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University of Reading-led research projects on the histories of British post-1955 television drama have had a major impact on television producers, directors, performers and cultural institutions responsible for policy, production and the preservation of television heritage, not only through dissemination of research findings, but also through actively involving them in project interviews, seminars, conferences and contributions to published outputs. Through this collaborative approach, the researchers have influenced the professional development and practice of leading television drama producers, and policy and programmes for the public dissemination of audio-visual heritage, as well as providing specialist advice relating to television copyright and commercial marketing.
This AHRC-funded research project examining the production and consumption of women's television in Britain between 1947 and 1989 has documented, for the first time, the development of programmes made explicitly for a female audience, their production culture and the responses of female audiences. Through dissemination to the profession, public engagement events, and media appearances the results of the research have had a demonstrable impact on cultural life and professional practice in the television industry. The project has highlighted the potential of feminist historical research and archiving practice to enhance women's understanding of their own histories.
The research has mapped an unwritten history of women's television making and viewing in Britain, 1947-1989. By showing how assumptions about gender preferences and the presumed inferior quality of women's programming affected what is produced, broadcast and archived, the research has preserved and made accessible important programmes from Britain's television history. The research has re-presented women's television history by showing that genres not typically considered to be `women's' (e.g. music programmes, sport) were just as important to the identity formation of young women as were dramatic programmes (e.g. Compact) which dealt with working women in the 1960s. The research has brought an increased awareness of a new history of women's television in Britain to media professionals, archivists and the general public, especially women viewers from the period 1947-89.
The AHRC-funded research project `The Italian Academies 1525-1700' (phase 1 (2006-09): 'A Themed Collection Database', and phase 2 (2010-): `The First Intellectual Networks of Early Modern Europe') under the direction of principal investigator Professor Jane Everson (Royal Holloway) has established a significant public resource on the Italian Academies. The database forms one of the British Library (BL) series of Themed Collections, specialized catalogues developed to enhance public access to the BL's rich collections. The software model designed by the project team in conjunction with the BL's IT department (eIS) has subsequently influenced the revisions of other catalogues. In this way the project is having direct impact on both CULTURAL LIFE and PUBLIC SERVICES, and has materially improved the METHODS used by library and information professionals.
Erin Bell's research has had significant impact on the way in which independent television producers have viewed the production of historical programming in the UK and has assisted the European Parliament to consider how the history of Europe is portrayed through the media. Her research, which examines the way in which television versions of history become embedded in public consciousness and looks at why television history is presented as it is, has succeeded in engaging media CEOs and public figures in debating how history is depicted in the media, and has impacted upon independent companies' productions for the future.
This creative/critical collaboration sought to reclaim Spenser's The Faerie Queene for today's world, investigating how to remake this religious poem and national epic for diverse audiences and users, and exploring its potential to revivify religion and society, through artistic works and new liturgies. Impact beyond the academy was always at the conceptual heart of the project. Bringing together members of different faith groups, school communities, and cultural practitioners (musicians, puppeteers, poets), it engaged them in debate and sought to produce new cultural forms that would not only contribute to cultural life but affect civil society and public discourse. An unforeseen if powerful impact was a national debate and controversy over deployments of the figure of St George.
Research by Popple has focused on the potential for public collaboration and democratic engagement with digital archives. The main impacts have been to:
The research also served to demonstrate to cultural heritage organisations like the BBC the strength of public commitment to, and the benefits of moving towards, more collaborative partnerships with audiences in order to establish open and democratic digital spaces.
We have worked as media and cultural historians, archive experts and media producers, and collaborated with a variety of public institutions and communities of interest, to draw attention to neglected histories, to respond to the opportunities afforded by new digital technologies, to disseminate archived material, and to interpret it for wide audiences. Through our work we have contributed to an improvement in the understanding and practice of media history, in particular the exploration and archiving of, and engagement with, the popular cultural artefacts which index its lived experience. Most noteworthy has been our contributions to the development of online and offline communities of interest by integrating processes of knowledge exchange into our research, in order to promote co-curation, and discussion about cultural value, memory and collecting. Our impact is measured in the development of popular practices of preservation, in the circulation of media products we have created from archive material, and in our engagements in public projects and with cultural institutions, audiences and policy makers. This work has regional, national and international reach.
Mass Observation has encouraged public participation in the creation of knowledge since 1937 and pioneered the dissemination of social research to a mass audience. Active collaboration between Sussex historians and the Mass Observation Archive continues to shape popular understandings of modern British social history, specifically through work with the media. This partnership has also created an Open Educational Resource through which the public can gain a hands-on understanding of the very recent past. Working with the Mass Observations Project, Sussex academics encourage `ordinary' people to write directly about their lives within a structured environment, creating historical sources for the future.