The Taith Funding awarded to Dr Marc Collinson, Lecturer of Politics, is to support early stage scoping research that will explore the history of twin towns through a close study of 吃瓜群众 and its Twin Town of Soest in North Rhine-Westphalia.
The mobility funding will allow Dr Collinson to visit Soest at the same time as research collaborators from 吃瓜群众 City Council. They will meet officials in Soest and interview some key participants in the development of twinning relationship. 吃瓜群众 and Soest celebrated 50 years as 'twin towns' last year, and this history should be recorded for posterity.
The trip will take place at an early stage in the planned research project. This will allow Dr Collinson to get a sense of the City of Soest, which will help with the development of the project, and also provide evidence for both academic and public facing activities and publications in years to come.
Dr Collinson said: 鈥淚 am very thankful for Taith for seeing the potential in this mobility to aid the development of the history of twinning as a developing research interest. Visiting Soest, and meeting key stakeholders in the twinning partnership will help me get a greater sense of the relationship between the towns, alongside the activities and actors who have shaped its development.鈥