Festival focus T
he ESRC Festival of Social Science 2011 – a week-long series of events celebrating the breadth of social science research in the UK – ran between 29 October and
5 November. Events the length and breadth of Britain offered insights into how social science research helps to mould social, economic and political policies, as well as the effect it has on our daily lives. Now in its ninth year and co-ordinated by the
ESRC, the Festival helps over 500 researchers connect with new audiences, including individuals from business, charities, government, teenagers, pensioners and parents. Feedback from event organisers highlights that apart from learning from the experience of holding an event, they also benefit from opportunities to network and gain a better understanding of individual perceptions of their research. Events normally target one of four different
types of audience: a general audience – perhaps in a shopping centre, a museum or in a national park; those with some knowledge and a specific interest in the research – such as a parent group or participants in a research project; professionals including local businesses, charities and government agencies; and schools or college students, with organisers working in conjunction with the teachers. But some also bring together quite disparate audiences to increase networking and stimulate new ideas.
Organisers have the
freedom to not only be creative in their event design but also to try innovative approaches
which suit the audience needs, and this has created a variety of different formats. From film screenings, talks, exhibitions and debates, to plays, workshops, seminars – even woodland and urban walks – the Festival has enabled the creative side of academics to blossom. Some headline-grabbing subjects covered by
this year’s Festival include vampires and synthetic blood, age stereotypes, parenting, the Olympics, and sex workers.
28 SOCIETY NOW AUTUMN 2011
Guest speakers at the ESRC event included (l-r) Mark Easton, BBC News Home Editor, David Willetts MP, Minister for Science and Universities, and Professor Paul Boyle, ESRC Chief Executive
The ESRC also ran a flagship Festival event, ‘Celebrating the social sciences’, that showcased the impacts of social science research to an audience of over 100, including policymakers. Guest speakers David Willetts MP, Minister for Science and Universities, and Mark Easton, BBC News Home Editor, highlighted the impacts and the contribution of social sciences both at home and internationally. Commenting on the Festival event in his blog,
David Willetts said: “We should recognise and celebrate the social sciences and the enormous contribution the UK makes to a global body of knowledge. The social sciences vastly improve our understanding of the world around us – our society, our economy, our quality of life and public health – and most importantly they help us improve the outcomes of people from all backgrounds and areas of society.” n
i For more information on the ‘Celebrating the social sciences’ event,
to download a copy of the ESRC Celebrating the social sciences booklet or to view the accompanying video, see:
Web
www.esrc.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/18421/celebrating- the-social-sciences.aspx For David Willetts’ blog, see:
Web
blogs.bis.gov.uk/blog/2011/11/08/celebrating-the-value- and-relevance-of-the-social-sciences
Now in its ninth year, the Festival of Social Science has become an annual fixture in the academic calendar, highlighting and explaining social science research on a range of subjects to many different audiences throughout the UK
Celebrating the social sciences The impact of social science research
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