Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾

Students are foundational to the story of Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾. Established in 1826 as the first university in England outside Oxford and Cambridge, Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ opened up higher education to those who had previously been denied access. This included religious minorities, the middle classes, and later, women. Since the beginning, students have been free to invent their own traditions and forge a distinctive student culture in London.

This exhibition places students at the heart of this 200-year history. It also marks 130 years since the formation of what became Students’ Union Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾, now one of the largest student-led organisations in the world.

On display are items from Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ Special Collections, Students' Union Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ and Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ Museums, each of which sheds light on an aspect of Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ student life. These include student identity, spaces and community-building, with Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ students often crucial to organisations like the Central Union of Chinese Students, formed in 1904, and the West African Students' Union, started on the initiative of a Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ student in 1925.

The exhibition showcases national and international student activism and engagement across two centuries, taking in the abolition of slavery, the Spanish Civil War, 1956's Soviet invasion of Hungary, the 2003 war in Iraq and the more recent Black Lives Matter protests. Student action relating to the university itself is also represented, including a 1970s campaign to end sexual harassment on campus, and calls for campus decolonisation, with a particular focus on Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾'s role in legitimising eugenics.

The exhibition features audio clips from Generation Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ oral history interviews with Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ alumni and extracts from memoirs voiced by actors. Hear recollections of segregation between male and female students in the 1880s, life as an international student in 1909, the impact of the Second World War, and the 1990s dance music scene in London, among many other memories.

The exhibition was curated by Georgina Brewis and Sam Blaxland from IOE, Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøվ’s Faculty of Education and Society, together with Leah Johnston and Colin Penman of Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ Special Collections.

Initiated as part of Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøվ’s forthcoming bicentenary celebrations, is a research and engagement project funded by a Provost’s Award.

Read more about the creation of the exhibition on the project page

Upcoming events

Tuesday 21 May 2024, 10:00-16:00
Object Based Learning Lab, Wilkins Building, Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT

This in-person event, open to archivists, historians, students and student's union representatives, will highlight the importance of caring for and making accessible students' union records. There will also be a workshop which will form the basis of future guidance. As part of the event there will be a tour of the exhibition 'Generation Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾: 200 Years of Student Life in London'. This event has been organised by the in partnership with Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾, supported by the British Academy Research Project ''.