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Matthew McCormack

University of Northampton, History, Faculty Member

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I developed an interest in modern British history as an undergraduate at York, which I pursued further as a postgraduate, ESRC postdoctoral fellow and lecturer at Manchester University. My PhD on the idea of 'independence' in Georgian England started out as a study in political culture, but increasingly became focused on issues of gender as I tried to understand the role of masculinity in debates about citizenship. I arrived in Northampton in 2004 and am now Professor of History.

My subsequent research has built on my doctoral work by focusing upon the wider relationship of politics to masculinity in modern Britain. My first book, The Independent Man (MUP, 2005), explored the ways in which political and personal freedom were conceived of in terms of 'manly independence', particularly in relation to the vote. Other projects have tried to think about citizenship in a broader way, including my book Embodying the Militia in Georgian England (OUP, 2015).

I am Editor of Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies and sit on the executive committee of BSECS. I am a Fellow of the HEA and the RHS.
Address: School of Social Sciences
Park Campus
University of Northampton
NN2 7AL

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Talks by Matthew McCormack

For an up-to-date list of my publications and papers, please visit http://www.northampton.ac.uk/directories/people/matthew-mccormack

Stamford standoff: honour, status and rivalry in the Georgian military

The language of soldiering

Supporting the civil power: policing, soldiering and citizenship in 1780s England

Beyond public men: reflections on British studies

Dance and drill: polite accomplishments and military masculinities in eighteenth-century Britain

Papers by Matthew McCormack

A species of civil soldier': masculinity, policing and the military in 1780s England

A Man’s Sphere? British Politics in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries

The Palgrave Handbook of Masculinity and Political Culture in Europe

Boots, material culture and Georgian masculinities

Social History

Writings on footwear tend to emphasize a fundamental division between those made for men and wome... more Writings on footwear tend to emphasize a fundamental division between those made for men and women: men's are plain, sturdy and functional, whereas women's are decorative, flimsy and impractical. Of all male footwear, boots are typically the plainest, sturdiest and most functional of all. In the eighteenth century they were emphatically outdoor wear, and scholars have noted their rustic and unrefined image. This article re-evaluates the elite male boot of the long eighteenth century in Britain, emphasizing its complex symbolic associations and its significance for the gendered lives of men. Boots were associated with equestrianism, social status and the military, and therefore were key markers of gender, class and national identities. Furthermore, the article considers boots as material objects, and what this tells us about their use and the impact that they had upon the bodies of their wearers. Based on research in three key shoe archives, this study uses boots to think about Georgian notions of masculinity, the body and the self. The finest bootmaker in Regency London was George Hoby of St James's Street. He made footwear for royalty and, famously, the Duke of Wellington, for whom he invented the eponymous boot. One chronicler of the time noted that, 'he was so great a man in his own estimation that he was apt to take rather an insolent tone with his customers'. On one occasion, Sir John Shelley went to see Hoby to complain that his top boots had split in several places. 'How did that happen?' enquired Hoby. 'Why, in walking to my stable' , he replied. 'Walking to your stable!' sneered the bootmaker. 'I made the boots for riding, not walking. ' 1 The remark that men's boots were not made for walking is striking to modern readers. Writings about footwear tend to emphasize a fundamental division between those made for men and women: men's are plain, sturdy and functional, whereas women's are decorative, flimsy and impractical. This befits the social roles

Blended learning and postgraduate skills: rethinking MA History

Enhancing the Learner Experience in Higher Education, 2015

This study focuses on the implications of blended learning for taught postgraduate education. It ... more This study focuses on the implications of blended learning for taught postgraduate education. It takes as its focus the pilot year of the MA History at the University of Northampton, which had been redesigned to blend online and face-to-face delivery. By employing a student researcher to canvass students' views, the project evaluates the implications of the delivery mode for the specific skills associated with the discipline of History. As well as evaluating this particular programme, the project uses it as a case study to develop a transferable framework for blended learning. The article argues that both online and classroom delivery can develop the key skills associated with postgraduate study in History, but in significantly different ways, so combining them in an effective blend can offer a pedagogical enhancement.

Wellington's Men: The British Soldier of the Napoleonic Wars

History Compass, 2015

Dance and Drill: Polite Accomplishments and Military Masculinities in Georgian Britain

Cultural and Social History, 2011

Uma mudança organizacional na alta gerência e seus efeitos nos vários aspectos do relacionamento ... more Uma mudança organizacional na alta gerência e seus efeitos nos vários aspectos do relacionamento entre a Administração de Informática e a organização. An organizational change on the top management and its effects on the relationship between Information Technology Management and the organization.

