Truth, Crime and True Crime

Our 2020 conference was due to take place at Francis Close Hall in Cheltenham, on Tuesday 9th June. Regrettably we have had to postpone it due to the current situation. We hope to arrange an alternative event later in the year, either online or at the university, so please get in touch if you would like to make a presentation or to attend. The day usually includes two keynote speakers, nine short presentations from researchers and opportunities for questions. See below for details of the conference as originally planned.

The 2020 Hidden Narratives conference

The aim of the 2020 conference is to explore ideas around both truth and crime, including wide and unusual interpretations of the phrase ‘true crime’ in diverse subjects such as Natural Sciences, Literary Studies, and Education. There has been an extraordinary explosion of interest in the genre of true crime in TV, film, documentary, podcast, literature, and many other areas of culture and academia. Papers might include, but are not limited to, themes of gender, race, privacy, the meaning of truth, testimony, justice, ethics, pop culture, and interpretation of non-human behaviours.

As always, we are particularly interested in ideas as they relate to narrative and subversion in society. We welcome contributions from across the arts and humanities subjects, and from those working across disciplinary boundaries.

Please get in touch with us if you are interested in giving a fifteen minute presentation this year. Our aim is to create a welcoming and supportive environment for speakers, to encourage those with less experience of presenting.

Refreshments and lunch are included and attendance is free. More details of the programme will be published on our website as they become available, and we welcome participants from other universities.

This is the fourth annual one-day conference organised by postgraduate research students at the University of Gloucestershire in association with the Being Human Research Centre. It is part of an initiative to improve the research environment, explore the human condition, and build interdisciplinary links. The conference is sponsored by the Being Human Research Priority Area at the University of Gloucestershire.

(Image copyright Melanie Clemmey).