The interdisciplinary project will explore how British and Irish literature from 1800 to the present has shaped attitudes towards age and relationships between generations. Working with co-leads Professor Sarah Holloway (Geography, Loughborough University), Dr Amy Culley (University of Lincoln) and Professor Jonathon Shears (Keele University), the research will bring literary studies and human geography together to investigate how people respond to representations of intergenerational relationships, and whether engagement with literature can challenge stereotypes and deepen understanding between generations.
The award highlights Loughborough University’s contribution to interdisciplinary research addressing important questions about contemporary society. At a time when public debate frequently focuses on generational divides and stereotypes about younger and older people, Mind the Generation Gap will explore the historical roots of these perceptions and investigate how literature influences the ways people understand age, identity, and relationships across generations. Led by Professor Siân Adiseshiah in English at Loughborough, the project brings together expertise in literary studies, human geography, and youth and age studies.
Combining historical literary analysis with workshops in schools, a theatre, and reading groups, alongside interviews and questionnaires, the research will generate new insights into how people of different ages respond to literary representations of intergenerational relationships. The project aims to deepen understanding of how younger and older people see themselves and one another, and to investigate how engagement with literature might challenge age-related stereotypes and encourage more thoughtful, age-aware communities.
Speaking on her award, Professor Adiseshiah said: “We often hear about conflict between generations, but we know much less about how these ideas have developed historically or how literature shapes the way younger and older people understand one another. This project will help us explore those relationships and investigate how engaging with literature might challenge stereotypes and open up new ways of thinking about age and generation.”
The Leverhulme Trust is an independent charity that seeks to fund blue skies research and scholarship which has the potential to generate new ideas and research breakthroughs that benefit society. Focused mainly in the higher education sector of the UK, the Trust supports a diverse range of scholars in their educational endeavours, and having funded research for almost 100 years, the Leverhulme Trust plays an essential role in the UK research funding landscape.
Learn more about the Leverhulme Trust.