publications on this topic, and previous research, won John election to the International Society for Science and Religion in 2022 and an invitation to present the keynote public lecture at an international conference on the globalisation of modern science at Philadelphia in 2026.

17/12/2025

December graduation is always a high point in our calendar, a special way to end the year in celebration of student achievement across undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. History students graduated in three ceremonies last Wednesday and Saturday. Congratulations to all! We were especially thrilled to mark the award of Master of Arts in History to Kirsty Clarke and Victoria Maloney. Their MA projects are as follows:

Kirsty - ‘“A stitch in time saves nine”: Infant Cleft Palate Surgery and Mother Nursing at the Bassam Hospital, 1939-1967’
Victoria - ‘The Patriotic Hand of Heritage (Incorporated): Supporting Veteran Families, 1940s to the Present’

We wish all graduates the very best for their future endeavours in work or further study.