The changing identity of Welsh emigrants
Research reveals how the identity of Welsh migrants changed as they adapted to new cultures.
Welsh migrants had a distinctive impact in the countries in which they settled, but their contribution was mostly unacknowledged in many academic or popular histories.
By working towards a meaningful overview of the globality and diversity of Welsh overseas experiences, it is possible to move away from static models of discrete immigrant communities unrealistically fixed in time and place, and replace them with an understanding of how local, regional and continental contexts were interwoven in an unstable, contingent Welsh transnationality.
Professor Jones’s research was key to determining the theme and content of the Wales in America exhibition...which reached audiences across the US and which provided an accurate and visually attractive account of the role played by the Welsh in America...a marked increase in awareness and knowledge of Wales following the exhibition
A changing identity
Research undertaken by Professor William Jones began by examining the Welsh in the USA but has extended to a study of the dynamics of global Welsh migration in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, including case studies of Argentina (Patagonia), Australia, Chile and Mexico.
The research focused on the Welsh press in America and Australia, migrant letters, gender, and the interrelationships between Welsh communities in Australia and Latin America.
In demonstrating how Welsh emigration was an experience that had cultural, demographic, economic and social impact, Jones's research reveals how Welsh identity changed as emigrants adapted to new cultures.
Welsh in North America
There are 2 million people of Welsh descent in North America, many of whom are avid consumers of Welshness, keen to know more of their history.
Influencing understanding
Jones's research has influenced public and professional understanding of the Welsh, specifically in North America, through directing the content of exhibitions, as well as professional practice in the heritage sector, and by engaging directly with a diverse range of audiences and professionals to enhance their understanding of the Welsh diaspora.
As an advisor/collaborator with a range of media companies operating in both the English and Welsh languages, Professor Jones's research has benefited productions across traditional and digital media platforms. His expertise is central to informing modern understandings of Welsh communities overseas and, thus, of the Welsh as a people with global horizons.
