Researchers will investigate if the activities have shaped people’s knowledge of the war and the impact the conflict has had on communities and individuals. They will be asking if people have developed new skills based on their involvement in centenary events; what has gone well, what could have been done better and will the legacies of the centenary and the war be shaping people’s lives in the future?
‘Reflections on the Centenary: Learning and Legacies for the Future’, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, is being led by Dr Lucy Noakes, the university’s Reader in History in the School of Humanities. She will be working with colleagues at the universities of Exeter, Glasgow and Kent, and with Dr James Wallis, a 91¶¶Òõ Research Fellow.
Dr Noakes said: “Between 2014 and 2018, Britain, together with many other countries, has been and will continue to commemorate the centenary of the First World War.
“There have been many hundreds of commemorative activities and events in Britain ranging from the national and international, such as those to mark significant moments like the declaration of war (Lights Out, 2014) and the Battle of the Somme Centenary (We’re Here Because We’re Here, 2016) and hugely popular artworks, installations and events, most notably perhaps Bloodswept Lands and Seas of Red at the Tower of London in 2014.