In our new blog series ‘Researching MO’ we’ll be looking at different ways that MO material is used for research. Approaching the collection can sometimes be daunting, and the stories you’re looking for might not always be in the place you expect! This series will serve as a way in to the collection. Each post will be based around a theme, look at the different Directive topics that fall under that theme as well as publications on that topic.
Home, what it means and what it looks like has always been central to Mass Observation. Mass Observation has asked about what peoples homes look like, inside and out. Looking at these responses we can learn much about what people value, how they live and the changing ways that we live in and use our homes.
For anyone interested in researching ‘home’ we’d recommend starting with the following Directives:
- Mantelpieces and Treasured Objects (Autumn 2019)
- Your Bedroom (Spring 2017)
- Homelessness (Autumn 2016)
Mantelpieces, or their counterparts, have often been of interest to Mass Observation for what they tell us about what people display and hold dear in their homes. Work inspired by our mantelpiece collection include:
- Hurdley, R Literary allusion in sociological analysis: Mass Observation mantelpiece reports as epic and drama https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/14687941231176944
- The Hidden History of the Mantelpiece BBC sounds: Rachel Hurdley and Jessica Scantlebury
Mass Observation has also asked about gardens and gardening:
Bhatti, M Garden Stories: Auto/biography, Gender and Gardening https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.5153/sro.3377
Interested in thoughts and opinions about home in Mass Observation? You can always email the team with your research query and we’ll be more than happy to advise on Directives and other items in the collection that might be of interest!