Who is the Inscription Detective?
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I am Dr Lauren Alex O'Hagan, currently a Researcher in the Department of Media and Communication Studies at Örebro University. I was previously Research Associate in the Centre for Language and Communication Studies at Cardiff University.
My research explores literacy and class conflict in Edwardian Britain (1901-14) through book inscriptions. I use an ethnohistorical approach to multimodality, which blends visual analysis with archival and historical research, in order to gain a better understanding of the ways in which identity performance, book ownership and readership varied according to social class in early twentieth-century Britain. An important aspect of my research is unlocking the 'hidden histories' of working-class and lower-middle-class individuals who have typically been left out of official records of the Edwardian era.
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In 2019, I was awarded an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship for the project “Reading, Writing and… Rebellion: Understanding Literacies and Class Conflict Through the Edwardian Book Inscription”. You can find out more here: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=ES%2FT009012%2F1
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My current project uses food advertisements and packaging to trace seemingly modern food trends and myths to the late 19th century. Recent publications have focused on protein-enhanced foods, radium and food in the 1918 flu pandemic.
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I aim to use this blog space to share some of the stories I have uncovered during my research, as well as reflect on Edwardian Britain more generally.
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In my previous life, I was a translator and antiquarian bookseller. Languages and books both continue to play a huge role in my life. I am a speaker of Spanish, Italian, French and Swedish, an avid reader of historical fiction and social history books, and a collector of 80s teen fiction. I am also passionate about 70s/80s rock music and see Thin Lizzy, Rory Gallagher and Tom Petty as the Holy Trinity of Music. When I haven't got my head in a book, you'll probably find me playing bass guitar.
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You can follow me on Twitter @laurenohagan91.