Defining Soldiers: Britain's Military, c.1740-1815

War in History, 2013

This article offers a critique of the methodology of military history. The question of what const... more This article offers a critique of the methodology of military history. The question of what constitutes a 'soldier' is usually taken for granted, but history of Britain's military between the wars of the 1740s and the end of the Napoleonic Wars suggests that current definitions are inadequate. By focusing on the themes of language, law and citizenship, lifecycles, masculinity and collective identity, this article proposes new ways of thinking about 'the soldier'. In so doing, it suggests that military historians should rethink the relationship between the military and society, and engage further with the methodologies of social and cultural history.

Tobias Smollett's ‘Ode to Independence’ and Georgian Political Culture

Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies, 2008

At the height of his career, Tobias Smollett was rarely far away from highpolitical controversy. ... more At the height of his career, Tobias Smollett was rarely far away from highpolitical controversy. His novels abound with contemporary references and caricatures of prominent figures, and his Historg arid Adventures Ofa7l Ator71 of 1768 is a comprehensive and often savage satire of mid-century political life. If anything, his work as a political journalist was even more contentious. He was imprisoned at the King's Bench for a libellous attack on Admiral Knowles in the Critical Revitw; and, in setting up The Briton to defend

The Independent Man: Citizenship and Gender Politics in Georgian England By Matthew McCormack

History, 2007

University Press. 2005. ix + 222pp. £55.00. This is a very thoughtful and thought-provoking study... more University Press. 2005. ix + 222pp. £55.00. This is a very thoughtful and thought-provoking study of the meaning of the term 'independent' in Georgian England. As John Barrell's Imagining the King's Death (2000) did with the word 'imagine', so this book shows that a rich study of the usage of a single word

The New Militia: War, Politics and Gender in 1750s Britain

Gender & History, 2007

In January 1756, Britain declared war on France and was forced to address the in-adequacy of its ... more

Embodying the Militia in Georgian England

Defining Soldiers: Britain's Military, c. 1740–1815

War in History, 2013

This article offers a critique of the methodology of military history. The question of what const... more This article offers a critique of the methodology of military history. The question of what constitutes a ‘soldier’ is usually taken for granted, but history of Britain’s military between the wars of the 1740s and the end of the Napoleonic Wars suggests that current definitions are inadequate. By focusing on the themes of language, law and citizenship, life cycles, masculinity, and collective identity, this article proposes new ways of thinking about ‘the soldier’. In so doing, it suggests that military historians should rethink the relationship between the military and society, and engage further with the methodologies of social and cultural history.

Citizenship, Nationhood, and Masculinity In the Affair of the Hanoverian Soldier, 1756

The Historical Journal, 2006

ABSTRACT. This article explores mid-Georgian debates about the nature of citizenship by focusing ... more

For an up-to-date list of my publications and papers, please visit http://www.northampton.ac.uk/directories/people/matthew-mccormack

Stamford standoff: honour, status and rivalry in the Georgian military

The language of soldiering

Supporting the civil power: policing, soldiering and citizenship in 1780s England

Beyond public men: reflections on British studies

Dance and drill: polite accomplishments and military masculinities in eighteenth-century Britain

A species of civil soldier': masculinity, policing and the military in 1780s England

A Man’s Sphere? British Politics in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries

The Palgrave Handbook of Masculinity and Political Culture in Europe

Boots, material culture and Georgian masculinities

Social History

Writings on footwear tend to emphasize a fundamental division between those made for men and wome... more Writings on footwear tend to emphasize a fundamental division between those made for men and women: men's are plain, sturdy and functional, whereas women's are decorative, flimsy and impractical. Of all male footwear, boots are typically the plainest, sturdiest and most functional of all. In the eighteenth century they were emphatically outdoor wear, and scholars have noted their rustic and unrefined image. This article re-evaluates the elite male boot of the long eighteenth century in Britain, emphasizing its complex symbolic associations and its significance for the gendered lives of men. Boots were associated with equestrianism, social status and the military, and therefore were key markers of gender, class and national identities. Furthermore, the article considers boots as material objects, and what this tells us about their use and the impact that they had upon the bodies of their wearers. Based on research in three key shoe archives, this study uses boots to think about Georgian notions of masculinity, the body and the self. The finest bootmaker in Regency London was George Hoby of St James's Street. He made footwear for royalty and, famously, the Duke of Wellington, for whom he invented the eponymous boot. One chronicler of the time noted that, 'he was so great a man in his own estimation that he was apt to take rather an insolent tone with his customers'. On one occasion, Sir John Shelley went to see Hoby to complain that his top boots had split in several places. 'How did that happen?' enquired Hoby. 'Why, in walking to my stable' , he replied. 'Walking to your stable!' sneered the bootmaker. 'I made the boots for riding, not walking. ' 1 The remark that men's boots were not made for walking is striking to modern readers. Writings about footwear tend to emphasize a fundamental division between those made for men and women: men's are plain, sturdy and functional, whereas women's are decorative, flimsy and impractical. This befits the social roles

