Do you want to get out there and make a little history?

On the 12th of May, through either the University of Sheffield or directly with the Mass Observation Archive itself you can take part in creating a little time capsule of your day that will be recorded for future generations as a sort of time capsule of words.

Wait, why?

On May 12th 1937, on the day of George VI's coronation, the Mass observation called for people from all over the United kingdom to record what they did on that day from their first groaning moments in the morning to their last notes before settling to sleep. In doing so, they hoped to capture a very real snapshot of people's every day lives across the country, whether rich, poor and middling. The tradition has been carried on annually, (with some additional dates in their repertoire), and has provided a remarkable resource for historians, journalists and more who wish to get a real feel for the living breathing past. The hope is, by offering the modern day public to include their own diaries for the day, they can keep building their archive for the future.


Awesome! How Do I Get Involved?

To take part you need to mark the 12th in your diaries as the day you try to make a Samuel Pepys of yourself. Record as much as you can about what you do, who you meet, what you talk about, what you eat, drink, buy, sell, what you;re working on, what you visit, what you read, see and hear around you, how you feel and what you're thinking. If it's a typical day say so, and if it's unusual then say so too. 

To give a little context make sure to note briefly your age, where you live, your relationship status, your present job and any other important info.

Type it all up on a word document AND INCLUDE THE STATEMENT BELOW, or else they won't be able to use your entry in their archive.

“I donate my 12th May diary to the Mass Observation Archive. I consent to it being made publicly available as part of the Archive and assign my copyright in the diary to the Mass Observation Archive Trustees so that it can be reproduced in full or in part on websites, in publications and in broadcasts as approved by the Mass Observation Trustees. I agree to the Mass Observation Archive assuming the role of Data Controller and the Archive will be responsible for the collection and processing of personal data and ensuring that such data complies with the DPA.”

Finally, email it to moa@sussex.ac.uk

Et voila! you have just achieved a little slice of immortality.


Where Can I Learn More?

Sussex university manages the Mass Observation project, so their website or the Mass Observation twitter account is the best place to have a poke around.
Personally I found the 'occasional papers' section of their website fascinating: here you can find various articles and papers that draw interesting results from having worked with the archives themselves. For example, this student paper on 'Birth and Power'.

Today I want to try something a bit different and give you a walk through my non-fiction bookshelf.

I never realised how many non-fiction books I had accumulated over the years until I moved into my new flat and actually attempted to organise them on a bookshelf. So in this Vlog I take you through some of my favourites for learning about social history, psychology & philosophy and science.

This is my first attempt at a vlog and was filmed on my ipad, so apologies for the occasional dip in sound volume. But you do get to actually hear my voice so...bonus?

You can view the video above or click here to go directly to Youtube.

Have a good weekend, and keep curious ;)

I love weird history. While at times it can be gimmicky, it's always illuminating. Social history at its best.

So, fellow readers, you're probably not surprised that I loved Melissa Mohr's "Holy Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing." I mean, come on. Look at that title, then look me in the eye and tell me that this wouldn't be a great book.

Admittedly, when you pick this off the shelf it's likely for the same reason why you flick to the dirty words in the dictionary or why you put Who Cut the Cheese? on your Amazon wishlist - you want a dirty snicker while education floats vaguely in the background as plausible deniability. But Holy Sh*t is a lot more than an excuse to see scatological humour and swearwords in an academic setting. Through pulling apart two versions of swearing - 'the holy' (curses and oaths) and 'the shit' ('dirty' swearing) - and tracking their development from the Romans to the modern day, Mohr provides a fascinating and insightful lens into our cultural development. Look to what offends a culture most and you will often see what it values most. Focus on what's classified as good manners and how these are broken, and you will always find what the history books are so often trying to hide.

In her journey through the history of swearing Mohr keeps her tongue firmly in her cheek, but treats her history with respect and meticulous detail when it's important. I would even recommend this book alone for her treatment of the history of God's emergence as a monotheistic deity in the bible, which is a fascinating and revealing read that demands a book of its own. By understanding how oaths  was used by God at his youngest in the bible, it informs us as to why they ('the Holy' swears) had such a power to 'hurt' him in the eyes of his believers, and how the power of these oaths died down by the Georgians to modern day.
Also fascinating, by explaining how medieval people were what we would now see as so vulgar - desensitized to 'the Shit' swears - she explains in illuminating detail the power dynamics of the time and why, at the brink before these became offensive, it was perfectly acceptable for Queen Elizabeth 1st to greet esteemed visitors with her boobs out.

For me, social history is always a great pleasure and I applaud anyone who is willing to put in the research to explore these more under-represented areas of history. Holy Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing is a fantastic little book that you absolutely must go out and buy. 
You'll fuckin' love it.