The #ECREA2022 conference had the “rethink impact” theme.
Our adviser Dr Maria Tomlinson was present and shared her reflections after attending the Gary Younge keynote, which in particular stood out.
Maria Tomlinson’s reflections
“For me, the highlight of the ECREA conference was the keynote speech by the incredible Gary Younge who is a journalist and a professor at the University of Manchester.
It was interesting to learn about impact from the perspective of a journalist who had entered academia. He talked about how little control we have over the impact of our work and how we can never be sure who we are impacting.
He gave an example of an author who had written briefly about a little-known aspect of Danish history: the migration and adoption of mixed-race black children from Germany whose parents were American soldiers and local women.
As a result, Gary Younge is now investigating this forgotten piece of history. By sharing this with participants at ECREA, and writing up his findings in a book, he too will have an important impact on our understanding of European history, migration, and the experience of adopted children.
I look forward to reading his forthcoming publications!”