| Description | Track 1 [01:09:25] [Session One: 26 April 2017] Dr Leonard Mars [LM], born in Manchester, 1941. LM talks about his parents and their Jewishness. LM describes his father’s childhood and schooling. LM talks about the family’s move away from a Jewish area in Manchester to Blackpool in 1946 and the subsequent family name change. [00:03:57] LM talks about the schooling of him and his brothers. LM describes the shock of failing the 11 Plus Exam. [00:04:53]LM talks about direct grant schools in Lancashire and talks about sitting the entrance exam for Lytham St. Anne’s. LM talks about his experience at the school and the sports he did. LM talks about his father’s job in a Jewish factory in Manchester. [00:09:45] LM describes the languages he studied at school. LM describes the family changes that occurred in 1959 and explains his reasons for deferring his place at Edinburgh to study languages. [00:11:38] LM talks about the his job as an executive officer in the civil service and the hierarchical nature . LM describes reading his brother’s anthropology books and being fascinated by them. [00:14:14] LM talks about his mother’s family. LM talks about his maternal grandfather Moses Abel[MA], a Welsh Jew. LM talks about some of MA’s children marrying outside the faith. LM talks about the marriage of his great-grandparents George Abel and Ann Jones in 1859. LM contrasts the different types of Jewishness of his mother and his father. [00:19:20] LM talks about the influence of anthropologist Max Gluckmann [MG], who was a professor at Manchester, on him. LM describes his vacation jobs in Blackpool in the 1960s. LM talks about his studies and the departmental culture at the University of Edinburgh. LM talks about James Littlejohn, a member of staff who introduced LM to whisky. LM describes doing his Bachelor dissertation in Newfoundland, where his older brother was working on a PhD thesis [00:26:49] LM talks about his membership in Habonim, a Socialist Zionist youth movement. LM talks about doing his PhD at the University of Manchester, sponsored by the Bernstein Trust Fund. LM talks about going to Israel as part of his PhD and learning Hebrew there. LM describes meeting his future wife in the language course. LM mentions getting his doctorate in 1970 and doing a post-doc at Manchester until 1972. [00:29:40] LM talks about his family situation and job search and the birth of his second child in 1973. LM talks about being invited to an interview at Swansea and his first impressions of the town, including the area around the railway station. LM talks about the sociological division between Swansea West and Swansea East. LM talks about his wife becoming a Romanian interpreter for Bonymaen RFC in 1974. [00:35:26] LM talks about the interview process, which was chaired by Vice-Principal T.J. Morgan. LM talks about the wage for age scheme and a previous failed interview at Edinburgh. LM describes the difficulty of buying a house due to inflation. [00:39:21] LM talks about his wife giving birth in Mount Pleasant. LM describes the negative attitude towards breastfeeding in 1973. LM talks about the culture shock coming to Swansea, considering it primitive. [00:41:46] LM talks about the joint Sociology and Anthropology [SocAnt] department at Swansea compared to other UK universities. LM compares the seminar culture of Manchester to Swansea. LM talks about Professor W.M. Williams [WMW], who was a Social Geographer, and DMW’s friendship to Glanmor Williams [GW], Professor of History. LM talks about giving a history paper and receiving a personal letter from GW. [00:49:49] LM mentions student numbers in 1973. LM talks about the ethos at Swansea University, which was collegiate but hierarchical. LM talks about the Senior Common Room, where academics could meet, and describes its layout. LM mentions Swansea University principals Richard Steele, Clarkson and Robin Williams. LM talks about Richard Sherwood and his vineyard in West Wales. [00:54:48] LM talks about the exam process at the university. LM tells an anecdote where the registrar, Peter White, had noticed a student was absent from the exam and sent LM to the student’s house to wake him up. [00:56:14] LM talks about Professor Dewi Phillips [DP], professor of Philosophy. LM talks about sitting on the Senate and Council and describes the feelings of openness between the members. [00:57:57] LM talks about the amenities at the Senior Common Room, including a newspaper service. LM talks about him and his wife teaching Hebrew to adult learners and going to the university for lunch with his family on weekends. LM describes interacting with members from other disciplines in the Senior Common Room, including chemists and engineers. [01:01:13] LM describes playing for the staff tennis and the staff cricket team from 1974-1975. LM talks about the cliquey atmosphere at the cricket team, which was dominated by a civil engineer and Phil King, a zoologist. LM mentions cricket matches against other universities. LM talks about Bill Bentley, Mike Simpson and George Evans, who played cricket and other sports for the university.[01:04:29] LM talks about DP’s interest in art and described DP buying a painting for the Senior Common Room. LM talks about artist Josef Herman [JH]. LM describes nominating JH for an honorary doctorate and talks about the disappointment when his suggestion was turned down. LM talks about a university policy, where a staff member could borrow a painting. [01:09:25]
