SAVE THE DATE - Beyond the ‘archival turn’: Making and using sociological archives
A BSA Early Career Regional Funded Symposium
30 June 2025 (09:30-17:00 BST)
Sir Bob Burgess Building, University of Leicester, UK
About the Event
This event will address the potential for sociological archives to bring the voices of young people, women, as well as working-class and racialised communities, into public discourse. Moving beyond theoretical reflection on sociology’s ‘archival turn’, the event will explore the practicalities, as well as the ethics and politics, of making and using sociological archives.
Speakers will address the rich archival resources that exist within sociology and show how creative methods can be used to make the past anew, as well as helping us to imagine different kinds of futures. The event will engage with different kinds of sociological archives - ranging from 'classic studies' preserved within formal archives, through the DIY archiving of researchers and activists, administrative data sets and memorabilia and personal collections. It will bring together sociologists, including early career researchers, with community archivists to explore how we might work with the voices and experiences held within archives in ways that could challenge, shape or disrupt public discourse. A hands-on workshop will be provide opportunities for ECRs and other participants to test out different methods for bringing archival material to life.
The University of Leicester will host and co-sponsor the event as part of its 75th anniversary celebrations. The University of Manchester’s Morgan Centre for the Study of Everyday Lives has also provided funding to mark its 20th anniversary. The University of Sussex has also contributed funding towards this event.
Confirmed speakers include:
- Andrew Balmer, University of Manchester
- Ros Edwards, University of Southampton
- John Goodwin, University of Leicester
- Kahryn Hughes, University of Leeds
- Tracey Loughran, University of Essex
The event will include a workshop on reanimating data led by Rachel Thomson (University of Sussex), as well as a panel discussion with community and institutional archives.
Registration
Registration will open soon.
Organisers
Laura Fenton (Universities of Manchester and Sheffield), John Goodwin (University of Leicester) and Rachel Thomson (University of Sussex).