Sussex digital project shares 1980s views of Thatcher’s Britain

Some of the 1980s ephemera that forms part of the Mass Observation Archive's 1980s collection

A University of Sussex digital project offers fascinating insights into the social history and cultural changes as experienced by those living during the 1980s in Thatcher’s Britain.

The Observing the 1980s project at Sussex, funded by Jisc, collates first-hand accounts, written by volunteers, of their daily lives and views that were collected throughout the decade as part of the Mass Observation Archive.

The project brings together ‘voices’ from the Mass Observation Project and the British Library’s Oral history collections alongside 1980s documents and ephemera such as public information leaflets, pamphlets, posters and tickets from the University‘s archives.

As well as Margaret Thatcher, the Falklands War and the miners’ strike, other topics covered include Charles and Diana’s wedding, terrorism, AIDS, unemployment and immigration.

Historian Dr Lucy Robinson, academic lead for the project, who created the '1984: Thatcher's Britain' module at Sussex and developed the new open version, says: “The 1980s is attractive to historians because the decade is both close enough and far away enough to allow us to explore the limits of historical perspective and offers a diverse range of subjects in what was the last era before the internet revolution.

“A lot of the material comprises the personal memories of people who lived through the Thatcher era, making this resource seem all the more resonant now.”

Paola Marchionni, programme manager at Jisc, says: “Jisc has invested in this project in recognition of the value of how people’s stories can enrich the teaching and learning of recent history.

“Observing the 1980s is a truly collaborative effort that brings together different departments and expertise within the University of Sussex along with external partners, such as the British Library, in the delivery of innovative open educational resources.”

The material is also embedded into the University of Sussex Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) using open Moodle software.

A variety of open education resources have been created, including one titled ‘Thatcher's Britain: Observing the 1980s’, which includes videos, images and slides.

There are also several infographics covering the Falklands Conflict, unemployment, the miners’ strike and sexuality in Thatcher’s Britain on the website.

Hear Dr Robinson talk about the Observing the 80s project on YouTube.

Posted on behalf of: University of Sussex
Last updated: Friday, 12 April 2013