MA History dissertation....eeek!

[tonysingh]

Sorry for the radio silence, it's been a hectic few days here.

I've only the 15000 words for this dissertation, so in order to make best use of that space, i've decided to narrow down my focus. I'm going to go from Wolfenden upto 1967 Sexual Offences Act and I'm going to focus more on social attitudes at the time. So that's going to mean lots of use of primary sources since no one has actually written this side of things yet. Someone, i can't recall whom right now and i am sorry for that, recommended the Lesbian and Gay Newspaper Archives in Bishopsgate. They are going to be invaluable to my work here and I've already contacted them.

What i think would be useful would be being able to talk to gay men that lived through this period. There's no substitute for actual lived experience as a primary source for the historian. All i need to do is find people willing to talk to me, to put their side across.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone here for both their help and well wishes. It's really given me that extra boost needed to get this sorted. Not only now am i half eyeing a Merit, there's every chance of a Distinction, which will in part be down to the Urbs,

 

[tonysingh]

I think it would be awesome if tonysingh decided on a topic that could include your experiences friendofdorothy

Yes, absolutely. Anything and everything is appreciated.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

What i think would be useful would be being able to talk to gay men that lived through this period. There's no substitute for actual lived experience as a primary source for the historian. All i need to do is find people willing to talk to me, to put their side across.

can't help you personally.

this site (now on wayback machine - i couldn't find it at all a few weeks ago) may be worth a look (it disappeared off the internet a few years ago with no warning - don't know if the hosting gave up or if the owner is no longer with us)

some places do have groups specifically for older gay men / LGBT+ people who may be worth approaching to see if any of their members want to get involved.

don't know if any of the people still involved with housmans bookshop were around in the early days - i did get talking to one older guy there who'd been around since the year dot, but that was a good few years ago now.

may be worth making sure with your tutor (or whoever) that using personal recollections is an acceptable source, and if so, for what proportion of what you're doing.

while i've not really got in to it from an academic perspective, but from less formal stuff, i'm aware that peoples' memories can get confused, multiple events / situations can get remembered as one event, and (putting it in a non-academic term) some people just talk bollocks.

the late Raphael Samuel's book 'Theatres of Memory' is an interesting work on just what is 'official' history.

 

[friendofdorothy]

I think it would be awesome if tonysingh decided on a topic that could include your experiences friendofdorothy

Apart from being female, I was only a child in 1967 and hadn't heard of homosexuality so not much use to tonysingh

I have been interviewed already for post grad research on:

• the pink pound
• lgbt alcohol consumption
• Lesbian style (that was fun!)

I'm feeling fairly historic

 

[tonysingh]

Apart from being female, I was only a child in 1967 and hadn't heard of homosexuality so not much use to tonysingh

I have been interviewed already for post grad research on:

• the pink pound
• lgbt alcohol consumption
• Lesbian style (that was fun!)

I'm feeling fairly historic

You've been of immense use so far and will no doubt continue to be so.

 

[friendofdorothy]

I'm going to go from Wolfenden upto 1967 Sexual Offences Act and I'm going to focus more on social attitudes at the time. So that's going to mean lots of use of primary sources since no one has actually written this side of things yet.

Except Peter Scott-Presland? Worth checking out the extensive bibliography in CHE Amiable Warriors vol 1 1954 - 1971 - he did research in Hall Carpenters Archive, and other places, as well as interviews with people involved, now deceased. He is old enough to have lived it too.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Manchester University Press - Odd men out

Odd men out - Browse and buy the Paperback edition of Odd men out by John-Pierre Joyce

manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk

Queer London

In August 1934, young Cyril L. wrote to his friend Billy about all the exciting men he had met, the swinging nightclubs he had visited, and the vibrant new life he had forged for himself in the big city. He wrote, "I have only been queer since I came to London about two years ago, before then I...

press.uchicago.edu

couple of books that surfaced in a bit of searching

 

[Elpenor]

If you’re going up to 1967, my first thought is a lot of your primary sources will be approaching 80, or older still so may not be around. Hopefully some of them have recorded their experiences so their story is not lost to the past.

