Reading, Writing and... Rebellion: Understanding Literacies and Class Conflict Through the Edwardian Book Inscription

Book inscriptions are ownership marks that can be found on the front endpapers or flyleaves of a book. Historically, only the inscriptions of prominent or wealthy figures have been given attention, while the inscriptions of 'ordinary people' have been disregarded as insignificant examples of vernacular writing. My doctoral research challenged this perception by contributing new knowledge on the ways in which inscriptions were used by all class groups in Edwardian Britain (1901-1914), drawing particular attention to voices that remain largely silent in archival records, such as the working classes, women and children.
Specifically, my PhD sought to understand how book inscriptions contribute to our understanding of class conflict in Edwardian Britain combining social theory, archival research and multimodal discourse analysis to explore the meanings of image, colour, typography and texture choices in inscriptions, on the one hand, and the communicative and performative aspects of such vernacular literacy practices, on the other.
I discovered that Edwardians of all classes realised the potential of the spaces in books to objectify their economic means and cultural necessities, and assert themselves in a social space, whether to uphold their rank or keep their distance from other groups. For the working classes, inscriptions offered an opportunity to demonstrate their recent intellectual emancipation by recording political messages and/or defacing books awarded as prizes. The middle classes, on the other hand, generally used inscriptions as symbolic gestures of social mobility to gain social capital and respect from peers. In contrast, the upper classes, who feared the collapse of hierarchical society, saw inscriptions as ways to advertise their wealth and high social status.
I concluded that the inscriptions of all class groups have a high cultural value, as they act as important primary resources for understanding self-presentation, social conflict and class tension in early twentieth-century Britain. When combined with archival evidence, they unravel personal narratives that offer new accounts of history that stand in contrast to official narratives of national institutions of power.
In applying for this fellowship, I aim to publish, share and expand upon my findings, as well as develop academic and professional networks.
First, the fellowship will give me the time, space and resources to establish a strong publication record. It will enable me to publish papers in two peer-reviewed journals - Visual Communication and Journal of Historical Pragmatics - and start preparing chapters for a monograph for the Routledge Research in Literacy series.
Second, the fellowship will allow me to disseminate my research to relevant academic and professional audiences, as well as the general public, through conference presentations and impact/engagement activities. The conferences will be in the main fields of my research (literacy studies, material/visual culture, social history), while activities will be focused on organising an exhibition and workshops within the university and at Glamorgan Archives.
Third, the fellowship will support engagement with academic and professional networks within and beyond Cardiff University. Within Cardiff University, I will join the interdisciplinary visual culture research group ImageWorks, seek advice on digital archiving and big data from research software engineers in the Data Innovation Research Institute and develop my relationship with Special Collections. Outside of the university, I will share my research with Glamorgan Archives and the Edwardian Culture Network.
Finally, the fellowship will enable me to produce an information leaflet for archives, museums and libraries that summarises the practical applications of my research. I will also examine opportunities to work with these stakeholders to increase the presence of vernacular writing/underrepresented groups in collections.