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THE 2020 FESTIVAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE
DIGITAL-FIRST EVENT 7-15 NOV 2020
FoSS and ESRC logos

Previous festival highlights

Dr Eugenio Parise from Lancaster University’s Psychology department shows 9 year old Karl Westermann techniques used to track infant development at one of the ESRC Festival of Social Science Babylab events on campus
Dr Eugenio Parise from Lancaster University’s Psychology department shows 9 year old Karl Westermann techniques used to track infant development at one of the ESRC Festival of Social Science Babylab events on campus.
People standing looking at artwork
Building peace, improving health: an evening event with perspectives from Colombia, was an evening with interactive displays, short films and panel discussions around "War & Peace: the Health and Health System Consequences of Conflict in Colombia", which was held in the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall in York last year as part of the 2019 FoSS, delivered by University of York and Universidad de los Andes (Colombia).

Worth Listening To? Life with Learning Disabilities


This ESRC Festival of Social Sciences event, which took place on 7th November 2019, brought together education, research and performing arts to give a full account of priorities in the life of people with Severe, Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities (SPMLD). Peter Imray, a special education consultant, developed his argument that at school we often 'hit the target but miss the point', failing to teach students with SPMLD meaningful and life-long skills. Dr Lila Kossyvaki, lecturer in SPMLD at the University of Birmingham, presented the current developments in social sciences research on SPMLD. Richard Hayhow, the director of the Open Theatre Company, provided some theoretical background on how theatre can be experienced beyond language and the One of a Kind group of young people with learning disabilities showed the audience their work with non-verbal physical theatre relying on music, prop work and improvisation. The evening closed with one of the young people of the group, Vicki, who shared with passion her personal journey.


Note: The filming and the video editing was carried out by people with learning disabilities.

View the full presentation
A simulated prison cell

Voices of Memory Virtual Tour


With this tour, we invite you to experience the interactive art exhibit/living memorial that toured Tunisia from September- December 2018. The exhibition is an immersive experience based on the testimonies of women who suffered repression under the dictatorship in Tunisia.


Visit the website to start the tour

People standing looking at artwork
My Home is Not My Home, a project that emerged as a response to the invisibility and marginality of migrant domestic workers in the UK, was brought to life as part of the FoSS 2019 at the Norman Rea Gallery in York. The exhibition featured a documentary film, which offers a glimpse into the everyday work and life of migrant domestic workers. The exhibition also presented family photographs, letters from children back home, employment contracts, work uniforms and other artefacts which are integral to the identity construction of migrant domestic workers.
Person waving a flag
A photographic exhibition ‘In pursuit of Peace, hope and future: photographs of displaced youth in limbo’ was on show in the Lancaster City Museum, run by Dr Melis Cin from Lancaster University.

Welcome to the 2020 Festival of Social Science

This website is an archived version of the 2020 festival, visit the main website for this years events