What did the general public really think of Thatcherism, the Falklands War, and Live Aid in the 1980s?

What did the general public really think of Thatcherism, the Falklands War, and Live Aid in the 1980s?

Academic publisher Adam Matthew Digital has today announced the digitisation of Mass Observation Project: 1981-2009, covering contemporary responses to events from the 1980s including Thatcherism and the AIDS crisis, to the Royal Wedding of Charles and Diana, and Live Aid.

Widely regarded as one of the most important and unique social history archives in existence, Mass Observation Project is the 1981 revival of the original Mass Observation, first launched in 1937. The aim of the project 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. The continued importance of the project is further highlighted by the activities currently undertaken to record individual experiences of COVID-19 life from across Britain.

"Mass Observation Project is a valuable record of British social history and reveals many fascinating insights into contemporary British culture and views on topics we remain impacted by to this day. Since the 1930s, Mass Observation has received records of people's experience of key events in the history of Britain and the world. The collection includes records on the Blitz, the Falklands War, September 11^th, Brexit and now, COVID-19. It's difficult to convey just how truly important this archive is for studying, understanding, and recording key events through the lives and experiences of everyday people."

Fiona Courage, Associate Director/Curator of the Mass Observation Archive

Publishing over three modules, the first of which is now published, Mass Observation Project 1981-2009 will provide opportunities for research and scholarship throughout the global academic community.

"The value of this project is really second to none. 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

Adam Matthew Digital is hosting a live webinar on 14^th July 2020 to celebrate the launch of Mass Observation Project, Module I. We'll be joined by Dorothy Sheridan MBE, FRSA Director of the Mass Observation Archive (1990-2010), Trustee of the Mass Observation Archive (2010-2020), Professor Claire Langhamer, Professor of Modern British History, University of Sussex and Jill Kirby, Lecturer in History, University of Sussex.

Register here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8704653645155985933

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Additional information on Mass Observation Project, 1981-2009 can be found on the Adam Matthew Digital website: https://www.amdigital.co.uk/primary-sources/mass-observation-project