The post-1945 decades in Britain were a period of technological innovation and expansion, with new energy, communication and leisure infrastructure having far-reaching social, economic, political and cultural effects. These changes are associated with the modernisation of urban life, but the necessary infrastructure was often situated in rural environments. This conference will consider how twentieth-century rural landscapes became modern or modernist, what this meant for how the countryside and rural life was understood and experienced, and how these developments generated a new suite of rustic ideals and imagery. Did the modernisation of the British countryside generate new conceptions of rural heritage and new forms of regional identity? Do conceptions of the rural modern challenge established narratives of post-war change?
Thu 1 Aug 2019 09:00 to Fri 2 Aug 2019 17:00
Northumbria University, 2 Ellison Place, Newcastle, NE1 8ST