Jerome de Groot
Professor of Literature and Culture in the Department of English, American Studies and Creative Writing
I am interested in how people understand the past, and the ways in which ‘history’ is told. So I am interested in what people think of popular forms like TV, film, games, and also in co-creation of narratives of the past.
Public engagement highlights
- ‘Platform for Investigation’ at the Museum of Science and Industry in January 2019 (700 visitors including 300 children)
- Creative workshops with family history practitioners at the Manchester Central Library (they created ‘cut-up’ poems about their family’s past)
- Recording podcasts with a range of people around the world
- Organising a festival of science and humanities around DNA Day in April 2020. The co-production of work like this has already been amazing and enlightening.
Best public engagement advice
‘Less is more – don’t try to do loads of activities, but focus what you are doing as much as possible’.
I find that this is particularly true when working with schools – trust your material!
Find out more