Dr Rachael Attwood

I currently lead the undergraduate History offering at the University of Westminster, after nearly a decade of heading up the BA History & Politics. I act as a pedagogical steer for the university’s History degrees and oversaw a key re-design and revalidation of the History programme in 2024-25, bringing a demonstrable commitment to EDI and decolonisation practices to our curriculum. During my time as Programme Lead, both recruitment levels and key student experience metrics have improved significantly, with History at Westminster gaining its highest placing on record in the Guardian University Guide Rankings for 2027.

My research specialism is in modern British social and cultural history, particularly the Victorian and Edwardian eras. My first body of research focuses on the history of sex trafficking in Britain and its empire, as well as best practice pedagogies in the field. My doctoral thesis, which was supervised by Professor Catherine Hall at UCL, is on the politics of activism against trafficking for sex work in turn-of-the-century Britain and, particularly, the racialised representation of trafficking as ‘white slavery’. I am passionate about sharing my research outside of academia, particularly with child protection and anti-trafficking NGOs, and I have acted as an advisor on several academic and educational projects on the history of women’s mobility and trafficking.

Since 2023, I have broadened my interests to EDI-centered curriculum design in the Humanities at both school- and university-level. Together with the revalidation at Westminster that I oversaw, I have also originated a Key Stage 2 toolkit called ‘Our Stories’, which supports teachers in diversifying and decolonising standard History curricula.

I am currently working on a research project in the Medical Humanities surrounding hypermobility, and its conceptualisation and treatment under the NHS.

Outside of academia, I founded the luxury ethical and sustainable children’s clothing brand, Britannical London in 2013, which went on to be internationally-recognised as one of the foremost all-British independent labels within the sector. I still design for Britannical when I can and I enjoy giving educational talks and keynotes on mine and the brand’s journey.