Duncan began his academic career at Aberystwyth University studying European History during his undergraduate degree, and focusing on Early Modern British History for his MA.
Following the completion of his MA in 2012, he spent two years as a researcher for an international development charity based in Honduras before returning to the UK where he was granted a full PhD scholarship at the University of Birmingham.
Duncan’s thesis focused on the historical links between politics and industry in the West Midlands – during the age of the Atlantic Revolutions. Whilst studying at the University of Birmingham he was appointed as a Teaching Fellow in History and Education, specialising in the Early Modern Atlantic World, the history of Honduras, and decolonizing the British education system.
Following the completion of his PhD, Duncan moved to Newman University to work as a lecturer in History and Applied Humanities – and became co-programme lead of History in January 2023. He has since completed his Post Graduate Certificate in Higher Education and become a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (Advance HE). He also works as a reviewer for the Journal of Eighteenth Century Studies and is turning his PhD into a book.
During the long eighteenth-century Birmingham was known as the city of a thousand trades, and its industrial and scientific networks have been explored extensively in the academic literature of the West Midlands. However, there is a dark political history involving many of the most prominent and famous industrialists that is generally overlooked. In this seminar, Duncan Frankis (Newman University) discusses the political manoeuvring, cutthroat capitalism, and less-than-reputable trade links amassed by a group of politically conscious industrialists based in the town in the late eighteenth century.
