| Description | Recording of interviews for the 'Battle of St Ann's' project:
Tracks 1 - 10 are interviews with Lin Kent, a member of the social study group into 'slum dwellings' and 'poverty' in the St Ann's area. The location of the interview is not identified. The tracks frequently run into each other.
Track 1: Recording setup. 0.14 mins.
Track 2: A discussion covering her personal details: Lin (Muslin) Kent, her address, she is employed as a research scientist, mum to 2 small children and her educational background. A further discussion regarding her family background: strongly influenced by her father whom she feels missed out on opportunities, he has had a variety of jobs: including working the land during the war this led to a post-war move to farm in Kenya when she was 10 for 6 years, the discussion continues on the following track.
Track 3: The discussion continues from the previous track regarding farming in Kenya: covering the families return from Kenya when she was aged 16, her education at six form level was away from home, then she went to university in London where she met her husband. A new discussion about joining Ken Coates 'Anatomy of Britain' sociology course in 1965; she knew of Ken Coates and felt she could learn from him, she wanted to learn more about the issues that had always interested her and she had previously been involved with the Labour Party and pressure groups etc. 3.27 mins.
Track 4: The discussion continues on from the previous track regarding personal politics and views of society: in her opinion the lower classes do not have the same opportunities despite the prevalent political message implying that they 'have/had never had it so good'. She wanted to study the extent of poverty and look for ways to address the situation. The studies they examined on the course formed the basis for the investigation 3.04 mins.
Track 5: The discussion continues on from the previous track regarding the structure of the course: her first year was formal - reading and then discussion or writing, the second year (after the class decided to conduct the survey) - led to a completely practical involvement in gathering information. The discussion continues regarding how the idea to conduct the study spontaneously came out of the class as they felt they would learn more this way; after they had proposed this to Ken he crystalised the idea. The discussion moves onto the conducting of the survey: at the beginning when the class started drawing up the questionnaire there was a period of excitement and cheerful academic interest. 3.16 mins.
Track 6: The discussion continues on from the previous track regarding conducting the survey: how the reality of how people were living was worse than her suspicions and how depressing she found this. 3.05 mins.
Track 7: The discussion continues on from the previous track regarding conducting the survey: the residents responded well: the individuals themselves were fairly cheerful, they didn't alway understand but they tried and were willing. The discussion moves onto that she personally did 10 - 15 interviews. 3.13 mins.
Track 8: The discussion continues on from the previous track about the class and regarding the conducting of the survey: there were 15 - 18 members of the class. The discussion moves to the effect of the study on her: she feels she couldn't do such research full time because she would find it depressing and that she was lucky to have a full life around the study to escape into. The discussion moves to how the study has changed her ideas about how to address poverty: that direct personal action is no good, that pressure groups are no good and getting involved in politics maybe a solution; she believes that poverty is increasing and she is still casting around for a solution. The discussion returns to the effect of the study on her: she says that she has not changed her job or way of life. The discussion moves how others view the study: she has discussed it widely and feels people shut themselves off from what the study shows, they hear and believe what she says but are able to 'put it on the shelf'. 5.04 mins.
Track 9: The discussion continues on from the previous track regarding how the study has effected her: she feels that sometimes it is necessary to shut things off. The discussion moves to her opinion of the residents of St Ann's: she identifies with them and does not feel different/apart from them. The discussion returns how others view the study: some don't believe, some don't want to hear and some create mental blocks by dehumanising the subject. 3.49 mins.
Track 10: The discussion returns to possible solutions to fight poverty and how she hoped the report would have more of an impact. 1.50 mins.
Track 11: the interview is with Geoffrey Oldfield and Ken Fleet, who were members of the social study group into 'slum dwellings' and 'poverty' in the St Ann's area. the recording continues on MS 4000/6/1/66/22 - 24, the location of the interview is not identified. A discussion covering their names and addresses. A discussion covering his background working for the council housing department: he is responsible for collecting rents and dealing with/evicting those who don't pay etc: he joined the class because he felt that it would be useful and valuable to understand more about the people they worked with everyday. 2.44 mins.
Total: 33.14
Dubber's reference number: PLA KF573E0534380 |