Emma Reilly is a designer and daughter to a parent with dementia. This paper looks at the often overlooked design of laundry services in care homes. While typically treated as a back-of-house function focused on hygiene and efficiency, clothing carries memory, identity and comfort for people living with dementia. When garments are lost or mixed up, the impact can be deeply distressing for residents and their families. She explores how laundry systems affect relationships between residents, families and care homes, and considers how design could reimagine this overlooked aspect of care.

I am Busola Badmus, a student at Northumbria University undertaking MRes Art studies. This paper is an analysis of King Adedunjoye’s ceremonial costume used in Seven Doors (2023) by Femi Adebayo. In my study, I will assess how elements like white lace buba and sokoto, atiku waist wrapper, fila hat, and red bead bracelet serve to signify power, legitimacy, and cultural identity. Material Culture Theory has been applied in this paper, especially the approaches used by (Prown, 1982) and (Mida & Kim 2015) where I shall explore how the material parts convey messages concerning Yoruba spiritual authority using white symbolis

This research explores the objectification of gothic horror storytelling in the 2005 Capcom video game Haunting Ground. With visual analysis of still frames from the game that expose the voyeurism of Fiona Belli and what this can tell us about how women are presented in the Gothic. Looking at how unconventional ways of storytelling can expand narrative and innovate “cyberdrama” media.

This talk explores how horror cinema symbolises adolescent female bodily transformation as both monstrous and powerful. Drawing on feminist film theory, it examines how menstruation is framed as abject within the genre. Focusing on John Fawcetta’s Ginger Snaps (2000) and Brian De Palma’s Carrie (1976), it analyses lycanthropy and telekinesis as metaphors for puberty. Rather than presenting female monstrosity solely as patriarchal fear, the talk argues that horror depicts the adolescent female body as a site of transformative power, exposing attempts to control female maturation.

This paper visually analyses early 20th century anti-suffragette media in parallel to 21st century anti-women media from manosphere communities. Utilising critical contexts as well as Jungian psychological theories of contrasexuality to discuss historical successes of women who go against the binary for their cause, as well as case studies examining the harmful repercussions caused by a rejection of contrasexuality for young men and women. Concluding with a call for self-fulfilment and happiness realised outside of a capitalised ideology of traditional gender roles. 

Representation of Heritage and Loss in Postcolonial and Diasporic Literature” examines how postcolonial and diasporic writers, through their texts, mitigate against the dilution, endangerment and erasure of their cultural heritage by strategically representing heritage and loss through resistance and reclamation, while acknowledging the limitations associated with reclamation.

The digital platform era has introduced numerous challenges for news media organisations, undermining their role in enhancing democracy and threatening their very survival. Newspapers have been the most affected by this shift as platform dynamics has reshaped their visibility and audience reach. In response, news publishers, including those in Ghana, have expanded their online presence and are integrating social media into their online practices. However, existing research on the convergence between news media and social media tends to focus mainly on the implications of this shift, leaving limited insight into the specific ways in which news organisations engage in distribution and engagement practices on social media. Besides, much of this scholarship is concentrated in Western contexts and is increasingly outdated. Given the rapidly evolving nature of social media, strategies for its integration into news media practices may not remain constant over time. Accordingly, this study employs content analysis to examine how two of Ghana’s foremost newspapers, the Daily Graphic and the Daily Guide, use Facebook for content dissemination and audience engagement. The study provides a deep understanding of how news organisations in Ghana leverage social media to maintain visibility and relevance in a digital platform era. 

How did eighteenth century communities experience the economic and social ruptures of the Industrial Revolution? While the revolution brought new working opportunities for some, for many established trades it meant reduced wages, a decline of independence and job insecurity. At the sharp end of these changes, the journeymen Framework Knitters of the East Midlands used petitions and petitioning to collectively publicise their grievances against the master hosiers and to appeal directly to Parliament for redress against the ‘frauds and abuses’ of their trade.        

My research looks at how women’s narratives reveal different forms of power during the Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970). Drawing on both literary and historical texts, including works by Flora Nwapa, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Egodi Uchendu, it explores how women’s everyday roles, such as caregiving, trading, and supporting their communities, challenge traditional, male-focused accounts of war. Using Michel Foucault’s idea of power, the study shows that power is not only about politics or the military, but also exists in everyday actions and resilience.

My research focus on women’s leadership beyond electoral politics. Leadership in Nigeria is often associated with formal political office, but women also exercise influence through civil society activism and advocacy organisations. My work focuses on movements such as Bring Back Our Girls, Feminist Coalition, and Women’s Aid Collective, and examines how these actors shape public conversations, demand accountability, and influence democratic processes in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic.