Kate Dommett, Deputy Director of the Crick Centre discusses the making of our new video with ShoutOut UK: Democratic disengagement and the dis-United Kingdom?
Should academics communicate their research to public audiences? Yes, say Research Councils, keen to maximise the impact of their funded research, and aware of the social contribution academic research can make. It is, however, a competence that can be difficult to achieve, not least because of the pressures on academics to simultaneously produce excellent teaching, research and impact activities. Recognising these constraints I wish to reflect on my recent experience as an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Knowledge Exchange Fellow engaging in precisely this kind of public engagement activity.
Ten months ago the Sir Bernard Crick Centre for the Public Understanding of Politics was designated an ESRC Knowledge Exchange Hub, tasked with the objective of taking the latest academic research and transmitting this to a wider public audience. Working with scholars around the country we chose to run a series of public events and produce three videos that aimed to concisely introduce and summarise three different areas of academic work. The first video, Why do we Hate Politics? looked at political disengagement, whilst the third – soon to be launched – tackles the topical issue of Europe. Today we have launched the second video that looks at the issue of constitutional change in the UK. The video asked whether we are living in a (dis)United Kingdom?, reflecting on the impact of devolution and the consequences of the Scottish Independence debate.
Released in the run-up to the forthcoming Scottish Elections, the video helps to explain why we have different systems of governance in the UK and the background to recent calls for change. It highlights that England has historically been underrepresented in governance arrangements, but that the establishment of English Votes for English Laws (EVEL) for votes in the House of Commons, and the move for greater regional devolution has begun to alter this situation. In essence the video introduces how the UK is run, how these arrangements have come about and why they matter, providing a summary of recent academic debate concerning the distribution of power and national identity in the UK. While the video format is not one traditionally associated with academia, especially when produced in animation form, we hope it can help translate a wealth of academic research to a new, especially young audience.
In producing these videos we have worked with a fantastic team based at ShoutOut UK, an independent news platform, who have created visual content to match the academic ideas we wished to convey. Whilst bridging the academic/non-academic divide is often described as difficult, the process has been more challenging than we could have imagined. The finished article launched today is the last of many versions that have been trialled, tested and altered. The process of getting to this resource has undoubtedly been at times frustrating and time consuming. In the context of increasing pressures upon academics this experience could be used to ask why we should bother with these kinds of activities. The process has, however, yielded a range of positive outcomes I had not foreseen and it is these factors I wish to reflect upon.
The process of ‘translating’ research, especially in an audio/visual format required us to get to the heart of why this research matters. Working with designers forced us to make decisions and prioritise, throwing into sharp relief what we truly think is important and why. This kind of reflection is the sort of thing we should be doing every day, yet too often we lack the time to stand back and reflect on why exactly our work is important. The process of making this video forced such reflection and, in turn, benefited my own research in this area immeasurably. In launching this video I therefore want to highlight how an activity that can often be dismissed as an optional extra or a time consuming undertaking that distracts us from real research can in fact have huge value. Whether communicating research by making a video, speaking at a public event, writing a blog or even teaching, these kinds of activity provide an opportunity to pause, think and reflect, reconnecting us with the passions that drive our research and focusing our attention on why we think our research matters.
Watch Democratic disengagement and the dis-United Kingdom?
Biography
Dr Kate Dommett is Lecturer in the Public Understanding of Politics and Deputy Director of the Sir Bernard Crick Centre at the University of Sheffield.
Within the centre Kate leads a research strand work on Political Institutions and Democratic Reform. Her research interests focus upon political parties, political ideology, party modernisation, democratic innovation, political renewal and political communication.
Her previous work has looked at the ideological positions of British Political parties, and she also worked on an ESRC funded project examining the Coalition Government’s public bodies reform agenda (www.shrinkingthestate.org.uk). Kate is currently conducting research on the ways in which established democratic institutions can revitalise themselves in order to stimulate greater political participation.
Kate also leads the Crick Centre’s Training work. In this role she develops and delivers courses for academics and practitioners which promote participant’s understanding of, and engagement with, politics.
Kate is always happy to hear from potential collaborators or the media to discuss her areas of interest and expertise. Feel free to get in touch: contact details.
Notes:
This article gives the views of the author, and not the position of the Crick Centre, or the Understanding Politics blog series.
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