Adam Matthew Digital
and the publication of the Mass Observation Archive
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Widely regarded as one of the most important and unique social history archives in existence, the aim of Mass Observation was, and remains, to document the social history of the United Kingdom through the personal responses to a diverse selection of topics, sent in by ‘mass observers’ located across the country.
Academic publisher Adam Matthew Digital has a strong relationship with the Mass Observation Archive and the two have worked closely to digitise and publish this treasure-trove of social history content. From Mass Observation Online, which covers content from the original 1937 Mass Observation that ran until the early-1950s, through to Mass Observation Project – the 1981 revival for which the first module has recently been published.
Mass Observation Online
Mass Observation Online offers unique access to one of the most important archives for the study of
social history in the modern era. From the end of the ‘Hungry Thirties’ to the onset of the Second World War, the Blitz
and the post-War world of consumerism and television, Mass Observation Online captures the daily lives, hopes and expectations of British society and beyond during the mid-20th century.
Widely regarded as one of the most important and unique social history archives in existence, the aim of Mass Observation was, and remains, to document the social history of the United Kingdom through the personal responses to a diverse selection of topics, sent in by ‘mass observers’ located across the country.
Academic publisher Adam Matthew Digital has a strong relationship with the Mass Observation Archive and the two have worked closely to digitise and publish this treasure-trove of social history content. From Mass Observation Online, which covers content from the original 1937 Mass Observation that ran until the early-1950s, through to Mass Observation Project – the 1981 revival for which the first module has recently been published.
Mass Observation Project: 1981-2009
Mass Observation Project 1981-2009 provides digital access to a unique life-writing archive, capturing the everyday experiences, thoughts and opinions of people living through the turbulent final decades of the 20th century and the advent of the 21st century. From Thatcherism to Live Aid and the Millennium to 9/11, the unique nature and matchless depth of this content makes Mass Observation Project: 1981-2009 an invaluable resource for anyone teaching or researching British social history of the last forty years.
Find out more: https://bit.ly/2ZQJM18
“This type of bottom-up history, from those living it day-to-day, is a fascinating way of studying the impact of what we now view as huge cultural and political moments. There really is no parallel to this content in the English-speaking world and it is certain to be a fundamental benefit to the understanding and study of modern social history for both students and scholars.” (Martha Fogg, Deputy Managing Director, Adam Matthew Digital)
The Mass Observation Archive, now held at the University of Sussex, is one of Art Council England’s ‘Designated’ collections of national and international importance.
The continued importance of the work done by the Mass Observation Archive is demonstrated by the activities currently undertaken to record individual experiences of COVID-19 life from across Britain. The archive continues to be one of the most important sources of qualitative social data in the UK.
Mass Observation Online and Mass Observation Project are both highly recommended for use by historians, literary scholars, sociologists, anthropologists, and political scientists.