| Description | Track 1 [01:20:00] [Session One: 1 August 2017] Angela John [AJ], born in Neath in September 1948. AJ talks about her childhood in Margam, Port Talbot. AJ talks about her father, a builder and joiner, and her mother, a nurse. [00:04:22] AJ talks about the impact of the steelworks and industry on Port Talbot and the community. AJ talks about cancer occurrences and life expectancy in Port Talbot. AJ mentions her schooling in Margam Primary School and Bridgend Summerhill School. [00:08:30] AJ describes her experiences as a post-war child. AJ talks about her father’s depression and her parents’ attitude towards higher education. [00:12:30] AJ talks about her interest in English and History in school. AJ talks about her decision to go to university and describes childhood interests in reading and writing. [00:16:22] AJ describes her experiences studying Medieval and Modern History at Birmingham University [BU] from 1966 to 1969. AJ talks about her decision to go to BU and describes Birmingham as a city. [00:20:21] AJ talks about cultural changes in the 1960s and how they showed in Birmingham. AJ describes her course composition in terms of gender and nationality. AJ talks about her political views and how they were influenced by her lecturer Dorothy Thompson and the study of Chartism. [00:26:12] AJ discusses the reasons for the 1960s ‘cultural revolution’. [00:30:45] AJ talks about her decision to do postgraduate study at Swansea University [SU]. [00:33:20] AJ describes her interest in the aftermath of Chartism in Wales. AJ describes the course structure at SU and talks about working with David Jones. [00:39:14] AJ talks about her previous knowledge of Swansea and the separation between the university and the town in the 1960s. AJ describes the History department and names its staff. [00:42:45] AJ describes the differences between BU and SU, including the architecture and the atmosphere. [00:47:16] AJ talks about the political atmosphere in Swansea in 1969/1970 and her own involvement. [00:50:10] AJ describes living in Brynmill and Uplands during her time at SU. [00:52:17] AJ talks about the process of writing her MA thesis [00:53:53] AJ talks about teaching at a Sixth Form college in London after graduating from SU. AJ describes her living situation in London and talks about her friendship with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. [00:58:58] AJ talks about her decision to do a PhD at Manchester University [MU] and describes the process. AJ talks about the lack of female academics in the 1970s. AJ describes her PhD topic, namely women in the coalmining industry. [01:05:22] AJ describes the differences between MU and SU. [01:07:37] AJ describes the books she has published and talks about her academic career. [01:11:24] AJ talks about her continued association with SU and describes receiving an honorary professorship in 2014. AJ compares the SU campus in the 1960s to today. [01:14:25] AJ talks about her involvement in Llafur, a Welsh History Society. AJ describes the influence of Llafur in Wales and on Welsh politics. |