Popular Protest and Political Representation in Nottingham: Drawing contemporary lessons from the 1850s and 1860s

Co(l)laboratory 2025 Research Placement

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Key Details

Project Title: Popular Protest and Political Representation in Nottingham: Drawing contemporary lessons from the 1850s and 1860s

Deadline: 11:59pm Sunday 02 March 2025

Funding offer: Candidates receive a tax-free bursary of £1,300, paid in 2 instalments.

Project start date: Monday 28 April 2025

Working hours: Part-time, fixed term (minimum 14hrs hrs per week) until 11 July 2025

Working style: Flexible working supported with some in-person training and meeting requirements. Exact working pattern to be agreed between successful candidate and lead supervisor.

Certification: On successful completion, candidates will receive a formal certificate of recognition from Nottingham Trent University and the University of Nottingham.

Project Supervisors

Lead Supervisor: Dr Richard Gaunt, University of Nottingham
Co-Supervisor: Dr Andrea Moneta, Nottingham Trent University
Community Supervisor: Lynda Naylor, Nottingham City Libraries

About The Project

This project uses an unrivalled collection of political propaganda from the 1850s and 1860s, including newspapers, handbills, and election literature, held by Nottingham Central Library (Local Studies), to interrogate issues of popular protest and political representation as they apply to Nottingham, both historically and today.

By the 1850s, Nottingham returned two MPs to Parliament, but the right to vote remained narrowly constituted and voting was conducted in public rather than by secret ballot: consequently, election contests were subject to violence and intimidation (Beckett, 2008). The 1865 election contest witness the outpouring of tensions over political representation and popular protest as turmoil and agitation gave rise to a heated battle in print and on the streets (Bradshaw, 2015). The role of printed media was important because it could provoke conflict promoting biased views and inciting popular violence. More recent protests in Nottingham – such as those of 2011 and 2024 demonstrate the speed with which tensions can give way to violence, and how they are affected by reports and posts on social media (Loffhagen, 2024). This project will uncover more about the history and context of events in the 1850s and 1860s, as means of promoting understanding of contemporary responses to issues of popular protest and political representation.

The historical material to be interrogated is currently inaccessible due to its age, fragility and uniqueness; consequently, these stories of our city have become hidden over time. This project will explore the range of relevant resources held in Local Studies and survey related holdings at Nottinghamshire Archives and the University of Nottinghamʼs Manuscripts and Special Collections; this desk-based research will be written up as a report. This survey work will be complemented by a focus group of teachers and young people which will discuss how the material could be used to explore contemporary events and perspectives. The results will be used to develop educational resources aimed at increasing crucial, critical thinking skills in young people in the 16-24 age group, so that they are better equipped to respond to social media content including fake new and incitements to violence. The precise model of engagement will be shaped and determined by discussions with the focus group.

Whilst the outcomes will be used by the Central Library, they will be shared with other heritage and educational organisations, so that they can be adopted as widely as possible.

Project Aims

To explore and contextualise a collection of 19th century printed materials in Nottingham Local Studies Library, relating to issues of popular protest and political representation in Nottingham’s history.
To scope the wider collections held by the Library of relevance to understanding and drawing stories from this material.
To survey the holdings of Nottinghamshire Archives and the University of Nottingham’s Manuscripts and Special Collections which bear on episodes and themes within the material.
To actively engage with teachers and young people to devise a route for engaging with these holdings and to provide practical recommendations to this effect.
To draw these findings together and connect them to contemporary Nottingham protests in 2011/2024.
To promote wider access to the materials so that people are able to access them and use them, specifically in promoting critical thinking skills.

What will the successful candidate be doing?

The successful candidate will work with the historical material at the Local Studies Library, gaining experience of handling unique resources and interrogating it for its relevance to the story of Nottingham’s political unrest.

You will undertake desk-based research, scoping the wider collections held by the Library of relevance to the material. You will explore relevant collections held by Nottinghamshire Archives and the University of Nottingham’s Manuscripts and Special Collections, through online catalogues and, where necessary, in-person visits.

You will invite teachers and young people in the 16-24 age group to come together at the Library where you will run a focus group to discuss the materials, what can be learnt from them and how to use them. The results will be written up with specific recommendations for the Library to adopt. You will produce a written report which summarises and lists all locally-held material relating to the project’s themes and which offers recommendations for a model of engagement for the Library which other heritage and cultural organisations could use with similar archival materials.

Who are we looking for?

Please ensure you have read the eligibility criteria for the scheme, available on the main 2025 Research Placements page. For more details about the kind of candidates we are looking for, visit our Research Placements overview page.

Competencies

Independent and highly self-motivated.
Ability to collaborate well with others.
Enthusiasm to gain experience in research.
Confidence to take a “deep diveˮ into complicated topics.
Analytical mindset with keen attention to detail
Strong organisational and time-management skills.
Good verbal and written communication skills.

Desirable Competencies

Familiarity with libraries and library catalogues.
Familiarity with archives and archive catalogues.
Experience of working with teachers and/or young people in the 16-24 age group.
Enthusiasm for local history and place-based story-telling.
Familiarity with handling and preserving historic documents, including digitisation.