Good luck, T.

It goes without saying that so many of the urban collective would like to read the finished article in due course

 

[equationgirl]

Apart from being female, I was only a child in 1967 and hadn't heard of homosexuality so not much use to tonysingh

I have been interviewed already for post grad research on:

• the pink pound
• lgbt alcohol consumption
• Lesbian style (that was fun!)

I'm feeling fairly historic

I'm going with iconic x

 

[bluescreen]

Good luck, tonysingh, you've got this.

No advice really but it may be worth looking at some of Gregory Woods's essays.

Gregory Woods - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[eoin_k]

The British Library has Oral History (e.g. Hall-Carpenter) collections that might be relevant:

Oral histories of sexuality reproductive health and prostitution

www.bl.uk

 

[Pickman's model]

Manchester University Press - Odd men out

Odd men out - Browse and buy the Paperback edition of Odd men out by John-Pierre Joyce

manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk

Queer London

In August 1934, young Cyril L. wrote to his friend Billy about all the exciting men he had met, the swinging nightclubs he had visited, and the vibrant new life he had forged for himself in the big city. He wrote, "I have only been queer since I came to London about two years ago, before then I...

press.uchicago.edu

couple of books that surfaced in a bit of searching

And

The Spiv and the Architect

Explores how London’s queer culture was influenced by postwar efforts to create model citizens

www.upress.umn.edu

 

[tonysingh]

I've written the first chapter and concentrated it on the period before the Labouchere amendment, so I can lead off from that. I've made it relatively brief at 2500 words so as not to waste too much wordcount when I have the next chapters to write (period up to Wolfenden Report/the report itself/why it wasn't enacted right away/conclusion). I've read a lot of Weeks and Foucault which has made an impression.

I've spent the day reading through newspapers from the early 50s to gauge social attitudes. Found a letter that excoriates Marie Stopes for apparent homophobia. Ths is going to be a goldmine for me since I want to examine social attitudes of the era.

I feel a lot more confident.

 

[tonysingh]

So I'm done with all the research and am currently writing up. I'm about 3500 into the 15000 word final body. My research work was fascinating, it totally changed how I thought about the subject and my theories therein. I particularly enjoyed visiting the archives in person and the staff bringing me the material to go through, it made me feel like a proper academic! The challenging part for me was cutting down the wealth of sources I have into something that approaches a coherent argument. I've got enough back up parts to drop in if I fall short.

I had to submit 2500 words last week and it was returned marked yesterday. The tutor basically couldn't find anything to criticise me for which I will take as a massive plus. She commented that I could analyse much from very little and that I had a conversational and engaging yet academic writing style. The only advice she could give was to explain more about what sources I was using in my introduction.

I've got just under 3 months to finish the rest of the work and polish it before I submit it for evaluation. At that point I predict a meltdown due to nerves. I need this to do well, a Merit at the very least.

 

[izz]

I guess almost everyone has a meltdown at some point during this kind of thing, but it'll still be a huge achievement when you're through the other side. I purely loved the research side of it when I did my masters, quite the most fun thing I've done. Well done tonysingh, take a breath every now and then

 

[Pickman's model]

So I'm done with all the research and am currently writing up. I'm about 3500 into the 15000 word final body. My research work was fascinating, it totally changed how I thought about the subject and my theories therein. I particularly enjoyed visiting the archives in person and the staff bringing me the material to go through, it made me feel like a proper academic! The challenging part for me was cutting down the wealth of sources I have into something that approaches a coherent argument. I've got enough back up parts to drop in if I fall short.

I had to submit 2500 words last week and it was returned marked yesterday. The tutor basically couldn't find anything to criticise me for which I will take as a massive plus. She commented that I could analyse much from very little and that I had a conversational and engaging yet academic writing style. The only advice she could give was to explain more about what sources I was using in my introduction.

