20 July 2016
Professor Stuart Hall Building, LG01
2-5pm
Open Book was established to support those at the margins of our society in addressing their situations through education. At the heart of the Open Book project is the belief that education is an end in itself and should not just be for an economic imperative. From Art to Philosophy, participants are encouraged to combine their own life experience with what they learn in the classroom, thereby transforming negative past experience into valuable insight and inspiration for positive change.
The Likes of Us came about as a result of Open Book students and staff meeting people in an academic environment and encountering misconceptions about the working classes. The series is intended to give an insight into working class lives through a series of talks and short films, delivered by Neil Bradley in a unique style: (in his own words) ‘part poor stand-up comedy routine and part social history lecture, with topics ranging from family life, industrial relations, and politics to my brushes with famous celebrities’.
This event will feature a short film ‘If I Ran London’, the story of completing the London Marathon to raise funds for the Pat Bryden Open Book Fund. Pat was the first Open Book student and stayed with Goldsmiths’ History department until his death in 2014. The Pat Bryden Open Book Fund was set up to provide funds to alleviate some of the financial concerns that make access to higher education particularly difficult for Open Book students starting out on this wonderful journey of academic discovery.
The film will be followed ‘A Working Class Life in 6 Envelopes’, where audience members will select 6 envelopes that will guide Neil’s talk.
This is an Open Book event in association with the Department of Sociology. All are welcome.
