About

‘Westwords’ is the website of In Certain Places West Cumbria, a research project at the University of Lancashire, based at the Westlakes campus near Whitehaven. Since 2017 we have been examining the relationship between place and culture, developing expertise in a number of core areas:

• cultural history and policy

• the arts and visual culture

• heritage and cultural memory

• the changing nature of Cumberland and West Cumbria

We produce and create books, articles, reports, workshops, and exhibitions. We also work with communities, arts organisations, artists, local government and other partners, to understand and bring into focus the past, present, and future of Cumberland and West Cumbria.

westwords.org
incertainplaces.org

Researchers

John Scanlan is a research fellow in Place and Culture with In Certain Places, and is based at the University of Lancashire's West Cumbrian campus near Whitehaven. His work involves developing new perspectives on the nature of place and working with a range of local partners in the arts and cultural sectors to promote a sustainable future for the region.

John is also a cultural theorist and historian with an interdisciplinary academic background. He has published many books and articles exploring aspects of experience in modern and postmodern culture, with particular focus on issues such as waste, cultural memory, and the relationship between creativity and place. His work has received national and international recognition, including invited international presentations, television, radio and international media features. He has also worked as a consulting editor for music with Reaktion Books, and has been Series Editor of 'Reverb', a series of books about music and place, since 2010.

Before he joined the University of Lancashire in 2017, he held academic positions at the Universities of Glasgow, St Andrews, Bristol, and Manchester Metropolitan University.

ORCiD Academic profile: orcid.org/0000-0003-2951-7823

Natasha Dawson is a research assistant with In Certain Places and is based at the University of Lancashire's Westlakes campus near Whitehaven, Cumbria.

Natasha graduated from Newcastle University with a BA (Hons) History and Archaeology and an MA in Museum Studies. Her previous research projects have included studying the working-class housing of Whitehaven in the Industrial period and exploring the narratives portrayed by museums and the media during the 2007 bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade.

Natasha's research interests include examining the impact history and heritage have on constructing place and identity and exploring the importance of sense of place to different communities.

Natasha is now undertaking a PhD with the University of Lancashire, exploring how cultural memory is mediated through creative programming, which includes exhibitions and artworks. This project will work with local museums and organisations to build working partnerships and produce creative outputs.

CONTACT DETAILS

In Certain Places
University of Central Lancashire
John Fyfe Building
West Lakes Science and Technology Park
Moor Row
Cumberland
CA24 3JZ