Database of the archives of UK Non-Governmental Organisations since 1945 (DANGO)

DANGO has been funded by the AHRC Resource Enhancement Scheme. The creation of the database was conducted under the auspices of the Birmingham Centre for Contemporary History, part of the School of History and Cultures, University of Birmingham.

Historians have recognised the growing importance of new social movements and civil society organisations in changing British society and politics. Access to their archives, however, remains haphazard, with only a relatively small number of NGO materials held in public institutions. Prior to DANGO, no research tool existed specifically to assist the growing number of researchers examining questions relating to NGOs: the searchable database provides information on the institution's history, the condition and accessibility of its archives, as well as its catalogue and organisation.

Since 1945 Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and new social movements have proliferated in Britain. Over 5,000 are today affiliated to the National Council of Voluntary Organisations. Some NGOs have deposited material with archives (e.g., Christian Aid at SOAS, the Runnymede Trust at Middlesex University) which makes them traceable via the National Register of Archives, but the overwhelming majority of NGO archival holdings remain in the private possession of the organisation and in varying conditions of maintenance. There is no research tool that can be consulted to locate these sources, without very extensive and lengthy searches or with difficult negotiations with busy NGO staff who have other priorities than those of providing access to rudimentary archives.

This project makes these resources known to historians, facilitating further study and enabling a better assessment to be made of the contributions of NGOs to public life. It is precisely these bodies which expanded enormously over the last fifty years and which, unlike older socio-political movements which have already been examined by historians, are only just beginning to be aware of their value to historians. Whilst commentators recognise the tremendous importance of NGOs in redefining notions of political engagement, historians are realising that political history cannot be understood simply in reference to established political parties and that social history in the contemporary period cannot be examined solely with reference to the classic institutions of, typically, the labour movement. NGOs have raised new political agendas, transformed and revived associational life, re-politicised generations seemingly disillusioned with the politics of the ballot box and inspired numerous pieces of legislation and regulatory initiatives. The importance of these institutions has been asserted though rarely proven, primarily due to a lack of archival source materials. This project will enable a new era in public policy research by identifying the location and nature of these NGO holdings. Using the world wide web, it will give scholars an immediate idea about the scope of the material and terms of access and facilitate further research into a rapidly expanding subject. A rudimentary survey of scholarly articles dealing with NGOs and new social movements discovered just 38 essays published in the period 1985-89; from 1995-99 this increased to 318 and a further 400 published subsequently. The devotion of significqnt resources by the ESRC acknowledges the importance of NGOs, but the money is directed towards producing 'applications' to public action (relating to poverty reduction, social exclusion and transformation) rather than the establishment of resources for further academic study. The subject is attracting historians concerned with new social movements (human rights, the environment, peace) in the 1960s (Marwick, The 1960s, 1998), as well as new forms of political engagement (Eley, Forging Democracy, 2003). Histories of a few specific NGOs have been undertaken (Hilton, Consumerism, 2003; Buchanan, 'Amnesty . . .', TCBH, 2004), whilst the Nuffield Foundation have supported an oral history examination of NGO workers (Curtis & Sanderson, Unsung Sixties, 2004). Clearly, the history of NGOs is seen as an emerging and extremely important means of examining contemporary history, yet no systematic study of their history has as yet been possible.

DANGO will help foster a new type of history, one which is of increasing interest to academics and stakeholder groups across the public policy spectrum. It draws upon forms of social and political engagement existing in the understudied arena between that of formal party politics and mass social movements. It examines directly the institutional bases of contemporary civil society which have increasingly come to the fore in public policy networks, be it on questions of human rights, women's rights, civil rights, environmentalism, the peace movement or action of global poverty. It will address new forms of civic engagement which have become of increasing interest to new generations of students, as well as new currents of political thought. Furthermore, it speaks directly to the priorities set out by the University of Birmingham's focus on Citizenship and Governance in its recent thematic priorities.

If you would like to receive further information, please e-mail dango@contacts.bham.ac.uk

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