English blogs

Professor Angela Smith has recently had an article published in the George Orwell Studies Journal. In her article, Angela looks at the context of Eileen O’Shaughnessy’s education at Sunderland Church High School, and argues that the progressive head teacher, Miss Ethel Ironside, was partly responsible for Eileen’s future life as wife and editor of Orwell’s… Continue reading Eileen O’Shaughnessy and George Orwell

Angela Smith has recently had an entry published in the updated Sage Encyclopaedia of Journalism. Her entry, on Tabloid Television, has been updated from the first edition of the Encyclopaedia.

Dr Sarah Hellawell has published an article in BBC History magazine, exploring the myths and reality of life in the ‘roaring Twenties’. This coincides with the release of the 1921 Census data.

PhD student Anthony Anderson has guest edited a special issue of the prestigious academic journal, The Revenant. ISSUE 7: REVOLUTION IN THE DEAD: THE CULTURAL EVOLUTION OF THE ZOMBIE.  This edition has an Introduction co-written with Colin Younger, and features contributions from academics around the world. Angela Smith’s article in this issue explores the figure… Continue reading Special issue of The Revenant: Zombies

Angela Smith has recently published a paper with Michael Higgins in Political Quarterly. This paper is interested in the complex relationship between civility and gender in Scottish politics. It addresses two themes that have dominated discussion of Scotland’s political tone. The first has been the seeming rise in intemperate political discourse, amplified by social media… Continue reading Online incivility in politics

Professor Angela Smith has co-written an article with Helen Andersson (Örebro University, Sweden) on the topic of butter packaging. Researchers have shown that it is common to use nationalist appeals when marketing food products. Research has also shown that geographical places play an important role in creating feelings of national identity and national belonging. To… Continue reading Butter packaging and national identity

Most people with anything more than a passing acquaintance with our region – the territory lying between the Scottish borders in the north, the Pennines in the west and the River Tees in the south – are well aware that it is perhaps the most distinct and separate part of England. Ever since moving here… Continue reading Dialectological Landscapes of NE England