COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, ARTS AND HUMANITIES Research Bulletin Issue 4 · Winter 2017 Literary Leicester showcases College Research The curtain has come down on another Parry has launched a major project to Anglo-Saxon farming, David Gentilcore Literary Leicester festival, which this year improve digital literacy in UK museums, is reassessing the Mediterranean past proved to be a great platform to showcase and Elke Schwarz’s project will inform via a history of water, and there are college research. At Gaddesby Primary international discussions about ethical fresh approaches to assessing crime School for instance, Liam McCarthy values in military operations. risk (Andrew Newton) and discovery- communicated our own historical research led learning (Agnetta Svalberg and Jim This issue’s featured project is Richard findings to schoolchildren about African Askham). Sandell’s Prejudice and Pride, which American GI children who attended the memorably brought the National Trust’s New tiger teams focus on women’s school during WWII. hidden LGBTQ history to public attention. experience of digitised diagnosis during Many new and exciting research projects maternity care (Nicola Mackintosh; EU-focused projects include an feature in the final bulletin of 2017 Sarah CIs Gong and Nervo Verdezoto) investigation of trade union futures including two projects with international and prison research (Tammy Ayres, Matt (Heather Connolly), authorisation significance. One about early settlement Tonkin, Kate Gooch and Emma Palmer). processes for the use of pesticides in in Morocco’s Draa Valley (David Mattingly) all 28-member states (Olivia Hamlyn). and the other about China’s urban history Meanwhile, our college continues to If you have research stories to include (Toby Lincoln). pioneer new methodologies. Richard in the next bulletin, please email: Back in Britain meanwhile, Jo Story Thomas and colleagues will conduct [email protected] and colleagues will use AHRC funding a bioarchaeological investigation of to complete the nation’s corpus of Anglo-Saxon stone sculpture. Better futures are envisaged, and promoted by, a series of new projects: a child-led history and writing project about Britain’s colonial countryside (Corinne Fowler), a programme of creative empowerment for Vietnamese women (Maria Gasparin) and a project to raise awareness of hate crime in the HE sector (Stevie-Jade Hardy and Neil Chakaraborti). Matt Hopkins tackles uninsured driving, Deborah Toner and collaborators will promote cross-cultural dialogue through food stories, Steve King has received major funding for contesting the New Poor Law (1834 – 1900), Ross African American GIs stationed at Gaddesby village in Leicestershire New projects School of Archaeology and effects of a discovery oriented approach responses at the University. The project is Ancient History on the engagement with language of set to have national impact on tackling hate adult foreign language learners at the crime in many forms in higher education. Mattingly, David (with CIs Martin University of Leicester’. Four Languages@ See more Sterry and Youssef Bokbot.) British Leicester classes and teachers, Academy Small Grant (£10,000). ‘The representing four target languages, Hopkins, Matt. Motor Insurers Bureau Middle Draa Project (Morocco)’. The project participate in this intervention study of a (£94,000). ‘Exploring the reasons for is investigating early oasis settlement in the discovery oriented approach to learning. uninsured driving’. The aim of the research Draa valley (Moroccan Sahara) through a Audio-recorded student interaction, is to conduct an online survey with combination of satellite image analysis and observations, teacher and researcher uninsured drivers in order to ascertain: (1) fieldwork. Work in 2015-16 has identified journals, and student and teacher What the key reasons are for not having many thousands of pre-Islamic burials and interviews will be analysed, with a focus valid vehicle insurance; (2) Driver attitudes hundreds of early occupation sites. The new on learner engagement with language, towards car insurance; and (3) To identify grant will support a short survey expedition and teachers’ perspectives. any strategies that might reduce the to explore hitherto unvisited areas in the number of uninsured drivers on the road. northern part of the valley, where the See more Newton, Andrew. Consumer Data earliest settlement and early mining activity Research Centre (Innovation Fund) – is thought to have been concentrated. School of Business ESRC big data centre: http://www.cdrc. See more Connolly, Heather British Academy ac.uk/ (£59,911.88). ‘Urban Mobility and Mid-career Fellowship (£113,500). ‘Trade Crime: Examining consumer data to better Thomas, Richard; Hamerow, Helena