Teacher fellows
Carys Davies
As Michael’s wife, I’ve been closely involved in Parallel Histories from the beginning – from the long discussions with him over the kitchen table about how the Middle East was no longer being taught in schools, to the time we spent in the West Bank and Jerusalem where he began developing the dual narrative approach; from the early development of teaching materials when it was just him at his desk, to working with the designers who developed the charity’s brand identity and professionalised the website and the whole ‘look’ of the charity’s educational materials. I saw at close hand, month to month and year to year, how he helped teachers put his ideas into practice with delicacy and rigorous objectivity in an arena where every fact is contested and passions run extremely high.
I’m a novelist and former journalist, and for the last thirteen years I’ve been drawing on my own background and experience as a writer to help, both practically, and to deepen my grasp of the mission and work of Parallel Histories. As a freelance journalist I contributed to The Times, The Guardian, The Daily and Sunday Telegraph and still review books for The Guardian. My fiction is especially interested in settlement and the theft of land, colonisation and religious conflict. My three novels, Clear (2024), The Mission House (2020) and West (2018) are published by Granta; two earlier short story collections (2014 and 2008) are published by Salt.
Michael always involved me in his preparation for his interactions with the media, from the first piece he wrote about Parallel Histories for The Guardian, to Helen Pidd’s early profile of a debate at Abrar Academy, to an especially prickly interview on BBC Radio Ulster.
In his search for someone to take over at the head of the charity after his death, he consulted me throughout on all the most promising candidates. This was a truly momentous decision and I know he valued my judgement as someone who understood his vision and the qualities his successor would need to build on his work and be true to that vision. When he asked me to join the board of trustees – which I did in September 2024, just after he died – he said he wanted me there because I would bring strategic clarity; because I knew what Parallel Histories is, and what it isn’t.
In September I took on the job of copyediting Michael’s book Parallel Histories: everything you wanted to know about Israel and Palestine but were afraid to ask and I’ve been working closely with Joshua Hillis, Chair of Trustees, as we move through the production process towards publication.
Meanwhile I maintain close personal relationships with many of Parallel Histories’ most loyal supporters, including Julian Richer who co-founded the charity with his generous and continuing support.
To put it simply, Michael lived and breathed Parallel Histories and I, working a few yards away from him in our Edinburgh flat, lived and breathed it too. I’m here now as a trustee to contribute my skills and experience in any way I can.
Carys Davies
As Michael’s wife, I’ve been closely involved in Parallel Histories from the beginning – from the long discussions with him over the kitchen table about how the Middle East was no longer being taught in schools, to the time we spent in the West Bank and Jerusalem where he began developing the dual narrative approach; from the early development of teaching materials when it was just him at his desk, to working with the designers who developed the charity’s brand identity and professionalised the website and the whole ‘look’ of the charity’s educational materials. I saw at close hand, month to month and year to year, how he helped teachers put his ideas into practice with delicacy and rigorous objectivity in an arena where every fact is contested and passions run extremely high.
I’m a novelist and former journalist, and for the last thirteen years I’ve been drawing on my own background and experience as a writer to help, both practically, and to deepen my grasp of the mission and work of Parallel Histories. As a freelance journalist I contributed to The Times, The Guardian, The Daily and Sunday Telegraph and still review books for The Guardian. My fiction is especially interested in settlement and the theft of land, colonisation and religious conflict. My three novels, Clear (2024), The Mission House (2020) and West (2018) are published by Granta; two earlier short story collections (2014 and 2008) are published by Salt.
Michael always involved me in his preparation for his interactions with the media, from the first piece he wrote about Parallel Histories for The Guardian, to Helen Pidd’s early profile of a debate at Abrar Academy, to an especially prickly interview on BBC Radio Ulster.
In his search for someone to take over at the head of the charity after his death, he consulted me throughout on all the most promising candidates. This was a truly momentous decision and I know he valued my judgement as someone who understood his vision and the qualities his successor would need to build on his work and be true to that vision. When he asked me to join the board of trustees – which I did in September 2024, just after he died – he said he wanted me there because I would bring strategic clarity; because I knew what Parallel Histories is, and what it isn’t.
In September I took on the job of copyediting Michael’s book Parallel Histories: everything you wanted to know about Israel and Palestine but were afraid to ask and I’ve been working closely with Joshua Hillis, Chair of Trustees, as we move through the production process towards publication.
Meanwhile I maintain close personal relationships with many of Parallel Histories’ most loyal supporters, including Julian Richer who co-founded the charity with his generous and continuing support.
To put it simply, Michael lived and breathed Parallel Histories and I, working a few yards away from him in our Edinburgh flat, lived and breathed it too. I’m here now as a trustee to contribute my skills and experience in any way I can.
