Log in
Since 1997 Professor Jane Aaron has been the founding and continuing editor of the series `Welsh Women's Classics', published by the independent Welsh feminist press Honno with the aim of bringing back into print virtually forgotten texts, prefaced by scholarly introductions. Twenty-two volumes have appeared in the series to date, five of which Aaron edited and introduced. Their impact on the reading public and on higher educational institutions in Wales has been considerable; far more Welsh women writers — the majority of them published in the series — are taught, researched and read today than in the mid-1990s.
The case study focuses on work undertaken at Bangor University (BU) in two closely related fields, Welsh lexicography and terminology. It demonstrates how a major lexicographical publication — The Welsh Academy English-Welsh Dictionary: Geiriadur yr Academi (1995) — has far-reaching influence and impact on the daily use and vocabulary of standard literary Welsh. It displays how lexicography sustains the vitality of a `lesser-used' language and enables a standard written form to be widely used in educational, professional and public domains. Building on the lexicographical feat represented by the dictionary, BU also leads the development of the allied area of Welsh terminology. Furthermore, in both these areas BU has facilitated the delivery of its research to non- academic users through the creation of open-access on-line databases.
This case study considers the impact since 1 January 2008 of Mihangel Morgan's creative writing outputs. It concentrates on the way in which Morgan's work has shaped the content of the Welsh A Level syllabus delivered by the Welsh Joint Education Committee (WJEC) as well as the teaching of another HEI in Wales. By focusing on Morgan's broad ranging readership, the case study also demonstrates the impact of his experimental approach to fiction and literary practice on cultural life and public discourse, not only in Wales but also amongst the Welsh diaspora in Patagonia.
Welsh migrants had a distinctive impact in the countries in which they settled, but their contribution remains unacknowledged in many academic or popular histories, be these of Wales or (for example) the USA. In addressing this lacuna, Jones's research on the Welsh diaspora has influenced public and professional understanding of the Welsh specifically in North America through directing the content of exhibitions, as well as professional practice in the heritage sector, and by engaging directly with a diverse range of audiences and professionals to enhance their understanding of the Welsh diaspora. As an advisor/collaborator with a range of media companies operating in both the English and Welsh languages, Jones's research has benefited productions across traditional and digital media platforms. His expertise is central to informing modern understandings of Welsh communities overseas and, thus, of the Welsh as a people with global horizons.
Inspired by the pioneering work of Gwyn Thomas since the mid-1960s, writers based in Bangor University's School of Welsh are actively engaged in practice-led research. Acutely aware of the social context within which they write and utilising various platforms such as local and national media, festivals and public readings, they have connected their work with a wide and varied audience. That audience includes native Welsh speakers and learners, visitors and non-Welsh speakers. Collectively they have made a practical contribution to Welsh language resurgence and rejuvenation, and their translation work has further extended the reach of their writing into new domains beyond regional and national boundaries.
The research has informed and influenced the creation of language policies and educational strategies at local and Welsh government levels which have had a direct impact on:
1) expanding the domains where Welsh is used by young people;
2) embedding the tracking of linguistic progression between key stages;
3) expanding Welsh medium school education in the context of language policy for the normalisation of a minority language.
The research also informed the work of the campaign and pressure groups RHAG [Rhieni dros Addysg Gymraeg, trans. Parents for Welsh Medium Education], and Dyfodol i'r Gymraeg [A future for Welsh], which have elected the lead researcher, Gruffudd, as Chair within the REF census period.
Until the Centre for Media and Culture in Small Nations was established in 2006, there was no coherent, multidisciplinary programme of research examining the creative industries through the distinct framework of small nations, including Wales. By drawing together researchers from diverse arts and media disciplines, the Centre has provided a thorough analysis of the creative industries in Wales and informed public debate on their artistic, social and economic contribution to the nation's civic life. Our original research has delivered new insights for organisations, and their users, including BBC Wales, National Theatre Wales, the Welsh Music Foundation and community radio.
The case study describes the impact of research conducted at the Institute of Welsh Politics (IWP) on public opinion on Welsh devolution by Professor Wyn Jones and Professor Scully. Two types of impact have been generated by this research. First, the research has informed public policy processes relating to the Welsh devolution settlement primarily in Wales but also in the UK more generally. Second, the research, and its dissemination through media, public seminars and educational activities has resulted in impact on societal beneficiaries in Wales, specifically through informing and shaping public discourse on and understanding of Welsh devolution. The impact derives from ESRC-funded public opinion surveys and key academic publications on public attitudes in Wales towards devolution.
The Hafan Books project publishes creative writing by asylum-seekers and refugees [henceforth simply: `refugees'] in South Wales. The project promotes a civic culture of hospitality, compassion and respect through the publications, large-scale festive launch events, and further creative outputs. Beneficiaries include contributors and other refugees, charity workers and volunteers, and arts organisations. The publications are widely used in professional refugee awareness training. The project has been recognised as exemplary for refugee awareness and integration though the arts and has been emulated in the UK and overseas.
Dr Lawson Welsh's research is concerned with questions of power, identity and difference in the Caribbean and its diasporas as evidenced in theoretical, literary, culinary and wider cultural contexts. There are four main areas of impact to this research:
(a) Impact on the public understanding of Caribbean history and culture via the creative sector (television);
(b) Impact on pedagogic strategies and curriculum development in the field of Postcolonial Studies and Anglophone Caribbean literature;
(c) Impact on the production and interpretation of Black British Women's Writing;
(d) Impact on widening awareness of food studies, Caribbean and other ethnic minority culinary practices in a regional context.