Challenging Coercive Control Through Participatory Theatre: A Case Study and Performance Centring South Asian Women in Blackburn

Start date: 1 April 2026
End date: 31 March 2027
Funder: AHRC; LUCIA (Locally Unlocking Culture through Inclusive Access) scheme
Primary investigator: Professor Sarah-Jane Page, University of Nottingham
Co-investigators: Professor Johanna Stiebert
External co-investigators: SAS Rights CIC – Ms Saima Afzal, MBE

Value

£100,000

Partners and collaborators

Greater Manchester Combined Authority; Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council; Lancashire Partnership Against Crime; Blackburn College; Lancashire Police Crime Commissioner

Description

Coercive control is typified by ongoing and detrimental patterns of abuse, typically taking non-physical forms. It can include psychological abuse, threats, humiliation, monitoring, isolating one from friends and family, and financial abuse. Coercive control exerts forms of control that deeply harm victims, causing loss of confidence and emotional, physical, social, cultural and religious distress. It is most prevalent in the domestic sphere and is still not well recognised, yet alone understood, by professional services and the wider public alike. And yet, it has been criminalised in the UK since 2015. As with other forms of domestic violence, women are disproportionately harmed. Where coercive control is reported, this is most often among white, middle-class women; but there is every indication that the problem extends well beyond this demographic. This project seeks to address an urgent and pervasive social problem, focusing on a group that rarely reports coercive control and that is under-represented in research on the topic: South Asian women of Blackburn. The aim of the project is to impart and disseminate accurate and accessible information on coercive control and on victims’ legal rights and access to support. This will take the form of community events, interviewing and the creation and production of a play, using empathic and inclusive methods guided by Blackburn based CIC SAS Rights.

Participants, including University of Leeds researcher Professor Johanna Stiebert (third from left), at an icebreaker event on 27 April 2026

Impact

A public performance of a play, followed by an open forum discussion

Resources for SAS Rights (including a film) (disseminated online and during community activities)

Resources created with and for participating partners (see above)

Job/CV development opportunities for target demographic (South Asian women in Blackburn)

Publications and outputs

Online content will be published on the websites of SAS Rights (https://sasrights.org/) and The Shiloh Project.

Academic publications planned.

Links to media will be posted on the SAS Rights and The Shiloh Project websites (see above)