Where Angels Fear to Tread: Academics,Public Engagement and Popular History

Academic researchers are under growing pressure to disseminate their scholarship and demonstrate its impact beyond the academy. In Australia, Europe and the UK, higher education and research councils are taking increasing account of knowledge exchange and public engagement in their allocation of funding. In this issue of Victorians Beyond the Academy, Julie-Marie Strange reviews The Gangs of Manchester by Andrew Davies and the play it inspired, Angels with Manky Faces by MaD Theatre Company. Strange and Davies then discuss the opportunities and challenges involved in working with artists and performers, and reaching readers and audiences, outside the university sector.