Track 2 [00:44:21] [Session One: 26 April 2017] LM talks about the staff tennis club, which was founded in 1977. LM talks about Helen Hodges, who managed the tennis club. LM mentions the names of fellow founding members, including George Evans. LM talks about Vice-Principal David Herbert and his style of playing. LM talks about the mixed-doubles tournament at the end of the season and a supper, where everyone would prepare food. [00:06:50] LM describes other forms of socialisation, including the university babysitting circle. LM talks about socialising between staff and students, including Gregynog and a staff-student cricket match. [00:08:59] LM talks about his lack of interest in pubs. LM describes how his father became a pub-goer after the death of his mother in 1967. [00:10:50] LM talks about being a member of the Association of University Teachers [AUT], a Labour-supporting trade union. LM talks about his own political views. LM describes the influence of the International Socialists in the AUT including a Philosophy lecturer. LM talks about the political views of students in the SocAnt department and tells an anecdote about a socialist student who did not want to accept the findings of a book. [00:15:50] LM talks about a strike in 1985/86 and describes being part of a delegation to Parliament. LM talks about too much pay being docked after the strike and the AUT members exerting influence on Principal Brian Clarkson to restore the pay. LM talks about being membership secretary of the AUT in Swansea. [00:18:40] LM talks about student political activity in the 1960s, including a sit-in at Singleton Abbey. LM discusses the absence of a ’68 moment’ and a gradual cultural change. LM talks about being active in an anti-Apartheid movement in the 1960s and describes fellow students and colleagues being active in the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament [CND]. LM talks about the influence of Jewish South Africans in the anti-Apartheid movement, including MG. LM talks about John Parker [JP], a sociologist, and JP’s participation in a protest as the South African Rugby team was playing St. Helens in 1971. [00:22:05] LM talks about his research and his focus on people instead of theories. LM talks about MG’s political views and the political views of the Anthropology department at Manchester. LM describes being in Israel during the Six-Day-War in 1967 and the effect on his research. [00:26:42] LM talks about a second-year module taught by C.C. Harris [CCH]. [00:30:31] LM talks about his anthropological fieldwork. LM compares the US, Israeli and UK academic system with regards to sabbaticals. LM talks about the UK governmental policy towards social sciences in the 1980s and its impact on the Swansea SocAnt department. [00:32:16] LM talks about his research project on the Swansea Jewry. LM talks about the history of Zionism in the early 1900s and describes its influence in Swansea, especially Cathedral Road Synagogue . LM describes the structure of the Jewish community in Swansea. LM talks about an archival training project for Swansea graduate students. LM discusses Ursula Henriques and her book “The Jews in South Wales”. LM talks about Jewish archives in Swansea. [00:40:14] LM mentions the new Head of the SocAnt Department in the 1990s, Reginald Byron [RB]. LM talks about his research project on Hungarian Jews. LM describes the Hungarian attitude towards teachers and academics. LM talks about his retirement in 2001 and teaching in Hungary after his retirement. [00:44:21]
Track 3 [01:25:43] [Session Two: 10 May 2017] LM talks about the introduction of a single-honours Anthropology course in 1980. LM talks about low stuff numbers and the difficulty of conversion. [00:15:58] LM talks about WMW’s teaching duties. LM mentions marking at Swansea and an increase in first and second class degrees. LM talks about a course he co-taught with WMW. [00:24:58] LM talks about a book for the 25th anniversary of the SocAnt department, which was a collaboration between CCH, Richard Starter and LM. LM talks about CCH publishing book alone later and omitting works by colleagues. LM is critical of CCH’s character. [00:30:28] LM talks about the university expansion and growth of student numbers in the 1990s. LM describes the effect of higher student numbers, including the loss of contact time and the decrease in teaching quality. LM talks about decrease of student ability to write an essay. LM compares schooling in previous decades to schooling in the 1990s. [00:41:02] LM describes the changes in the management of the university in the 1990s. LM talks about the formation of schools, which were comprised of several departments, and the closure of certain departments. LM talks about his own increased responsibilities and a period of ill health. LM describes popular attitudes towards sociology and the teaching of sociology in schools. LM is critical of increased depersonalisation, bureaucratisation and the position of Vice-Chancellor. [00:47:44] LM talks about the split of the University of Wales into separate institutions. LM talks about the political clout of Cardiff University in the 1980s. LM talks about Margaret Thatcher’s attitude towards sociology. [00:49:44] LM is critical of Vice-Chancellor Davies for closing down several departments, including philosophy and chemistry. LM talks about the department of philosophy and its demise. LM describes DP’s style of running the department. LM talks about CW, who stirred up trouble against other members of the department. [01:00:44] LM illustrates his reasons for retiring in 2001 and describes his disillusion with the academic system. LM compares RB’s style of leading the department to that of WMW. LM talks about his failed candidacy for senior lectureship. LM talks about inviting his colleagues to his son’s bar mitzvah and describes a decline in collegiality from the 1990s onwards. [01:08:46] LM talks about his retirement process and compares the early retirement schemes from the 1980s to the 90s.LM describes negotiating the early retirement scheme. [01:13:00] LM talks about receiving merit awards. [01:14:04] LM describes his teaching in Hungary from 2001 to 2009. [01:15:46] LM talks about the creation of a student councillor position in the 1980s to help with student problems. LM describes the negative attitude towards mental health held by scientists and engineers. [01:17:50] LM compares the ethos in the civil service to academia. LM praises the collegiality and the opportunity to meet colleagues from different departments at Swansea. LM is critical of academic/departmental politics. LM describes disillusion with increased bureaucratisation of academia. [01:25:43]
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