The Barbara Bagilhole Memorial Award is a School-wide prize, founded by Professor Line Nyhagen in 2017 to celebrate students’ work in Equality and Diversity. It is named after Professor Barbara Bagilhole, a Professor of Social Policy, and Equal Opportunities at Loughborough University. She conducted ground-breaking EDI-related research on gender inequalities in the construction industry.
The winners are:
Best student paper (joint winners): Bethany Dark (English Literature BA) and Subomi Lawal (Media and Communication BSc)
Best Other Academic Coursework: Eva Patterson – Sociology BSc
Commended: Prabhjot Kaur – Sociology BSc
Bethany Dark won the best student paper for ‘Author as Critic: Explore the relationship between Viriginia Woolf’s novel Mrs Dalloway and her critical work A Room of One’s Own.’ The panel was impressed by this nuanced discussion of the relationship between Virginia Woolf’s critical and creative work.
The essay weaves complex and convincing connections between A Room of One’s Own and Mrs Dalloway. The essay covers diverse themes - from male superiority and the gender binary, to essentialism, androgyny and homosexuality - with admirable clarity and depth. The essay honours Woolf’s work while acknowledging her privilege and the contradictions within her arguments, including her reliance on ‘patriarchal capitalism’. The author successfully shows how Woolf’s theories are applied through her fictional methods, in the process showcasing a deep understanding of both Woolf and literature more broadly.
Subomi Lawal also won the student paper award for ‘Exposing the Windrush Scandal: A case study analysis of investigative journalism in The Guardian.’ This is an impressive case study analysis shedding light on the role of investigative journalism in exposing the Windrush scandal. The essay provides a detailed and original analysis of articles published in The Guardian and situates them in the wider political context of anti-migration rhetoric and hostile environment policies.
The author persuasively shows how journalism can shape narratives on migration and how evidence can be effectively used by journalists to challenge negative depictions and expose the wrongdoings of government. The piece is thoroughly researched and timely considering the on-going treatment of migrants, a group particularly vulnerable to government failures. It also serves as a powerful reminder of how power can successfully be held to account.
The prize in the Best Other Academic Coursework category is awarded to Eva Patterson for ‘The Hidden Issue: Barriers faced by transgender menstruators.’ The panel particularly enjoyed this entry which addresses the important but overlooked issue of transgender menstruators with clarity and sensitivity. The blog entry draws the reader in as it explains the challenges and barriers for transgender menstruators, discussing their specific experience, the framing of hygiene products and the serious issue of period poverty.
The style is perfect for a blog, with an excellent flow and structure and a very effective combination of text and images. Moreover, the panel were impressed by the upbeat and constructive tone of the blog on a challenging subject, highlighting its significance in the wider context of trans rights and visibility.
Highly commended in the ‘Best Other Academic Coursework’ category was Prabhjot Kaur for ‘Gora rang: navigating the effects of colourism in Punjabi women’. The panel was impressed by this piece on colourism which interweaves personal experiences with wider reflections on colourism in society. The author successfully dissects how hegemonic cultures create beauty standards and how skin tone discriminations are perpetuated in popular culture and race socialisation with negative consequences for women of colour. The blog both exposes and challenges colourism; its style is engaging, and images and examples are used effectively to support its message.
Congratulation to all winners! We had a number of very strong submissions this year. The panel was particularly impressed by this year’s submission for the ‘best other’ category which showcased creative and often personal work covering a wide range of important topics and formats.