“Praising what is lost makes the remembrance dear”

Founding the Humanities Research Centre

I spoke to Emeritus Professor John Local in the Department of Language and Linguistic Science about working with Jane in the foundational years of the HRC. John worked closely with Jane in the late 2000s and he told me about the history and motivation behind creating an iconic new space on the University of York campus. 

The centre was first floated by senior academics and taken up by Professor Felicity Riddy, a Heslington Circle member and previous Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University from 2002-2007. The plan was to create a signature building for the Arts and Humanities, to equal the existing buildings for STEM subjects. The new independent space would recognise the Arts and Humanities, fostering a sense of value within the larger context of the University. 

The Humanities Research Centre became Jane’s vision and she was full of fresh and original ideas on how to make it happen. She wanted to construct a dynamic space for academics and post-graduates from across the humanities, to collaborate through research and in conferences.  The building would not have closed and self-contained offices, but take on a “tree-house” design to encourage unexpected interactions and ideas. Both John and Jane worked closely with the architects to give life to their ideas. John described Jane as extremely hands-on, with her passion for the project and involvement continuing after she received a terminal diagnosis. She created the kind of environment that postgraduates want to work in and scholars love to visit. Part of Jane’s legacy continues within this building and as John beautifully described, “every aspect of her [Jane’s] personality informed the building and the activities going on inside.”  

‘Democracy needs the humanities.' - Martha Nussbaum.

[One of Jane’s favourite quotes, and used around the HRC, with Nussbaum’s blessing].

The Jane Moody Scholarships

Friends, colleagues and family came together in Jane’s memory to set up the Jane Moody Scholarship. The scholarship continued Jane’s passion for interdisciplinary work in the HRC by enabling the scholars to discuss their ideas with people from different backgrounds. The basic remit was to create a project accessible to all - essentially bridging the gap between academia and the wider community by communicating their research in ‘plain English.’

In 2020-21, the following projects were explored:

• Joanne Harris collaborated with Leeds Local & Family History Library and Leeds Museums & Galleries to design and run five public workshops with the library’s local history collection. These workshops rediscovered the Burmantofts and Sheepscar neighbourhoods, which were demolished in the slum clearance of the 1950-60s. 
  

• Rachel Feldberg worked in close collaboration with the Rowntree Society and the Borthwick Institute for Archives, to create a series of innovative, digital performances, inspired by real-life interviews with ordinary people in post-war Britain. You can watch a selection of her work here. 
  

• Janet Remmington shone a public spotlight on the acclaimed, now largely forgotten, British-South African writer Noni Jabavu (1919-2008). The project brought to life part of York’s little-known black history, while exploring questions of identity and belonging in a life (and world) on the move.
  

Janet shared the impact of the scholarship and the importance of this opportunity to focus on a different kind of research:

“The scholarship, for which I am enormously thankful, enabled me to focus on little-known dimensions of Noni Jabavu’s life and work with special relevance for public engagement in the York context and well beyond … the project has demonstrated to me the virtuous circle around research, collaboration, and public engagement in surfacing knowledge, exchanging ideas and insights between communities, enabling new lines of inquiry, enriching partnership and communication skills, and curating resources for use far and wide.”

The scholarship is awarded at a precarious time in a young academic’s career, near the end of a PhD when their future is unstable. It offers a unique and important opportunity for a PhD student to do something different with their research. It is crucial for further advancement.

You can support this scholarship, and continue Jane’s legacy in helping young York academics to share their research and engage with the community.  

Follow the link to support Jane’s memory and future scholars today: 

These projects have already enriched the local Yorkshire community with new histories and stories. Despite the scholarship holders only being funded for a few weeks to research their themes. The Jane Moody Scholarship could be expanded to provide funding for a year-long project.