Historians explore the Women's Aid Federation of England archive
Master's students in History have worked with archivists in the University of Leeds Special Collections to understand and promote this collection.
The Women’s Aid Federation of England archive is held in the University of Leeds Special Collections, and is a major resource for understanding the history of this charity. Three History master’s students have worked with the archive and shared their experiences in a series of posts on the Special Collections blog. Click the links below the images to read their reflections.
‘Marginalised Voices in the Women’s Aid Archive’, by Wenxuan.
Image: Women’s Aid newsletter from 1984, MS 2265/4/3/31, copyright and courtesy of the Women’s Aid Federation of England and University of Leeds Special Collections.
‘Half a Century of Progress: Exploring the History of Women’s Aid’, by Alex.
Image: Women’s Aid birthday postcard, MS 2265/4/7/11, copyright and courtesy of the Women’s Aid Federation of England and University of Leeds Special Collections.
‘Many Reeds Woven Together: Reflecting on the Women’s Aid Archive’, by Yifan.
Image: First four newsletters for the National Women’s Aid Federation, MS 2265/4/3/1-4 from the Women’s Aid Federation of England archive, copyright and courtesy of the Women’s Aid Federation of England and University of Leeds Special Collections.
The Women’s Aid Archive is a new acquisition to Special Collections and an amazing resource on the history of the domestic abuse movement, women’s liberation, and the huge cultural shifts of the last 50 years. To have Wenxuan, Alex, and Yifan dive into the collection and use it for their research has shown just how much potential it has, and their work will help to make this archive even more accessible to future researchers.
This project was part of the module HIST5020M Making History: Archive Collaborations, which is open to students studying for an MA in the School of History. Module leader, Dr Katie Carpenter, says:
This unique module allows MA students from across our different programmes to undertake a 50-hour placement with a local archive partner. Through this module, students can experience directly how the skills they have developed throughout their MA programme can be applied in a ‘real-world’ setting.
Interested in studying a master’s degree? Learn more about postgraduate study in the School of History.
Main image credit:
Women’s Aid postcard, MS 2265/4/7/8, copyright and courtesy of the Women’s Aid Federation of England and University of Leeds Special Collections.
