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2nd Annual UCC Futures - Collective Social Futures Festival of Social Science
On 25-26 November Collective Social Futures hosted the second Festival of Social Science, including an evening of music and the spoken word, followed by a full-day symposium showcasing social science research. Highlights included a keynote presentation from Professor Linda Connolly (Maynooth University) and wonderful performances at the Shtepps (pictured).
Warm Welcome to the Festival
The festival opened with words of welcome from UCC President Professor John O’Halloran (picture below) and Professor John Cryan, Vice-President for Research and Innovation. Professor Maggie O’Neill (Director of Collective Social Futures and ISS21) also welcomed guests, artists, and community partners for a celebratory evening of socially engaged music, theatre, and spoken word.
Mary Crilly, founding member and CEO of the Sexual Violence Centre Cork, UCC MA Women’s Studies graduate and UCC Honorary Doctor of Law recipient, addressed the opening of the festival. Mary shared insights into the work of the SVCC to mark the start of ‘16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence’, a key international moment to call for an end to violence against women and girls (VAWG).
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Evening of Music and Performance
The evening at The Shtepps celebrated local artists, musicians and poets demonstrating how social science research can collaborate with the arts to conduct, connect, and communicate research on key local and global challenges. Artists who performed were:
- Rosie McCarthy – Traveller, Singer, Actor, Student
- Anton Floyd - Poet
- Fiona Leigh – Singer, actor, writer, and MA Women’s Studies graduate
- Citadel – A group of musicians formed in the Kinsale Road Accommodation centre in 2018.
- A forum theatre taster by MTU's Creativity and Change, and Sarah Robinson, UCC School of Applied Psychology.
Details on participating artists availabe here
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CSF Social Science Symposium
Social Science Matters: Innovation, Co-Production and Transformation
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On November 26, a full day symposium was held in the Aula Maxima with oral and poster presentations and panel discussions. The event was opened by Professor Cathal O’Connell, Acting Head of CACSSS, Dr James Kapalo, Vice Head of College – Research (pictured) and Professor Maggie O'Neill, Director of Collective Social Futures.
During the day, five panel discussions took place with speakers from across the university sharing their social science scholarship and engaging in thought-provoking discussions relating to panel themes, which included: Innovation, New Materialisms and Social Pathologies; Climate Justice, the ‘Polycrisis’ and Innovative Methods; Re-imagining and Enacting Socially Engaged Research; Employment Transformations; and Populism and the Rise of Far-right.
A full list of symposium abstracts is available at the following link: Festival of Social Science
Keynote Presentation
The well attended keynote address Undeservedly Forgotten: Gender-based violence, impunity, documents, and testimony was delivered by Professor Linda Connolly, Professor of Sociology and Director, Maynooth University Social Sciences Institute, and the first Director of ISS21. Professor Connolly's paper explored the treatment and abuse of women in the context of wartime violence, focusing on the misogynistic practice of head shaving in the latter stage of the Irish revolution (1919-23) and in post-World War II Europe. She argued that silence, fear and impunity too often prevailed over justice for crimes perpetrated against women. The retelling and recovery of their stories is a reminder to contemporary societies of the continued importance of tackling the root causes of gender-based and sexual violence that has impacted the lives of millions of girls and women globally, including in warfare. The session was chaired by Dr John Borgonovo, University Historian, School of History (pictured below with Professor Linda Connolly and Professor Maggie O'Neill).
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In her closing address, Prof O’Neill thanked contributors to the symposium and invited further collaboration:
We encourage all researchers and students passionate about the social sciences to engage with Collective Social Futures at UCC. Our platform fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and innovative research, providing opportunities to contribute to meaningful societal change.
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For more on this story contact:
Dr Margaret Scanlon (m.scanlon@ucc.ie)