Blended learning and postgraduate skills: rethinking MA History

Enhancing the Learner Experience in Higher Education, 2015

This study focuses on the implications of blended learning for taught postgraduate education. It ... more This study focuses on the implications of blended learning for taught postgraduate education. It takes as its focus the pilot year of the MA History at the University of Northampton, which had been redesigned to blend online and face-to-face delivery. By employing a student researcher to canvass students' views, the project evaluates the implications of the delivery mode for the specific skills associated with the discipline of History. As well as evaluating this particular programme, the project uses it as a case study to develop a transferable framework for blended learning. The article argues that both online and classroom delivery can develop the key skills associated with postgraduate study in History, but in significantly different ways, so combining them in an effective blend can offer a pedagogical enhancement.

Wellington's Men: The British Soldier of the Napoleonic Wars

History Compass, 2015

Dance and Drill: Polite Accomplishments and Military Masculinities in Georgian Britain

Cultural and Social History, 2011

Uma mudança organizacional na alta gerência e seus efeitos nos vários aspectos do relacionamento ... more Uma mudança organizacional na alta gerência e seus efeitos nos vários aspectos do relacionamento entre a Administração de Informática e a organização. An organizational change on the top management and its effects on the relationship between Information Technology Management and the organization.

Defining Soldiers: Britain's Military, c.1740-1815

War in History, 2013

This article offers a critique of the methodology of military history. The question of what const... more This article offers a critique of the methodology of military history. The question of what constitutes a 'soldier' is usually taken for granted, but history of Britain's military between the wars of the 1740s and the end of the Napoleonic Wars suggests that current definitions are inadequate. By focusing on the themes of language, law and citizenship, lifecycles, masculinity and collective identity, this article proposes new ways of thinking about 'the soldier'. In so doing, it suggests that military historians should rethink the relationship between the military and society, and engage further with the methodologies of social and cultural history.

Tobias Smollett's ‘Ode to Independence’ and Georgian Political Culture

Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies, 2008

At the height of his career, Tobias Smollett was rarely far away from highpolitical controversy. ... more At the height of his career, Tobias Smollett was rarely far away from highpolitical controversy. His novels abound with contemporary references and caricatures of prominent figures, and his Historg arid Adventures Ofa7l Ator71 of 1768 is a comprehensive and often savage satire of mid-century political life. If anything, his work as a political journalist was even more contentious. He was imprisoned at the King's Bench for a libellous attack on Admiral Knowles in the Critical Revitw; and, in setting up The Briton to defend

The Independent Man: Citizenship and Gender Politics in Georgian England By Matthew McCormack

History, 2007

University Press. 2005. ix + 222pp. £55.00. This is a very thoughtful and thought-provoking study... more University Press. 2005. ix + 222pp. £55.00. This is a very thoughtful and thought-provoking study of the meaning of the term 'independent' in Georgian England. As John Barrell's Imagining the King's Death (2000) did with the word 'imagine', so this book shows that a rich study of the usage of a single word

The New Militia: War, Politics and Gender in 1750s Britain

Gender & History, 2007

In January 1756, Britain declared war on France and was forced to address the in-adequacy of its ... more

Embodying the Militia in Georgian England

Defining Soldiers: Britain's Military, c. 1740–1815

War in History, 2013

This article offers a critique of the methodology of military history. The question of what const... more This article offers a critique of the methodology of military history. The question of what constitutes a ‘soldier’ is usually taken for granted, but history of Britain’s military between the wars of the 1740s and the end of the Napoleonic Wars suggests that current definitions are inadequate. By focusing on the themes of language, law and citizenship, life cycles, masculinity, and collective identity, this article proposes new ways of thinking about ‘the soldier’. In so doing, it suggests that military historians should rethink the relationship between the military and society, and engage further with the methodologies of social and cultural history.

Citizenship, Nationhood, and Masculinity In the Affair of the Hanoverian Soldier, 1756

The Historical Journal, 2006

ABSTRACT. This article explores mid-Georgian debates about the nature of citizenship by focusing ... more