ABOUT

Joanna BornatProfessor Joanna Bornat

Open University

Joanna Bornat is Professor of Oral History in the Faculty of Health and Social Care at the Open University. She researches, writes and publishes on oral history topics and methods and is joint editor of Oral History. Recent book relevant publications include, The Turn to Biographical Methods in Social Science (2000, with Prue Chamberlayne and Tom Wengraf) and Biographical Methods and Professional Practice (2004) with Prue Chamberlayne and Ursula Apitzsch). She is currently the principal investigator on two ESRC funded projects: 'South Asian overseas trained doctors and the development of geriatric medicine' and 'The Oldest Generation' a project in the Timescapes programme investigating the impact of family life transitions on inter-generational relations. Both projects are taking an oral history approach and both are addressing questions relating to the secondary analysis of archived qualitative data and ethical issues in interviewing and preserving personal accounts of the past.

Arts & Humanities Research Council: Each year the AHRC provides approximately £100 million from the Government to support research and postgraduate study in the arts and humanities, from archaeology and English literature to design and dance. In any one year, the AHRC makes approximately 700 research awards and around 1,000 postgraduate awards. Awards are made after a rigorous peer review process, to ensure that only applications of the highest quality are funded. Arts and humanities researchers constitute nearly a quarter of all research-active staff in the higher education sector. The quality and range of research supported by this investment of public funds not only provides social and cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of the UK. See Arts & Humanities Research Council website.