A FORMER Huddersfield student is back in town – as a renowned expert.

Dr Rob Perks, Curator of Oral History at the British Library Sound Archive and Director of National Life Stories, has been appointed as a Visiting Professor in the University of Huddersfield’s School of Music, Humanities & Media.

Dr Perks graduated from the then Huddersfield Polytechnic and is now regarded as one of the foremost authorities in the country on oral history collections.

He will use his considerable knowledge of the subject to develop the work being done at the University’s Oral History Unit, and will also contribute to the new MA Oral History.

After graduating with first-class honours in Humanities (History with English) in 1979, Dr Perks went on to study for a PhD, focusing on social and political change in late Victorian and Edwardian Yorkshire.

He is secretary of the Oral History Society, and co-editor of its journal, as well being a council member of the International Oral History Association.

He was a founding Board Member of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council South East.Š

His anthology, The Oral History Reader, is regarded internationally as a standard work in the field.Š He was awarded a Winston Churchill Fellowship in 1992 to research nationalism and memory in Eastern Europe, which led to Ukraine’s Forbidden History (1998), and has acted as a special historical adviser for the Council of Europe in Romania; and recently for UNESCO in Paris.Š

In 2001, Rob worked with the National Archives of South Africa to rediscover the original recording of Nelson Mandela’s iconic Rivonia Trial speech.

Dr Perks said: “As a former student there’s something quite strange about becoming a visiting professor, but I’m looking forward to working with the University, and in particular with the Oral History Unit to develop new projects and contribute to teaching on the new MA in Oral History, one of only three in the UK.

“I've been impressed by the range of projects that the Unit has been developing, involving external partners and funders.”

Also joining the School of Music, Humanities & Media as a Visiting Research Fellow is celebrated producer and reporter Clare Jenkins.

Clare, who has been a familiar voice for many years on Radio 4, has previously worked with the University on the Ethnic Voices project, an initiative aimed at first-generation Asian and Afro-Caribbean immigrants to the West Yorkshire area. She is widely published in the national newspapers, has written two books and edited many Oral History publications.

The School will also appoint the Rev Paul Wilcock, currently Director of Student Services at the University of Huddersfield, as a Research Fellow.

He is an expert on military history, in particular European edged weapons. He regularly provides advice to museums and private collectors, including the Royal Armouries in Leeds.

Dr Bill Roberts, an expert on Chinese history and before his retirement a lecturer in History, is also joining the University as a Visiting Research Fellow. He will continue his research into interactions between the Chinese community and culture and the West, adding significant strength to the school’s research department.