Project grant/Raising Representation II
Basic information
- Project Title (If applicable)
Raising Representation II
- Proposed by
- Hannah Cobb
Project description
- Briefly describe the issue or problem that motivates this application. What needs are you meeting?
The Women in Red project has shown that only 20% of Wikipedia biographies are of women, and a number of Wikipedia projects highlight that non-binary people, people of colour, those who identify as LGBTQ+, and those with disabilities are also minoritised on Wikipedia. The archaeological profession also lacks diversity, despite the existence of a diverse student body, something my own research has demonstrated. This means that students who do not identify as straight, white, non-disabled, cis heterosexual men often struggle to see role models and career possibilities, or feel they have agency to change this.
The Raising Representation project, running throughout 2024/2025, addresses this by raising representation and recentring student agency in diversifying archaeology by running a series of Wikipedia editathons in collaboration with Archaeology students at the University of Manchester. In addition, to truly empower students and make structural change, it is essential that this work extends beyond the University and into the professional arena. Consequently, this project supports our students to lead an editathon and present their findings at the annual Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) conference and to widen our reach and inspire and share agency with other students by holding an editathon for archaeology departments in the North West of the UK in collaboration with Historic England.
- Describe project activities. What will you use the funding to do?
We apply for funding to cover participant travel to attend the editathon we are running for archaeology departments in the North West of the UK in collaboration with Historic England on 7th May 2025. For this editathon, Historic England is providing in-kind support by providing a space for the editathon for a day in their Manchester offices, plus tea and coffee all day, expertise on inclusion in archaeology (led by Pen Foreman, Historic England’s senior inclusive heritage advisor), making key texts from their physical archive available and providing internet access for the day. Their space can accommodate 24 people, so we have invited one academic and three students to attend in person from the Universities of Manchester, Liverpool, Central Lancashire, Chester and Manchester Metropolitan University. In addition, we are making unlimited places available for students and staff from these institutions to join us online.
We are applying for funds, up to £250, to cover the cost of participant travel to the event for participants outside of Manchester. We anticipate this will be 4 x return train tickets Preston to Manchester Oxford road, 4 x return train tickets Liverpool to Manchester Oxford road, 4 x return train tickets Chester to Manchester Oxford road, totalling no more than £250. If there are any remaining funds, these will cover travel for Manchester participants.
The University of Manchester is supporting the project by providing the funds for students to undertake intern roles to evaluate the impact of this editathon and others undertaken through the Raising Representation project and to formally write the results up.
- Describe your plan for evaluating this project. How will you measure success? What types of things will you measure (e.g. content, participants)?
We will evaluate the Raising Representation project as a whole at the end of the academic year by evaluating students’ experiences and learning through a basic survey, the number of participants in editathon events, and also using the dashboard from each event to understand the reach and impact of the edits we have made. I have funding from the University of Manchester for a group of students to write up the evaluation and to publish it in an Archaeological sector publication.
- Identify key people involved in this project. How will or could the wider Wikimedian community be involved?
I am the project lead. Richard Nevell, programme manager at Wikimedia UK, and Wikimedia UK volunteer Duncan Hull have been key figures in providing training and support for the events so far. For the Historic England event, Pen Foreman (senior inclusive heritage advisor) is co-leading.
- If applicable, identify partnering organisations for this project (not essential)
The University of Manchester Chartered Institute for Archaeologists Historic England
- Budget
£250