College of Arts & Humanities news

A UofG student has been awarded the Social History Society's 2026 Pamela Cox Public History Prize 2026.

PhD scholar Katherine Mackinnon who is based at UofG's School of Humanities | Sgoil nan Daonnachdan, won the award for a series of walking tours called ‘Migrants Made Glasgow’. The tours, co-produced by refugees in the city, tell the story of a city through a cast of characters whose lives were shaped by histories of migration.

The prize was established as a mark of gratitude to the Social History Society's former chair Professor Pamela Cox. It is awarded to a postgraduate student or an early career researcher whose activities enhance understanding of social and cultural history beyond the academy.

The judges said about Katherine's work: "This is a timely and campaigning piece of public history, underpinned by detailed historical research and coproduction with people whose lives have been shaped by similar themes."

Katherine said: "I’m honoured to receive the Social History Society Public History Prize. Walking tours can be a radical intervention into public space, a way of complementing or challenging existing understandings of a place and its history. I am so delighted to have this prize spotlighting work on Glasgow’s long history as a migrant city."

The judges also highly commended Ayesha Riaz (University of Greenwich) for the project ‘Access to Justice and Asylum: A Public History of Legal Aid in the UK’.

Both Katherine and Ayesha’s work show how social and cultural history can cut through a politically-charged topic to encourage human connections.

The prize was announced at the Social History Society’s 50th Anniversary Conference, and the winner received one year’s free membership of the SHS, a showcase on our Community Exchange and a £300 cash prize.


First published: 9 July 2026