Tuesday 26 October 2021 – Harry Raffal (Royal Air Force Museum) – History in the Round: Virtual Reality and Historical Understanding

This seminar is 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm BST, live on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5DLkOeOobA.

Session chair: James Baker

Abstract: The use of events or experiences raises questions as to how these representations of the past shape historical understanding. This paper will explore the challenges this technology presents, the effect that it might have on historical understanding and the opportunities that VR presents in sharing history. It will conclude by arguing that historians need to engage with these issues now — at the point they are becoming widely available — to shape how historical events are represented rather than after, when VR may have distorted the public’s understanding of the past.

Bio: Dr Harry Raffal is the Historian at the Royal Air Force Museum with responsibility for furthering the historiography of the RAF. Harry’s research includes air power history, military culture, armed forces recruitment and digital history. Harry has published on the online development of the MoD and Armed Forces and his book, Air Power and the Evacuation of Dunkirk, was published in summer 2021. He’s on twitter at @RAFMhistorian.

You can ask questions via YouTube chat (if you have a Google account) or on twitter via @IHRDigHist.