Sociology and Welsh Baccalaureate Research Skills Session

The aim of this article is to construct the history of the irrigation system in the Lower Chubut Valley created by the Welsh settlers that arrived in Patagonia (Argentina) in 1865, which complicated the relationship that existed between this infrastructure and the ever-changing sociopolitical framework. This will involve focusing on the institutions that the Welsh settlers themselves established and the conflicts that arose between them and the Argentine state, which took over the administration of irrigation in 1943. Emphasis will be given to the agency of water within the process that led to reinforcing and growing the irrigation infrastructure, and attention will also be given to the symbolic dimension of the objects that constitute this infrastructure, thereby enabling a reflection on their changing meanings. Author: Fernando Williams

The aim of this article is to analyse the different readings available regarding the history of the Welsh settlement within official narratives of the past in Chubut Province, Argentina. This not only includes the products of the provincial state, but also those of other actors in Chubut society, including the Welsh community itself. In order to do this, the analysis will focus on interpretations produced over three periods: firstly, between the 1930s and 1955, when Chubut was a national territory; secondly, a portion of the first years of the existence of Chubut Province between 1958 and 1975; and finally, between the 1980s and the present, with particular attention given to the celebrations of the hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the landing of the first settlers in 2015. The changes observed between different historical narratives, as well as the elements of continuity between them, are also considered. Throughout these three periods, it is shown that official narratives of Chubut’s past have placed the history of Welsh colonization as a cornerstone for the establishment of the province, giving it a hegemonic role. Author: Guillermo Williams

The Edward Lhuyd Annual Lecture of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol and the Learned Society of Wales 2024 was delivered by Professor Paul O'Leary at the National Library, Aberystwyth, on 27 November 2024. Why do leading politicians refer to history so often? And what kind of history appeals to them? This lecture shows that politicians mold history for the purposes of the present and weave mythologies in order to legitimize their views today. The intention of the lecture is to examine these mythologies in an attempt to show how they affect our political culture and the discussion of history in the public arena. It is shown how politicians have produced mythologies for devolved Wales in an attempt to create a version of the past that suits the new way of governing the country - a new parliament, a new history. Paul O'Leary is Professor Emeritus at Aberystwyth University and is a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales. He was Sir John Williams Professor of Welsh History at Aberystwyth. Among his books are: Ffrainc a Chymru, 1830–1880: Dehongliadau Ffrengig o Genedl Ddi-wladwriaeth (Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, 2015); Claiming the Streets: Processions and Urban Culture in South Wales, c.1830–1880 (2012); and Immigration and Integration: the Irish in Wales, 1798–1922 (2000). With Beth Jenkins and Stephanie Ward he edited the book Gender in Modern Welsh History: Perspectives on Masculinity and Femininity in Wales from 1750 to 2000 (2023).  

A presentation by Dr Seren Evans on her research into the role of Artificial Intelligence in predicting non-contact leg injuries within Rugby Union, and a recording of a panel discussion on artificial intelligence and its implications, challenges and opportunities for researchers with: Dr Cynog Prys, Senior lecturer, Sociology and Social Policy, Bangor University Dr Seren Evans, Lecturer, Sports Sciences, Bangor University Dr Neil Mac Parthaláin, Senior lecturer, Computer Science, Aberystwyth University Professor Huw Morgan, Physics, Aberystwyth University The event took place in Aberystwyth on 27 June 2024.