I've got just under 3 months to finish the rest of the work and polish it before I submit it for evaluation. At that point I predict a meltdown due to nerves. I need this to do well, a Merit at the very least.

Three months for 11.5k is say 3.5k a month or 650 words a week. Happily an academic paragraph is about 300 words so two or more of those a week and you're laughing

 

[equationgirl]

So I'm done with all the research and am currently writing up. I'm about 3500 into the 15000 word final body. My research work was fascinating, it totally changed how I thought about the subject and my theories therein. I particularly enjoyed visiting the archives in person and the staff bringing me the material to go through, it made me feel like a proper academic! The challenging part for me was cutting down the wealth of sources I have into something that approaches a coherent argument. I've got enough back up parts to drop in if I fall short.

I had to submit 2500 words last week and it was returned marked yesterday. The tutor basically couldn't find anything to criticise me for which I will take as a massive plus. She commented that I could analyse much from very little and that I had a conversational and engaging yet academic writing style. The only advice she could give was to explain more about what sources I was using in my introduction.

I've got just under 3 months to finish the rest of the work and polish it before I submit it for evaluation. At that point I predict a meltdown due to nerves. I need this to do well, a Merit at the very least.

Epic news tony Singh, at this point keep on writing. It's easier to write too much then have to cut/polish some sections than it is to try to find words in a time crunch.

You are well on the way - keep up the good work.

 

[tonysingh]

Chapter 3 done!

Day off tomorrow to try and sort some personal problems out then i'm back on the final research chapter of 4000 words before smashing out the conclusion c.1000-1500 words. Get that done by the end of the month, hand it to someone to proofread for spelling and grammar then bish bosh, submit.

 

[blossie33]

Great!
Well done Tony.

 

[tonysingh]

MHRA referencing can go and bollocks.

 

[tonysingh]

I've finished the writing up! Going to spend the next 2 or 3 days editing down and sorting bibliography but it'll be ready for proofreading by end of the week.

Speaking of which, anyone who is game for helping me with proofreading, please give us a shout. Or if you just want a copy, do the same and I'll ping them off.

Cheers .

 

[story]

What’s the title tonysingh ?

 

[Steel Icarus]

I've finished the writing up! Going to spend the next 2 or 3 days editing down and sorting bibliography but it'll be ready for proofreading by end of the week.

Speaking of which, anyone who is game for helping me with proofreading, please give us a shout. Or if you just want a copy, do the same and I'll ping them off.

Cheers .

Happy to look it over for you; I've done similar for others on here, regularly do it for Mrs SI. PM me

 

[hash tag]

Someone who is very knowledgeable and active in this area and is a great person is Peter Tatchell. He's replied to my emails in the past. He might just help.

Peter Tatchell | Human Rights, Democracy, Global Justice, LGBTI Freedom

 

[tonysingh]

What’s the title tonysingh ?

Love and Legality, The Wolfenden Report: 1950 to 1960.

 

[nottsgirl]

I've finished the writing up! Going to spend the next 2 or 3 days editing down and sorting bibliography but it'll be ready for proofreading by end of the week.

Speaking of which, anyone who is game for helping me with proofreading, please give us a shout. Or if you just want a copy, do the same and I'll ping them off.

Cheers .

I’ll help if you want a second pair of eyes.

 

[scifisam]

I’ll help if you want a second pair of eyes.

Can be a third pair of eyes too.

Love the title btw Tony.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

would like to offer, but got quite a lot on the go the next couple of weeks, and not sure if having too many people look at it would either be against the rules, or result in you getting too many conflicting comments.

 

[tonysingh]

It's now Monday the 22nd. My results land tomorrow. I am a bag of nerves right now. Apparently some results are given out early, on the Monday but most from this time tomorrow. So you just know that means the OU website is going to crash big time.

Like I said, big bag of nerves.

 

[two sheds]

Fingers crossed mate