Blog

Discover how the Mass Observation Project evolved through the 2010s. Explore societal trends, from climate change to digital shifts, revealed through module IV. Read how researchers and the public document everyday life in a changing world.

This blog spotlights Foreign Office, Consulate and Legation Files, China: Section II's material which documents China's relations with Britain, and key events such as the beginning of the Xinhai Revolution that ended centuries of imperial rule. It features correspondence between London and British diplomats stationed in Weihaiwei, the first foreign concession in China.

The Christmas pantomime feels like a timeless festive tradition, full of laughter, spectacle and audience participation. This blog explores how pantomime took shape on the nineteenth-century stage and why it flourished.

Accessibility is central to AM’s mission of expanding access to primary sources. In this blog, UX Designer Elena Panarese shares how inclusive design and collaboration support this goal.

In part four of this guest blog series, Theresa Hessey, Digital Collections Librarian at the University of Delaware, discusses how AM Quartex has streamlined and improved the accessibility of their digital collections.

The blog highlights American Committee on Africa, module II's rich documentation of anti-apartheid activism, focusing on the National Peace Accord, global solidarity, and student-led divestment campaigns. It explores the pivotal role of universities, protests, and public education in pressuring institutions to divest from apartheid, shaping global attitudes toward social justice and reform.

This blog examines how primary sources can be used to trace the impact of young voices on society, particularly during pivotal voting reforms in the UK and the US. Explore materials that reveal insights into youth activism, intergenerational gaps, and societal perceptions, highlighting their interdisciplinary value for studying youth culture, activism, and girlhood across history.

From Mrs. M. W. Waite’s nineteenth-century canvassing efforts to Naomi Long Madgett’s Lotus Press amplifying African American voices, and the Women’s Press Project empowering women in printing, these pioneers championed diversity, creativity, and opportunity. This blog explores how their legacies helped shape the publishing world for women.
 

Discover the evolution of girlhood across the twentieth century through magazines like The Girl’s Own Paper, Misty, and Sassy. From career advice to feminist discussions, this collection reveals changing roles, expectations, and voices of girls over time.

Meu Mapa, by Atlas Weyland Eden, is a short piece of historical fiction inspired by digitised archival maps in AM databases, and written as part of the Imagining History UK programme.

In a guest blog, Kuba Jablanowski, a lecturer in Digital Sociology at the University of Bristol, explores how the university's use of AM Digital collections have enabled students to access crucial interdisciplinary content to support their research. 

The Imagining History Programme (IHUK) offers access to digitised archives, inspiring participants to merge historical research with storytelling. The program balances guidance with self-directed exploration, fostering critical thinking and narrative skills. 

In a guest blog, Lewis Goode, a graduate student from the University of Bristol discusses their use of AM's digital archives for research for their masters dissertation. Lewis highlights how the tools available through AM Explorer enable an enhanced research experience. 

The twentieth century marked a pivotal time for medicinal advancements but, when it comes to procedures to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, little has changed in over a century. Examining two global pandemics we consider the idea of social responsibility during the outbreaks of Plague (1918) and Coronavirus (2019).

AM's Felix Barnes and Courtney Priday explore the vital role of primary sources in fostering information literacy and critical thinking.

Through British government papers, Apartheid South Africa, 1989-1994: Negotiation, Liberation and Democracy explores the dismantling of apartheid and the lead-up to free elections. Nick Jackson, Senior Editor at AM, looks at an example from this wealth of content, a Prime Minister’s Office (PREM) file about resistance to participation in the elections from the political leader of Bophuthatswana. 

Jennifer Wedge, AM's Metadata and Discovery Manager, explores the importance of metadata and how it is essential in helping users discover our collections. 

Film offers more than entertainment, it captures fleeting, candid moments that reveal the rhythm of everyday life in the past. Wanderings in Peking, from AM’s China on Film: Twentieth Century Sources from the British Film Institute, offers a glimpse of 1930s Beijing, revealing a city where tradition meets progress, with the camera often capturing its most compelling stories unintentionally.

James Prinsep, the son of an East India Company merchant and government official, holds a notable place in Indian history for his work in the Indian Mint and standardising currency. Records from East India Company, module VII show how Prinsep, and the British-run East India Company more broadly, reshaped India’s currency to suit their economic and administrative needs.

Foreign Office, Consulate and Legation Files, China: 1830-1939 contains a huge variety of material touching on life in China through the eyes of the British representatives stationed there. Nick Jackson, Senior Editor at AM, looks at an example from this wealth of content, one diplomat’s exploration of Chinese family relationships and how this narrative presented them to a British audience.

The Nineteenth Century Stage is a rich resource exploring the theatrical celebrities, artistry, and changing social roles of the era. It highlights Pamela Colman Smith, known for her Rider-Waite tarot illustrations and theatre work, whose influence shaped Victorian theatre. Despite being overlooked, her life and impact are vividly captured through striking art and intimate collections within this valuable resource.

In preparation for migration to AM Quartex, the University of Delaware Library, Museums and Press had to take stock of and rationalise seven distinct digital collections. Learn about how this was overcome in part three of this guest blog series.

From medieval markets to a global powerhouse, London’s evolution between 1450 and 1750 is vividly documented in the records of its livery companies. Central to the city’s economy, these institutions reveal how London navigated challenges like plagues, the Great Fire, and rapid growth, underscoring their vital role in shaping a thriving metropolis.

Editorial assistant Jade Lilliman reflects on the 20th anniversary of Movember, the annual movement encouraging men to grow moustaches to support awareness and fundraising for men's health issues like prostate cancer and mental health. Jade delves into the Movember mission alongside historical perspectives on facial hair from the Mass Observation Archive, drawing parallels between past and present societal pressures on appearance.