About us (A-dro dhyn)
The Institute of Cornish Studies: Exploring Cornwall’s Past, Present, and Future.
The Institute of Cornish Studies is the home of academic research in and about Cornwall. We want to understand better the histories that define Cornwall, how society functions now and the futures we can move towards.
We are a team, bringing a wide range of different strengths. We range from political theorists, social statisticians, right through to linguists, historians, ethnomusicologists, anthropologists, and literary scholars. We warmly welcome all who want to get involved in our community, whether you are a researcher, or someone interested in reading other research. We have an annual independent scholars conference, a regular programme of events and seminars, and share our news in a regular newsletter (Subscribe to our newsletter here).
Our research is split into five themes. Culture and Heritage; Cornish Democracy; The Social and Economic Research Unit; The Cornish Diaspora; and Cornish Language and Dialect. Here we share a selection of research by our core team, and our wider community. Whether you are a member of the public, work in local or national government, have business interests in Cornwall, or work in the charity/voluntary sector, we hope that you can find something that is of interest to you.
About the Institute of Cornish Studies
The ICS was officially launched in 1971 as a unique collaborative venture between the then Cornwall County Council and the University of Exeter. The first director of the Institute, Charles Thomas, defined its field as:
‘The study of all aspects of man and his handiwork in the regional setting (Cornwall and Scilly), past, present and future. The development of society, industry and the landscape in our fast-changing world is as much of concern … as the history of those vast topics in the recent and remote past.’
This led to a series of projects covering such subjects as archaeology, botany, oral history and place names. Its leadership changed again in 1991 with Philip Payton, a political scientist and historian, developing an interdisciplinary New Cornish Studies. This included a specific focus on modern Cornwall since the eighteenth century and a consideration of topics like migration, tourism and ethnic identity. The subsequent involvement of new members of staff from 1997 onwards, notably Amy Hale, Garry Tregidga and Bernard Deacon, led to an emphasis on New Celtic Studies, oral history and quantitative research respectively.
Check out the Cornish Studies Series or the seminal 1993 book, Cornwall Since the War to read the research that the ICS was conducting at that time. Do also look through the associated Cornish Story outreach programme and keep an eye open for a programme of lectures, seminars and workshops throughout the year, as well as our annual conference.
Now led by co-directors Garry Tregidga and Joanie Willett, the ICS is a lively, international community of academic and independent researchers, supporters, and interested parties. We embrace the breadth of research about Cornwall from all academic disciplines, as we seek to understand who we are, in order to decide where we want to be headed in the future.
Our research focusses on Cornwall, and on our global connections. Cornish people have taken their skills all over the world, providing us with links to places such as the USA, Mexico, Latin America, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand. Our international trade goes back as far as the Bronze Age, and our heritage and traditions provide us with connections to neighbouring regions, particularly our Celtic cousins in Wales, Brittany, and Ireland. Moreover, the public nature and depth of our identity provides us with points of resonance with many other parts of Europe in particular, other rural and ‘peripheral’ areas, which are also calling for stronger representation in an often metropolitan-dominated policy environment.
We hope that you find much to interest you within the Institute of Cornish Studies, and we look forward to you joining us on our journey, exploring the many facets of the Cornwall that we know and love.
Garry and Joanie