Dr Amy Edwards
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somsproject.bsky.social
Dr Amy Edwards
@somsproject.bsky.social
Historian at Uni of Bristol interested in cultures of capitalism, business, and finance.

PI on AHRC project: ‘The Secret of My Success’: Women and Self-Employment 1970-2000.

Book: https://www.ucpress.edu/books/are-we-rich-yet/hardcover
Fantastic impact event this week, it was inspiring to hear about the challenges and work journeys of women who have re-entered the workforce. Thank you to @aleenadin and our partners @womensworklab @BristolWIBC for helping to bring voices from across #Bristol together
November 7, 2025 at 12:12 PM
The oral history extracts from the SOMS project, make for interesting listening, the quiet determination, juggling of commitments, and often overlooked skills that helped women in the 80's -00's build their own businesses

#UoBresearch
#genderandwork
#UoBlibrary
September 29, 2025 at 10:37 AM
Fascinating visit to the @britishlibrary #archives last week, looking through direct sales articles and adverts from newspapers in the 1970s and 1980s.

#directsalesvintageadverts
#archivalresearch
#uobresearch
#bristisharchives
#womensworkstories
#soms
#vintagepress
September 16, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Filming started this week for the SOMS documentary.

Participants kindly invited us and @blackbarkfilms into their homes to talk about their experiences and inspirational stories of being self-employed women in the 1980s, 90s and 00's.

➡️More updates to follow

#womensworkstories
#genderandwork
September 12, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Reposted by Dr Amy Edwards
Recording a podcast today with Angela de Souza (Women's Business Club) & @somsproject.bsky.social on disabled women's working lives. I'll be talking about how 'work' spanned paid and unpaid, informal and formal, & included radical commitments to rest & recovery we could learn a lot from today.
August 20, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Many thanks to @wombizclub.bsky.social for hosting Dr Amy Edwards new podcast series ➡️ 'From Side Hustles to Empires'

The podcast features conversations with expert historians exploring the relationship between gender, work and career in the nineteenth century.

➡️ podcast link in bio

#UoB
E0 Intro From Side Hustles to Empires - Histories of Women’s Working Lives
YouTube video by Women's Business Club
m.youtube.com
September 4, 2025 at 11:51 AM
➡️LAUNCH WEEK!!
We launched the first SOMS newsletter this week!
Send us your email address if you would like to sign up to future editions (every few months) and keep up to date with all the SOMS project activities.

#uobprojectresearch
#uobresearch
#AHRCfundedproject
#UoBprojectnewsletter
August 15, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Had a great time at the World Economic History Congress #WEHC in Lund, presenting some research on business franchising, economic precarity, and the aspirations of franchisees.
Great discussions and lots to think about!
#JamesTaylor
#AlexiaYates
#CharlotteNilsso
#Orsihusz
#DavidLarssonHeidenblad
August 1, 2025 at 8:41 AM
Filming has started! We are excited to announce that the mini documentary for the #SOMS project is now underway, with the filming of some oral history participants, talking about their experiences of being self-employed, with the super talented #blackbarkfilms

#womenandfilm
#selfemploymentwomen
July 29, 2025 at 9:20 AM
➡️ Some participant feedback from our workshop last week. A great opportunity to get thoughts on subjects such as 'business and social good' and 'gender, work and enterprise' from such an interdisciplinary group.
#uobresearch
#genderinequalities
#entrepreneurialism
#inclusiveeconomy
#somsproject
July 18, 2025 at 9:25 AM
Workshop time! Looking forward to the next few days of talks, discussions, new ideas and connections...

#uobresearch
#uobworkshop
#ahrc
#ahrcfundedproject
#artsmatter
#somsproject
July 7, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Thank you to the @thebfa.bsky.social for inviting me to this years EWIB (empowering women in business) event. Great to meet so many new BFA contacts and looking forward to potential collaborations, and learning more about the history of franchises.
#historyoffranchises
#businesshistory
#somsproject
June 19, 2025 at 11:03 AM
Amy is attending the annual EWIB day today (Empowering Women in Business), a great chance to speak and make new connections with women involved in business and their own franchises from pre 2000 up until the present day.