Union Futures: Representing Precarious measure crime rates in urban centres’. (University of Oxford), with Dr Amy Workers in Europe’. This research seeks to This study examines the utility of CDRC Bogaard (University of Oxford) and Dr better understand, and communicate to transport, retail and footfall data, and Mike Charles (University of Oxford) a broad audience, the possible futures of mobile data (twitter and crowd sourcing as Co-Is. European Research Council (EUR trade unions in France and the UK, and in data) to better assess crime risk (rates) and 1.94 million with £85,000 to Leicester). particular, the ways in which they seek to for the police to better target resources ‘Feeding Anglo-Saxon England (FeedSax): represent precarious workers – the ever- in local crime hot spots in time and place, The Bioarchaeology of an Agricultural increasing number of workers who are given the underlying urban mobility Revolution’. Between the 8th and 13th at the margins of, or are excluded from, patterns present. centuries, the English population soared established systems of collective and legal to unprecedented levels. This could not regulation and protection. School of Media, have happened without a corresponding Gasparin, Marta British Council boom in agricultural production. But Communication and (£10,000) College Development Fund, when, where and how were the crucial Sociology RED seeds funding, CAMEo seeds developments in farming achieved? Feeding funding (£10,500 total). ‘Crafting Futures: Mackintosh, Nicola; CIs Gong, Sarah Anglo-Saxon England sets out to address Vietnam’. The programme aims to foster and Verdezoto, Nervo. University of these questions through the application of empowerment through the development Leicester Tiger Team award (£5,000). bioarchaeological techniques. of creative social enterprise and design- ‘DEPAC: Digital enablement, promise See more led skills for female artisans and designers, and uncertainty in maternity care’, and promoting social innovation, fair and its uniformity’. The project analyses School of Arts ethical collaborations, and an appreciation the mediation of digitised diagnosis of cultural heritage. in maternity care by examining how Fowler, Corinne. Colonial Countryside: technologies shape women’s experiences British Country Houses’ Caribbean and East The goal is to create more inclusive of pregnancy. This will reveal vital India Company Connections (crowd-funded opportunities for women in sustainable insights for current management of for phase 1). A child-led history and writing and ethical craft-based production. serious complications in maternity and project in partnership with the National for understanding relationships between Trust and Peepal Tree Press. Colonial Department of Criminology risk and uncertainty, society and digital Countryside will create a new generation of technologies. Hardy, Stevie-Jade and Chakraborti, BAME historians and commentators. Ten- Neil. Higher Education Funding Council year-olds will work with historians, writers, for England (Catalyst Fund) (£94,000). Leicester Law School editors and curators to bring country ‘Standing Together Against Hate’. This Hamlyn, Olivia. European Parliament houses’ colonial connections to public project will be delivered collaboratively (EUR 15,000). ‘Assessing Member States’ attention. with the University of Leicester Students’ capacity for reliable authorization of plant Svalberg, Agneta M-L and Askham, Union, Student Support Services, Estates protection products’, and its uniformity’. Jim. Leicester Learning Institute, Stream and Campus Services and the Equalities This project concerns the authorisation A: Pedagogic Research on Strategic Unit to enhance awareness of hate crime of pesticides in all 28 EU Member States. Developments (£10,928). ‘Exploring the and online harassment and to improve It seeks to map and understand the 2 diversity of authorisation procedures be focusing on drinking water, as both Story, Joanna E. Arts and Humanities implemented by Member States as well substance and practice, from a variety Research Council (£53,000 to Leicester as their independence and transparency of different approaches and disciplines from a grant of £779k to Durham and the extent to which they reflect the and using a wide range of different but University). ‘Worked in Stone: Completing principles of precaution, sustainability and complementary sources. the Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone substitution. Sculpture’. The Corpus of Anglo-Saxon See more Stone Sculpture is a long-running, flagship School of History, Politics King, Steven. Arts and Humanities project for the British Academy. This AHRC and International Relations Research Council (£820,638) ‘In Their Own award funds the completion of the corpus,