The CSJR is interested in pursuing collaborations with civil society organisations who are engaged in struggles for social justice and social change.
Inquest X University of Westminster Collaboration
Since January 2023, a collaboration between INQUEST and the Centre for Social Justice Research has given undergraduate students at the University of Westminster an opportunity to undertake a work-based learning project with one of the UK’s leading legal justice charities. Established in 1981, INQUEST is the only organisation in England and Wales that provides expertise on state related deaths and their investigation to bereaved people, lawyers, advice and support agencies, the media, and parliamentarians. They have supported families and friends whose loved ones have died in circumstances where issues of state violence, neglect, and state and corporate responsibility are in question, always fighting for truth, justice, and accountability. Throughout the semester, Westminster students from across the School of Social Sciences were able to learn from and promote INQUEST’s vital work, gaining skills and experiences that will help them in life beyond university.
INQUEST: Unlocking the Truth for 40 Years
The collaboration was set up to support a yearlong lottery heritage-funded project documenting INQUEST’s 40-year history. This included the preservation of the charity’s material archive at the Bishopsgate Institute, a cultural venue in the City of London whose special collections focus on documenting the lives of those who have campaigned for social, political, and cultural change. It also included the recording of a series of oral history interviews with INQUEST’s founders, bereaved families, affiliated lawyers, journalists and activists, and a public exhibition at Brixton’s 198 Gallery in May 2023.
During the course of the project, students had the opportunity to visit INQUEST's offices and learn about the vital work of the charity, from casework to policy and parliamentary work, campaigning and media to supporting and empowering families. Westminster students also received a guided tour of the Bishopsgate Institute from the special collections archivist, Stef Dickers, and later helped catalogue some of material INQUEST deposited in the archive. Students also benefitted from a workshop with the life-long campaigner, Lee Lawrence, who’s award-winning book, The Louder I Will Sing, details his thirty-five year fight for justice and accountability after his mother, Cherry Groce, was shot by an officer of the Metropolitan Police in 1985. In support of the INQUEST project, students received training in oral history methods from the organisation On the Record, learning to use the transcript coding software Nvivo in preparation for a three-part podcast series about Inquest’s history.
Over the course of the semester, students also developed their own research projects using the INQUEST archives, which were then presented at a number of events, including the Westminster Applicant Experience Day and the Festival of Social Sciences. The project culminated in a large public event, with students inviting a panel of experienced INQUEST supporters, researchers and campaigners to discuss the role the organisation has played in the fight for truth, justice and accountability.
The project has had a significant impact on the students, who found the collaboration to be ‘illuminating’, ‘rewarding’, ‘motivating’ and a ‘unique experience’. The skills they developed have also improved their confidence and employability, with a number of students continuing to work with INQUEST.
The project has also provided a model of work-based learning through community impact projects that is currently being developed for Level 5 and Level 6 students across the School of Social Sciences. Building on the institutional partnership with INQUEST, from next year students will also have the opportunity to undertake an internship with the criminal justice charity Women in Prison.
We are very grateful to Dr Naomi Oppenheim (INQUEST), Helen Green (University of Westminster), Rosa Schling (On the Record), and the Quentin Hogg Trust for supporting Westminster's collaboration with INQUEST.