Childhood Memories of Post-War Merseyside: Exploring the Impact of Memory Sharing Through an Oral History and Reminiscence Work Approach
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Childhood Memories of Post-war Merseyside: Exploring the Impact of Memory Sharing Through an Oral History and Reminiscence Work Approach Hayley Elizabeth Wilson A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of Liverpool John Moores University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy April 2016 ‘Childhood is the world we have lost. The children we were are still part of us, and also quite separate from us. The past is a partial script for the present, but to interpret our adult selves as determined by those children would be a mistake. In recognising the past the reality lies in the other direction. We are the ones who can reach back with our reminiscences and give those children meaning’ (Heron, 1985, p.9). i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank all of the participants who took part in the study, for their time, personal contribution, frankness and endless enthusiasm. I would like to thank Liverpool Dockers’ Club and Liverpool Supporters Social Club for allowing me to use their premises and for their goodwill, humour and cups of tea. I would like to thank the following people for their academic support, advice and guidance: Dr Conan Leavey, Dr Rose Khatri, Jim McVeigh, Dr John Harrison, Dr Akhtar Wallymahmed, Julie Connolly and David Lane. I also want to express my gratitude to the Museum of Liverpool Life for collaborating and enabling me to project manage my own exhibition ‘Childhood Memories of Post-war Merseyside’. Thank you to both of my parents, Jennifer and Alan Wilson, my uncle Alistair and Toby the dog, for their unconditional love and support throughout the duration of my research; they have been there through the hard times and shared the celebratory times. Finally, I would like to thank my other family, friends and fellow colleagues for the times shared on this PhD journey, which I am sure we will never forget. Thank you. ii Dedicated to Holly, Bobby and Teddy- life companions with whom I share many precious memories. iii ABSTRACT This study used an oral history (OH) and reminiscence work (RW) approach to explore childhood memories of Merseyside, England, United Kingdom, in the period following the Second World War. Interviews were conducted with ten volunteers between 60 and 70 years of age from communities across Merseyside, collecting unique reminiscences. The researcher used a qualitative research approach to obtain and analyse the findings. Semi-structured interviews were conducted on a one-to-one basis and findings were analysed thematically according to emergent themes. Firstly, the interview transcripts were analysed to identify the social conditions which impacted on childhood experiences. Then, the researcher created a Memory Tree Model (MTM) and revisited the same participants to focus on the reflective aspect of the reminiscence process itself; thus, each participant was interviewed twice, allowing adequate scope for reflection. The researcher wrote a series of memoir chapters to present and discuss the research findings in a way that captured the essence of childhood and adequately represented the impact of reminiscence. This thesis explores the social conditions of childhood during the post war years in Merseyside and in doing so has prompted the researcher to develop a tool to support the reminiscence process. Overall, the participants found the experience to be a positive one, with therapeutic benefits, even when recalling negative memories. The majority of the participants (n=9) found the Memory Tree Model and reflective reminiscence work interview easier and more supportive than the open-microphone oral history interview. Each of the participants continued to reminisce in the months between the first and second phase of interviews and had started to engage in reminiscence with their families. The results were linked to the research and practice outcomes of a heuristic model of reminiscence to explain the impact that reminiscence had on those who took part. In theorising the use of both an oral history and reminiscence work approach, this thesis informs others working with reminiscences, in better understanding iv the impact on those who are engaging in this type of research. It also demonstrates an understanding of the relationship between social research and community engagement. The researcher was given the opportunity to disseminate the findings in a public forum via an exhibition at the Museum of Liverpool Life (MLL); this established that both OH and RW can be a positive experience for participants and enrich the wider community. Recommendations for future practice include increasing access to public reminiscence workshops, enabling people of all ages to benefit from its qualities. This would be an enriching practice in society, not only facilitating the process of reminiscing, but also bridging gaps between generations and cultures, building networks and bringing communities closer together. The research contributes to the body of knowledge by providing insight into the social conditions of childhood in post-war Merseyside through a set of unique and candid childhood memories. The researcher achieved this by opting to use a multi- method participatory approach for gathering the research findings; a pictorial tool was created and used to support the participants in this process. Furthermore, a collaborative approach fostered community engagement in the form of an interactive museum event which provided a platform for public engagement and additional memory sharing. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................................... ii ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................................. iv LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................ xiii LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................................ xiv ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................................................... xv CHAPTER ONE ...................................................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION AND RATIONALE .............................................................................................. 1 Overview ........................................................................................................................................... 1 Background of the author ........................................................................................................... 2 Autobiographical memories ...................................................................................................... 3 Reminiscence in later life ........................................................................................................... 4 Rationale for conducting research using reminiscences................................................ 5 The field of research: why Merseyside? ................................................................................ 7 Overview of the study .................................................................................................................. 8 Aims and objectives ...................................................................................................................... 9 Philosophical perspective ........................................................................................................ 12 Life-span perspective ................................................................................................................. 13 Interdisciplinary research ........................................................................................................ 14 CHAPTER TWO: PRELIMINARY RESEARCH ........................................................................... 17 PART ONE: ........................................................................................................................................... 17 THE HISTORY OF CHILDHOOD .................................................................................................... 17 Overview ......................................................................................................................................... 17 Childhood has not always existed – ‘childhood is an artefact of modernity’. ...... 17 Philippe Ariès – The invention of childhood ..................................................................... 18 Middle-class families: The child-centred family .............................................................. 21 Nineteenth-century childhood: Social policy and child protection.......................... 22 ‘The century of the child’: twentieth-century Britain .................................................... 23 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................... 24 PRELIMINARY RESEARCH PART TWO: ................................................................................... 25 FROM WAR TO POST-WAR, GROWING UP ON MERSEYSIDE .......................................... 25 vi Overview ........................................................................................................................................