Research at the School of History, Law and Social Sciences

At the School of History, Law and Social Sciences, we are dedicated to conducting research that positively impacts society at local, national and global levels.

Our mission is to maintain excellence in subject-specific research while fostering a distinct interdisciplinary profile. This dual commitment acknowledges the importance of deep disciplinary expertise alongside synergistic connections, enabling us to innovate in response to contemporary challenges.

Our strength lies in this unique approach, promoting creativity and collaboration among researchers across diverse fields such as history, law, sociology, criminology, archaeology, philosophy, and religion. This allows us to fully investigate and understand the historical influences that have shaped our society and critically analyse pressing contemporary issues such as inequality, the impact of climate change, and ethical technologies in the digital age.

This collaborative and innovative approach is centred around our three core research themes:

Theme 1: Power, Inequalities and Justice

This theme explores concepts of power, governance, legitimacy, and trust, investigating how these impact equality, rights and justice. This encompasses a breadth of research areas, such as crime, policing and the criminal justice system, access to justice, legal and human rights, social movements and governance in modern Britain. It also includes historical perspectives that contribute to the understanding of contemporary challenges, such as empire, colonialism, and historic rule in England and Wales.

Theme 2: Identity, Heritage and Environment

This theme concerns how individuals perceive themselves and relate to their surroundings, including built and natural environments. It brings together existing areas of research strength, such as national and community identities, particularly Welsh socio-cultural histories and identities, racialised groups and radicalisation, and applied psychoanalysis. The theme also explores the importance of accessible archaeology and the legal protection of both cultural heritage and the natural environment. Collaborative research under this theme includes cultural heritage and climate change, and developing innovative approaches to analyse historic landscape use over time.

Theme 3: Language, Communication and Technologies

This theme focuses on human communication and the ever-evolving role of technology in shaping interactions and the world around us. It covers several key areas of research, such as language use and policy, particularly the Welsh language, misinformation and disinformation, emotional AI, protest, and free speech regulation. Interdisciplinary research includes the use of technology and AI in policing, and the use of Welsh in legal settings.

Past Research Seminar Speakers

10th of October - The Duncan Tanner Memorial Seminar/ Seminar Goffa Duncan Tanner: Labour Country Redivivus: British Social Democracy and it's Prospects, 1924-2024 by Dr Daryl Leeworthy. Daryl Leeworthy is the author of several books including Labour Country, Causes in Common: Welsh Women and the Struggle for Social Democracy, and, most recently, Fury of Past Times, his highly-regarded biography of the Rhondda novelist, Gwyn Thomas.
18th October - Hidden in the Sight of Society by Dr Gareth Evans-Jones, Lecturer in the School of History, Law and Social Sciences.
25th October 2023 - Mercy Killing: Changing the way we view mercy killers within Homicide Law / Lladdiad Trugarog: Newid y ffordd rydyn ni'n gweld lladdiadau trugaredd o fewn Cyfraith Dynladdiad by Lois Nash, Lecturer in the School of History, Law and Social Sciences
15th November - Life in Early Medieval Wales: A Journey of Discovery" by Prof Nancy Edwards, FBA (Emeritus Professor of Medieval Archeology, Lecturer in the School of History, Law and Social Sciences).

14 February, 1-2 pm, online: Dr Christian Boulanger (Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory, Frankfurt), Socio-legal trajectories in Germany and the UK: first results from a binational research project
21 February, 6-8 pm, G1: Dr Ben Lewis (University of Leeds), Loved and Hated: Clara Zetkin’s Contested Contribution to Marxist Political Thought
6 March, 3-4:30 pm, online: Dr Josh Shepperd (University of Colorado Boulder), The Symbiotic Emergence of US Public Media and the Mass Communication Paradigm
20 March, 6-8 pm, G1: Dr Hanno Plass (TU Berlin), South African Jews in the struggle against Apartheid: motives and experiences of Jewish activists
15 April, 6-8 pm, Cledwyn 3: Dr Ciáran Reilly (Maynooth University), Irish Landed Estates & the Great Famine
24 April, 1-2 pm, G1: Dr Bethan Loftus (Reader in Criminology and Criminal Justice), Being Watched: The Aftermath of Covert Surveillance

30 January, 6 pm, LR2: Dr Alec Moore (School of Ocean Sciences), Fishistory: Using historical sources for sustainable ocean ecosystems
5 February, 5:30 pm, Cledwyn 3: Prof. Keith Gildart (University of Wolverhampton), Duncan Tanner Memorial Seminar: Reflections on the history and legacy of the miners’ strike of 1984/5
19 February, 1 pm, online: Matilde Gliubich Tomat (PhD student in Philosophy and Religion), Echoes of Creation: A Paleophenomenological Approach
26 February, 1 pm, G1: Dr Euryn Roberts (Lecturer in Medieval and Welsh History), Early Welsh Geographical Learning
12 March, 6 pm, Greek Room: Anna Monnereau (PhD student and Tutor in Law), The Cultural Value of Copyright
19 March, 1 pm, online: Tony Claydon (Professor in Early Modern History), William III: Shifting Interpretations
26 March, 1 pm, Greek Room: Michèle Lamont (Professor of Sociology, Harvard University) and Andrew Miles (Professor of Sociology, University of Manchester), Recognition through Politics: The Non
College Educated Workers (Aged 18-30) in Manchester, New Hampshire and Greater Manchester, United Kingdom
2 April, 5:30 pm: Dr Melvin Humphreys (Honorary Research Associate, Institute for the Study of Welsh Estates), Powis Castle: The Resilience of an Aristocratic Estate in Wales
9 April, 6 pm, G1: Dr Kate Waddington (Senior Lecturer in Archaeology), Rethinking Iron Age hillforts in North Wales: recent research on Meillionydd
24/25, semester 1
9 October, 1-2, G1: Pretty Karibo (PhD student Sociology and Social Policy), International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and Socioeconomic Development
16 October, 5-7: Neil Evans (BU Honorary Research Fellow), Gareth Evans Jones (Lecturer in Religious Studies), Marian Gwyn (BU Honorary Research Fellow), and Charlotte Williams (BU Honorary Professor), book launch Globalising Welsh Studies: Decolonising History, Heritage, Society and Culture
23 October, 1-2, Ats_018: Stella Gabuljah (PhD student Sociology and Social Policy), Attitudes Towards Universal Basic Income (UBI) in Africa with a Focus on Ghana
30 October, 5:30, MALT: Prof. Terence Dooley (Maynooth University), Closed for Research: The Irish Land Commission Archives and the Fall of the Anglo-Irish Aristocracy (Bangor University Archives and Special Collections Annual Lecture)
13 November, 1-2pm, G1: Elen Bonner (Associate Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol Lecturer), Understanding the migration decisions of Welsh speakers: Journey of a typology
11 December, 1-2pm, online: Ciara Molloy (University of Sheffield), Folk devils or ordinary decent deviants? Representations of youth subcultures in the Irish Republic, 1950s to 1960s

Ynys Enlli (Bardsey) viewed from Mynydd Mawr, Penllŷn

Featured Research Project LIVE (LLŶN ECO-MUSEUM)

The #Ecoamgueddfa project is the first ecomuseum in Wales and, to our knowledge, the first digitally-driven ecomuseum in the world. The team are based in the School of History, Law and Social Sciences, and are working closely with the School’s archaeologists in order to deliver a range of community-engagement events and archaeological digital resources.

Find out more