Helen Cowie – Curriculum Vitae
Personal Details
Full Name: Helen Louise Cowie
Date of Birth: 27/12/1981
Address: 51, Charter Avenue, Coventry, CV4 8EJ
Telephone: 07759834412
Email: or
Current Status:
I am a third year PhD student at the University of Warwick. My research focuses on the development of the natural sciences in the Hispanic world in the years 1750-1870. I study the acquisition, formation and dissemination of scientific knowledge in a variety of settings, ranging from the metropolis to the periphery and the field to the museum. My research expands upon existing studies of scientific expeditions in 18th century Spain by tracing the evolution of natural history beyond South American independence. It also devotes greater attention to the cultural context of the expeditions, to the strategies for social and professional credibility adopted by naturalists and to the contributions made by Creoles and indigenous people to the production of natural knowledge. I am at a relatively advanced stage in my research and hope to have completed a draft of my thesis by the time of the fellowship at the Newberry Library. My supervisor is Professor Anthony McFarlane and my current research is funded by a grant from the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
Education:
University of Warwick (2000-2004)
MA in The History of Race in the Americas (Distinction) My MA dissertation focused on conceptions of racial difference in nineteenth-century Argentina.
BA History (1st Class Honours)
Courses studies included:
- 1st year: The Making of the Modern World; Latin American Themes and Problems; History of Russia
- 2nd year: Early Modern Europe (1500-1700); North American Themes and Problems; Eastern Europe Since 1918
- 3rd year: Imperialism and Independence in Spanish America; Enlightenment and Revolutionary Paris; Historiography
Prince William School, Oundle, 1995-2000
3 A’ Levels: History (A), and History Special Paper (1); Spanish (A); English
Literature (A)
9 GCSEs: Maths (A*); English Language (A*); English Literature (A*); History (A*); Spanish (A*); French (A*); Double Science (Double A*); Music (A*)
Italian Intermediate Level (Gained at The University of Warwick Language Centre)
Research Experience:
Ø I have conducted research in several British libraries and archives. These include the British Library and the Wellcome Library in London and the Bodleian Library in Oxford.
Ø I have conducted research in Madrid at the Biblioteca Nacional de España, the Instituto de Historia and the libraries at the Real Jardín Botánico and the Museo de Ciencias Naturales.
Ø I have attended conferences and workshops relevant to my field of study, including a workshop on ‘Colonial Cultures’ at the University of Warwick (July 2006) and the Symposium on the history of medicine in the Spanish Empire held at the Wellcome Centre for the History of Medicine (June 2006)
Interests/Responsibilities:
Organised Departmental Research Seminars 2004-2006:
Ø For the past two years I have helped to organise the History Department’s research seminar at the University of Warwick. This has entailed communicating with speakers, arranging equipment and publicising the event. It has enabled me to meet a wide range of academics from a variety of fields and to enhance my organisational skills.
Ø I formed part of the committee that organised the Postgraduate Conference in 2005. I also assisted with the organisation of a conference entitled ‘Unequal States: Race and Gender in Latin American Independence’, held at the University of Warwick in September 2004.
Teaching: I am currently teaching seminars for the Latin American Themes and Problems course at the University of Warwick.
Music: My principal external interest is music. I play the clarinet, recorder and piano, and have attained the following qualifications:
Grade 8 Clarinet (Distinction)
Grade 8 Recorder (Distinction)
Recorder Performer’s Certificate
Grade 5 Music Theory (Distinction)
Languages: I also enjoy learning languages. I speak Spanish, French and Italian, and am currently taking classes in Spanish and Italian at the University of Warwick Language Centre. I have achieved a certificate in Italian, Intermediate Level.