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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.
Prize-winning research by Dr David Turner at Swansea University has enriched public understanding of the history of disability. He has empowered disabled people by showing that they have a history and demonstrated the contemporary relevance of that history in showing that developments considered recent, such as the formation of disabled identities and public fears about the authenticity of disabled welfare claimants, are nothing new. Impact is achieved via the creation of a major cultural product, a BBC Radio 4 series `Disability: A New History' which reached a wide audience, and through targeted engagement with media, policymakers and campaigners on disability benefit reform.
This case study concerns the public understanding of history as a practical discipline. Through a series of high-profile research publications, popular articles, and textbooks, Professor John Tosh's research has had an impact in two distinct ways. Firstly, these publications have been incorporated into teaching and lecturing practice internationally, influencing students' understanding of the discipline. Secondly, they have had an impact on wider public understanding of history as a practical discipline. The reach and significance of this impact is demonstrated by publication sales and readership figures, high-profile critical reception, political debate and wider public discourse.
The research undertaken by the Social History of Learning Disability (SHLD) group at the Open University (OU) has not only shaped the policy and practice of service providers but has transformed the learning skills of the disabled people taking part, some of whom have gone on to develop international profiles as advocates and campaigners. Its work, looking at the history, policy and practice of learning disability, has been pioneering in its use of an inclusive approach, as well as innovative life story work for the benefit of person-centred care. As a result it has this year been shortlisted in the Department of Health's 2013 Good Practice Project, which was initiated in the wake of the Winterbourne View patient abuse scandal.
Professor Mark Jackson's research on the history of allergy and asthma, carried out in the Centre for Medical History, University of Exeter, has been successful in enhancing clinical, commercial and policy understandings of the social, political and cultural, as well as biological, determinants of allergic diseases in the modern world. It has also helped to raise public and patient awareness of historical trends in asthma and allergies and to increase public understanding of evolving methods of diagnosis, prevention and treatment through focused collaboration with the charity Asthma UK as well as through various outreach and engagement activities. Professor Jackson was appointed to the Centre of Medical History at Exeter in 1998.
Research into the history of the emotions undertaken by members of the QMUL Centre for the History of the Emotions has made possible a series of impacts of local, national and international reach and significance, on public understanding of emotions, on contemporary art and culture, and on political debates about public policy, emotions and wellbeing. Impacts have been achieved through a range of activities, including practical interventions in schools, input into radio and television broadcasts, an artist in residence scheme, an international email list and blog, and policy discussions with think tanks such as the Young Foundation.
Research by Carl Chinn, MBE at the University of Birmingham has contributed to a better public understanding of community relations (past and present) within the Birmingham area, particularly for smaller and formerly marginalised communities. Chinn has also produced a wealth of new, accessible historical data, both directly (through the online and freely available BirminghamLives Archive) and indirectly through stimulating local public interest in local history and encouraging and supporting publication of personal histories, websites and archives which are freely available to the public. Chinn's research and commitment to public engagement have also had an impact on the delivery and design of local school curricula and acted to highlight the opportunity of higher education to pupils. Chinn's research also acts to preserve and present the cultural heritage of the Birmingham area and contributes to the process of memorialisation and reconciliation for all of its people.
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.
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.
`Zion 100' was a pioneering research project engaging the people of Hulme in the study of their own history as part of a wider effort to regenerate an inner city area of Manchester. It directly engaged over 2000 people with nearly 300 people participating in activities related to researching local history. Participants developed transferable skills and built self-esteem whilst preserving the heritage of their community. Historical material was uncovered by local residents and used to produce an exhibition and a series of historical enactments that brought over 1800 local people together. Zion 100 led to significant historical, cultural and social impacts that have helped to build a sense of increased community cohesion and intergenerational understanding. Publically accessible archive material has been produced along with educational resources for local schools.