Similar case studies

REF impact found 26 Case Studies

Currently displayed text from case study:

Chatterji

Summary of the impact

The `Bangla Stories' website is one of several outcomes of an ambitious, collaborative, inter-disciplinary research project on the Bengal diaspora, led by Dr Joya Chatterji of the Faculty of History and funded by the AHRC.

`Bangla Stories' encourages young people, in particular school children at Key Stage 3, to think about the history of migration and the experience of migrants. It stimulates classroom discussion about how and why people moved to Britain, survived, adapted and integrated there while remaining embedded in networks of community which often span the globe.

The website is the product of an effective ongoing collaboration between academics, think-tanks, schools, community organisers and civil society groups.

Submitting Institution

University of Cambridge

Unit of Assessment

History

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Studies In Human Society: Demography
Language, Communication and Culture: Cultural Studies

Los Niños - Life Histories of Child Exiles of the Spanish Civil War

Summary of the impact

The Los Niños oral history project has added a new voice to the discourse around conflict and migration, and in doing so has brought a forgotten chapter of Spanish Civil War history to the attention of the public and media. The insights gathered have found resonance locally, nationally and internationally, as people across three generations gained greater awareness and understanding of the experience of exile. Outputs have been widely disseminated through a digital archive of life stories, a popular oral history book, a virtual and a touring exhibition, a set of online education resources and two documentary films.

Submitting Institution

University of Southampton

Unit of Assessment

Modern Languages and Linguistics

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Language, Communication and Culture: Cultural Studies
History and Archaeology: Historical Studies

Bringing post-1968 feminism to life for new audiences: enriching public appreciation and understanding of the British Women’s Liberation Movement

Summary of the impact

In March 2013, the British Library (BL) launched the first national oral-history archive of the British Women's Liberation Movement (WLM). A permanent public resource preserving the voices of 1970s/1980s feminists, the archive was the outcome of 'Sisterhood and After: The Women's Liberation Oral History Project', a three-year Leverhulme-funded research-partnership project led by PI Margaretta Jolly, in partnership with curators at the BL and the Women's Library (WL). Through the national prominence this archive has achieved and the numerous curatorial, educational, cultural and community activities directly associated with it, the research is having a significant impact on the public perception of feminism, bringing it to life for new audiences.

Submitting Institution

University of Sussex

Unit of Assessment

Communication, Cultural and Media Studies, Library and Information Management 

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Studies In Human Society: Sociology
Language, Communication and Culture: Cultural Studies
History and Archaeology: Historical Studies

Mapping the impact of immigration in Greater Manchester

Summary of the impact

The research has developed new approaches to the digital mapping of immigrant populations. It has been used to:

  • promote public awareness of the history of immigrants in Manchester through two large public exhibitions, events and two websites;
  • make new research on migration history available to high school and college students through a teaching pack, schools visits and online resources;
  • develop online resources as a means of digitally archiving key events and sites in the cultural lives of Manchester's immigrant populations;
  • inform policy development for Oldham Council through a series of briefing papers on the history of ethnic settlement in Oldham.

Submitting Institution

University of Manchester

Unit of Assessment

History

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Studies In Human Society: Demography, Human Geography

Gay history-making in the community

Summary of the impact

Dr Matt Cook's research on domestic queer cultures has enabled lesbian and gay organisations and individuals, as well as wider networks, to engage with oral histories and archival material and to explore the complexities within conventional ideas about histories of identity and community. His research has been influential in lifelong learning and in schools where it has supported the exploration of LGBT histories. He is increasingly called upon by the media, nationally and internationally, to discuss his research insights to various contexts.

Submitting Institution

Birkbeck College

Unit of Assessment

History

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Language, Communication and Culture: Cultural Studies, Literary Studies
History and Archaeology: Historical Studies

The history of ethnic minorities and the City: promoting ethnic inclusivity

Summary of the impact

The project's initial output was a book and website for the Institute of Historical Research's series `England's Past for Everyone'. The UWE project, alone among the 14 comparable Heritage Lottery Funded projects, focused on ethnicity, pioneering new approaches to researching urban history, providing material accessible to museums, community and minority groups, schools and artists, and helping Bristol's reorientation towards greater ethnic inclusivity. The research informed Bristol's M-Shed Museum, a £24 million HLF/City Council project; inspired community and media projects; informed public history debates in the UK and USA; and encouraged new approaches by historians and community groups (e.g. special edition of Midland History, 2011).

Submitting Institution

University of the West of England, Bristol

Unit of Assessment

History

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Studies In Human Society: Policy and Administration
History and Archaeology: Historical Studies

Localising Migration: improving service provision and interaction between local authorities and migrant communities in London

Summary of the impact

This case study focuses on the impact of ethnographic research on migration to the UK from South Asia and Eastern and Central Europe by a team of researchers in sociology at Roehampton. This research has enhanced knowledge of demographic change in British society and has had a significant impact on policy makers and providers in local, national and European policy communities. The research has contributed to changing attitudes, raising awareness, and shifts in policy and practice by local government in London with regards to migration and social inclusion to the capital. It has also contributed to capacity building activities and new policy tools to support social inclusion and labour market integration by new migrant communities in the UK and across the European Union.

Submitting Institution

Roehampton University

Unit of Assessment

Sociology

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Studies In Human Society: Demography, Sociology

Local Histories and National Pasts: Empowering local people to reconnect with history

Summary of the impact

Since 1948, Leicester historians have transformed the way we look at the past by pioneering new methodologies centred on Local History. In the last two decades, this "Leicester Approach" has reconnected history to ordinary people, involving them in historical research and showing in practical ways the relationship between history and local communities. This case-study highlights the public impact of Leicester's latest research projects, which have systematically empowered local communities to explore, understand and enjoy their family, regional and cultural histories. In a fast-moving, migratory world, the projects enhance public awareness of a shared past, boost local place attachment, and foster cultural understanding and cohesion.

Submitting Institution

University of Leicester

Unit of Assessment

History

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Language, Communication and Culture: Cultural Studies
History and Archaeology: Historical Studies

Victoria County History

Summary of the impact

Through accessible local history resources co-produced by academics and community volunteers, Riden has helped to open up previously academic-focused research to new, local audiences. He has empowered amateur historians through new research skills to take an active role in documenting and thereby conserving their communities' histories (this has included volunteers publishing their own research). He has contributed to an improved quality of visitor experience at a local heritage organisation through providing new knowledge and confidence to volunteer guides. Through translating the co-produced resources for use in primary and secondary schools, he has given children new research skills which they have then used to develop new understanding of their community's history.

Submitting Institution

University of Nottingham

Unit of Assessment

History

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

History and Archaeology: Historical Studies

Seals in the Medieval World

Summary of the impact

The medieval seals projects have enabled substantial non-academic audiences to engage more effectively with and appreciate more fully the cultural heritage of Britain. There is now a deeper understanding among schoolchildren and adult interest groups (e.g. local history societies) of the importance of seals in medieval culture and their role in establishing identities. The projects have also alerted heritage professionals to the significance of seals as a heritage asset, and developed their skills in preserving and presenting this undervalued resource. In attracting visitors to Wales and the Marches through exhibitions and outreach events the projects have delivered an economic return.

Submitting Institution

Aberystwyth University

Unit of Assessment

History

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Studies In Human Society: Policy and Administration, Sociology
History and Archaeology: Historical Studies

Filter Impact Case Studies

Download Impact Case Studies