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There has been a continuing demand for public lectures to audiences of all ages demonstrating an appetite for understanding the early marginalisation of Jews: Martin Goodman's research on the place of Jews and Judaism in the Roman world from the first century BCE to the fourth century CE has expanded public awareness of the treatment of minorities in imperial systems, the origins of anti-Semitism, the early development of Rabbinic Judaism, and the relationship between Christianity and Judaism in antiquity (which has implications for interfaith relationships in the present day). Goodman's research findings are also sought after on undergraduate teaching courses and have advised a historically-themed television series.
Research by Michael Berkowitz, François Guesnet and John D. Klier has inspired and informed a wide range of public engagement, including exhibitions, popular television shows (such as Who Do You Think You Are? reaching 5.82 million viewers) and lively conversation on internet-based forums. Their work on Jewish life and culture in continental Europe and Britain has shaped and provided vital content to local, national and international communities numbering in the millions. Through non-academic conferences and lectures, stimulated and contributed to international public debate on little-discussed histories, and provided cultural organisations an opportunity to promote and participate in this debate.
Bangor's research on stereotyping of Jews, Jewishness and Judaism in contemporary global media significantly facilitates understanding on the part of the public, media, religious educators and cultural industries of challenges facing Jewish cultures and communities, thus impacting on civil society, cultural life and public discourse. Bangor's work enhances regional, national and international public awareness of contemporary media's representations of Jewishness and stereotyping. Its presentation of Jewish cultural heritage helps to preserve and conserve it while increasing understanding of social and cultural identity and encouraging social inclusion.
Academic work carried out at the University of Southampton's Parkes Institute has greatly raised public awareness and understanding of the Holocaust. The research has challenged audiences to reflect on the individual consequences of discrimination and urges them to recognise and respond to the continuing contemporary dangers of genocide. Through various projects, the research has impacted upon international audiences: with a website averaging 24,000 hits per month; with museum exhibitions, for close to three million visitors; and with research-based study-days for school and adult learners. Throughout, the work emphasises the devastation wrought by the Holocaust on `ordinary' people, and reflects upon the `ordinariness' of genocide in the twentieth century.
The past fifteen years have seen intense debate around the social and political impact of rising ethnic diversity, with a range of stakeholders consequently reliant on the provision and diffusion of sophisticated and evidence-based analysis. Research undertaken at the University of Manchester (UoM) has risen to this challenge, reaching out to a variety of individuals and groups, providing timely research-based interventions to help shape, inform and improve policymaking and political discussion in this critical yet poorly understood area. Sustained collaboration, alongside the targeted dissemination of findings to key decision makers and civil society organisations has enhanced public debate, and shaped key interventions made by: Governmental actors (e.g. DCLG, GO-S, Electoral Commission), the three main political parties, Parliamentary Committees (APPGM & MAC) and a number of civil society organisations (e.g. Runnymede Trust, Changing Minds).
Speaking in 2012, David Cameron declared proudly that the Great War is `a fundamental part of our national consciousness'. But what is acknowledged far less is the role of minority groups in the conflict. Jews, national minorities and colonial troops all fought and died at the front. Tim Grady has helped to push this knowledge to the centre of the public's understanding. His talks, magazine articles, podcasts and consultancy work have raised awareness of the diverse range of voices involved in the First World War, highlighting the impact of other combatants, as well as the involvement of the Jewish community.
UCL research improved public understanding in Portugal of the important role that Lisbon played in WWII as an `open city' where both sides in the war operated. In particular, it showed and publicised the city's role as an exit point for thousands of refugees (mainly Jewish) trying to escape German-occupied Europe and get to North America or Palestine. This was achieved through a best-selling publication and a photographic exhibition in Lisbon attended by 10-14,000 visitors. Both were widely reviewed as providing important insights supported by research into previously unpublished archives.
Lancaster research on the persecution of minorities in European societies, from the 1930s to the present, helps guide human rights activism to challenge the rise of far right ideologies. Civil rights NGOs, government authorities, media, and educational institutions use the research to study the dangers of extremism and discriminatory propaganda. Impact is achieved through i) trans- European civil rights NGOs, which draw on the research and seek expert advice, particularly with regard to the fight against Islamophobia; ii) advice to an EU and Turkish National Assembly project on Muslim migration; iii) the media, through which it contributes to the deeper public understanding of - and awareness against - discrimination and extremism; iv) public engagement, informing local community awareness and action.
This case study describes how David Cesarani's research on modern Jewish history and the Holocaust has informed Holocaust education in the UK and influenced policy debates around Holocaust memorialisation and post-Holocaust issues domestically and internationally. It illustrates how Cesarani, research professor in History and director of the Holocaust Research Centre (HRC), has engaged with research users through his role as first a Trustee of and more recently Historical Consultant to the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, a consultant to the Holocaust Educational Trust, an adviser to the Foreign Office, and by his contribution of research expertise to television programmes seen in the UK and around the world.