Lewis Ryder

Lewis Ryder is an Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of History at the University of Manchester. His research focuses on social and cultural history of Modern Britain (1750-1939), particularly examining museums, collecting practices, and colonial material culture. He completed his BA (2011), MA, and PhD in History at Manchester before returning as a Lecturer in 2021. His current projects include studying John Hilditch’s contested collection of Chinese antiquities and analyzing the cultural meanings of loot during Britain’s imperial century using emotional history methodologies.

Education:

• B.A. History, University of Manchester (2011)
• M.A. History, University of Manchester
• Ph.D. History, University of Manchester

Research emphasizes museum democratization, the social role of collectors, and transnational material exchanges. His work bridges public history with academic scholarship, as seen in his research-led teaching module on Collecting and Exhibiting the British Empire (1750-1939). Recent publications analyze inter-war civic engagement, mid-19th century imperial exhibitions, and 1920s British perceptions of Chinese culture.

He holds editorial roles as Junior Associate Editor of The European Review of History Journal and has received prestigious awards including the AHRC North West Doctoral Training Partnership Scholarship and the Unwin Scholarship. Ongoing projects explore looters’ and colonized communities’ emotional responses to imperial loot, combining micro-historical approaches with broader cultural analysis.

Teaching focuses on British, Chinese, and colonial history at undergraduate and graduate levels. His research frequently intersects with questions of cultural authority, democratization of knowledge, and the contested legacies of empire.