Hope Sara Bachmann

Hope Sara Bachmann

Profile

Prior to moving to Leeds, I completed a foundation in Art and Design at Herefordshire Art College, a BA in Creative Writing and Philosophy at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, followed by an Integrated Masters in Philosophy at the same institution supervised by Professor David Cockburn.

Following this, I worked a variety of jobs including volunteer work at The Wallich on their Shoreline project, and as a support worker in a homeless shelter called The Huggard. I now work at the University of Leeds as a Postgraduate Researcher in collaboration with Opera North funded by WRoCAH on a CDA scholarship.

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/hopesarabachmann

Research interests

Postgraduate research

My research project looks at how arts engagement facilitates solidarity with people who have refugee and asylum seeker experiences. There is a body of literature in the political theory domain that discusses solidarity, but little to none of it reflects or works directly with arts organisation to analyse or critique what is going on in practice. My project is a collaborative doctoral award with Opera North, meaning that although I am an independent researcher, Opera North have agreed to collaborate with me in curating knowledge for this thesis. In 2019, Opera North were awarded Theatre of Sanctuary status in recognition of the work they have done in engaging with people who have refugee and asylum seeker experiences. Working with this organisation, my research project looks to compare and critique the practices of Opera North with the literature of political theory, and to see what the two worlds can learn from one another.

For those interested, you can find a growing feed of charities and organisations relating to my research here.

My research interests are:

  • Arts engagement
  • Arts based practices
  • Analytic philosophy
  • Community engagement
  • Solidarity
  • Feminist Critical Theory
  • Virtue Ethics
  • Applied Ethics

Funded by the AHRC through the White Rose College of the Arts & Humanities (WRoCAH).

Other work

Arts Together Best Practice Guidelines

I have produced a document for the Leeds based Arts Together Network for arts and community organisations working with people who have refugees and asylum seeker experiences. This was produced following a consultation with numerous arts organisations and charities in Leeds who help shaped the research that went into this piece of work. You can view the completed document here.

Voluntary Action Leeds

At the start of the pandemic local government received funding from central government to help support the emergency pandemic response. Due to a historical relationship between Leeds City Council and Voluntary Action Leeds (VAL), Leeds City Council agreed to award this funding to VAL with loose parameters allowing them to distribute the funding across a network of coordinated Community Care Hubs. These Community Care Hubs were identified across the 36 wards in Leeds, and were designed to be focus points for communities to access the support they needed in the peak of the pandemic. Funded by the Leeds Social Sciences Institute, VAL requested a piece of research to look into what the experiences of Community Care Hubs was in response to this funding and how the different organisations feel about the process of the emergency response. Position applied for and awarded 2021. Report finalised 2022. You can read the completed report here.

Qualifications

  • Foundation in Art & Design
  • BA Creative Writing & Philosophy
  • Integrated Masters Philosophy

Research groups and institutes

  • Centre for Contemporary Political Theory