English ex-pat research: request for information

According to ongoing research being carried out by Dr Murray Watson from the University of Dundee and Professor Marilyn Barber from Carleton University changes in communications technology are transforming relationships between ex-pat English immigrants and the families they left behind on the other side of the Atlantic. The two researchers carried out an extensive programme of oral history interviews between 2005 and 2008. They found that the introduction of low-cost jet travel, cheap telephone calls and the arrival of the internet has radically changed how families stayed in touch and got together - all things that earlier immigrants could not have contemplated. Since conducting the oral history interviews technology has moved forward again, with the widespread use of video conferencing like Skype and iChat along with an explosion in the use of social networking like Facebook.

To ensure this research is bang up to date Murray would welcome hearing from English-born immigrants who use these new technologies to communicate with their friends and family, along with any comments they might have. If you can help Murray please email him at m.y.watson@dundee.ac.uk