St Cross College is delighted to celebrate the success of Beth Timmins, a DPhil student whose research, supported by the Marcus Harmelin Prize, has been featured in The Conversation.
Beth was awarded the Prize for a project examining how women's experiences of satire, humour and resistance shape relationships to conflict within European Jewish communities. Through archival research and fieldwork in Ukraine, she has explored how artistic and cultural expression can help communities respond to and endure periods of conflict.
Her recent article, The puppet shows bringing storytelling and solace to bomb shelters in Ukraine, highlights how Ukrainian artists and performers are drawing on traditions of puppet theatre and storytelling to provide comfort, resilience and a sense of community during wartime.
Reflecting on the impact of the award, Beth said:
I want to express my sincere gratitude to Rosemary and Anthony Preiskel, the Marcus Harmelin Travel Prize panel and St Cross for awarding this funding. Without it, I would not have been able to pursue this research."
"The fund enabled me to interview Ukrainian artists, performers and audiences who draw on a long tradition of satire and resistance in puppetry. I learned how they are using this powerful form of storytelling to capture the attention of children sheltering from bombs in metro stations, bring historical figures to life, and tell stories with humour, compassion and mutual support.
The project has already opened further opportunities for Beth, including a research residency at the Center for Urban History in Lviv, where she will continue developing her work on cultural heritage, memory and resistance during conflict.
Established through the generosity of alumnus Marcus Harmelin (Modern Languages, 1967), the Marcus Harmelin Prize supports St Cross members undertaking research in Austria, Germany, Poland and Ukraine. Beth's research demonstrates the impact that this support can have in enabling original scholarship, international fieldwork and public engagement.
Read Beth's article in The Conversation: The puppet shows bringing storytelling and solace to bomb shelters in Ukraine.