#womenownedbusinessً
#uobresearch
#SOMSproject
June 18, 2025 at 8:31 AM
Reposted by Dr Amy Edwards
📻 Dr Amy Edwards (@uobrishistory.bsky.social) joins David Dimbleby on BBC Radio 4 #InvisibleHands to discuss the use of advertising to promote Margaret Thatcher's BT privatisation campaign in the 1980s

Listen to the full programme 👉 bit.ly/4dYngsF

@somsproject.bsky.social
June 11, 2025 at 11:16 AM
Big thank you to @purposefestbristol and @belmont.estate for hosting a inspirational summer event last week. Wonderful to meet some #bristol #bcorps and hear about some of good work and iniatives happening out there!

#bcorp
#businessforgood
#alternativebusinessstructures
June 10, 2025 at 11:03 AM
Great planning meeting with @blackbark.bsky.social films this morning. SOMS documentary shooting starts in July - exciting!

#uobresearch
#selfemployedwomen
#researchdocumentary
#womenandfilm
#womeninfilm
#womenmakingfilm
#womenbehindthecamera
#womeninbusiness
June 6, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Beautiful Japan, refreshed and excited to be back after an inspiring trip.

#travel #inspiration #culture
June 2, 2025 at 11:47 AM
After a interesting podcast? Dr Amy Edwards recently featured on #bbcradio4 the #TheHistoryPodcast.

➡️Episode 3
➡️'Selling The Silver'
➡️Context is from 21 minutes

#uobresearch
May 23, 2025 at 9:36 AM
Archives! Fascinating #Avon archival material from the 1970s. A fantastic addition to the #SOMS research project.

@hagleycenter.bsky.social
@uobrishistory.bsky.social
@uobartsmatter.bsky.social
#SOMSproject
@ukri.org
#uobresearch
#archives
May 16, 2025 at 10:36 AM
Read the new blog post by Amy Edwards reflecting on the SOMS project that explores women and self-employment and on working with policy makers.

➡️https://historiansatbristol.blogs.bristol.ac.uk/

@uobrishistory.bsky.social
@policybristol.bsky.social

➡️image courtesy of Hagley Museum and Library
May 12, 2025 at 9:19 AM
Inspiring 5 Year Impact Event yesterday hosted by @WIBcharter. Fantastic opportunity to make new connections within the Bristol women's business network. #inclusiveeconomy #SOMSproject
April 29, 2025 at 11:14 AM
Hello, welcome to The Secret of My Success (SOMS) project.

An AHRC-funded project led by Dr Amy Edwards.

We look forward to connecting and keeping you up to date on our activities:

➡️documentary film
➡️workshops
➡️podcasts
➡️conferences

#univerisityofBristol
#AHRC
#Womeninselfemployment
April 25, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Reposted by Dr Amy Edwards
Triple book launch for myself, @drsarahlkenny.bsky.social, and @hannahcharnock.bsky.social! Thanks to @lauratisdall.bsky.social for chairing.

Please do join if you're interested in social and cultural approaches to young people's lives and leisure spaces.

12 June, 12-1, tinyurl.com/mryazrew
April 2, 2025 at 8:33 AM
Reposted by Dr Amy Edwards
Don't forget, our call for written submissions on #homebasedworking is still open!

🕰️ You have until 10am on 25 April to send us your views.

Take part here: committees.parliament.uk/committee/77...
Share your views with @hlhomeworking.parliament.uk by 25 April.

Since the pandemic, working from home has become significantly more common. The committee is considering the challenges and opportunities, including the impact on productivity, the economy and society.
April 9, 2025 at 10:26 AM
Reposted by Dr Amy Edwards
Our hearings on female entrepreneurship begin on 2 April at 2.20pm, where we'll discuss:

👉 the barriers women starting or growing businesses face
👉 the sectors in which these barriers are greatest
👉 how they can be overcome.

We'll hear from business experts and academics👇
March 31, 2025 at 10:31 AM