New new video series teaches long-term impacts of political conflict

Posted on: 18 June 2025

Political conflict is high on the world news agenda with rising participation in protests against government policy and unethical practices. But what can the past tell us about the long-term impacts of political conflict? And how do we teach our children about these complex topics?

Trinity researchers in the Centre for Economics, Policy and History (CEPH) and their partners in Queen’s University Belfast have collaborated with Discover Economics and the CAGE Research Centre to produce a new video series that shows how data can help us understand the way significant political events play out.

‘Representation, Protest and Political Movement’ covers topics as diverse as the political legacy of the Great Irish Famine, the rise of Sinn Fein, Nazi party membership, Rwandan genocide, the Arab Spring, and Trump’s rallies.

The resources aim to help teachers and their students navigate the different ways economics, politics and history can intersect - and the ongoing impact political history has on modern society.

Gaia Narciso, Co-Director of CEPH and author of the paper ‘The Deep Roots of Rebellion’ which explores the impacts of the famine, said:

“This video series is part of our Centre’s outreach activities to bring frontier research in economic history to a wider audience. The videos, together with the workshops we offer to secondary schools across Ireland, provide an exceptional tool for teachers, supporting the school curriculum as well as offering insight into how historical data can be used for research”

Chris Colvin, Associate Director of CEPH at Queen’s University Belfast said:

“We are keen to support the reshaping of the way history is taught in British and Irish schools. While the Easter Rising and the subsequent struggle for Irish independence are key aspects in the Irish Leaving Certificate and A-levels in Northern Ireland, they’re not widely taught as part of the curriculum in Great Britain.

“These new videos will also focus on the economics needed to fully understand these topics, which are a crucial part of these islands’ joint history and an area which is currently lacking.”

Sam McLoughlin, Senior Campaign Manager at Discover Economics said:

“We want to inspire young people to find out more about economic and political history, both through their own online exploration and through their A-levels and Leaving Certificates.

“Our resource packs are designed to help teachers embed the content within their schemes of work, to add value to existing curriculum - whether in the classroom or as an independent learning task.”

Bishnupriya Gupta, Research Director at the CAGE Research Centre, University of Warwick said:

“This series draws on our global network of experts to look at political history from different angles with a view to inspiring young people into a career in economics. It is a key part of our work to change the perceptions of economists and attract more students from under-represented groups.

“I hope it shows young people that working in economics is about far more than finance.”

The video series is available now, and are a great resource for secondary school teachers looking for new materials for their economics, history and politics classrooms. To find out more about CEPH’s activities, visit the website or reach out to cephoutreach@tcd.ie.

About the partners

• Discover Economics is a Royal Economic Society Initiative to increase the diversity of economics students, broaden the subjects appeal to potential students and change perceptions of economics and economists.
  
  
• The Centre for Economics, Policy and History (CEPH), an All-Ireland Centre of Excellence in policy-relevant economic history research, links Trinity College Dublin with Queen’s University Belfast. CEPH is funded by the North-South Research Programme (NSRP), part of the Government of Ireland’s Shared Island Initiative, delivered by the Government of Ireland’s Higher Education Authority (HEA) on behalf of the Government of Ireland’s Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS). 
  
  
• The ESRC CAGE Research Centre is based at the University of Warwick and delivers policy-driven economics research informed by culture, history and behaviour. We use our unique position to ensure that the next generation of researchers and policy practitioners are equipped with the knowledge and skills to implement policy decisions that reflect a cross section of society.

*Image: The Discovery of the Potato Blight by Daniel MacDonald (1847). National Folklore Collection UCD

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