Founded in 2000, the British Association for Victorian Studies (BAVS) is a multidisciplinary organisation dedicated to the advancement and dissemination of knowledge about the Victorian period. The association has over 600 members based in the United Kingdom and beyond, drawn both from the academic community and the general public.

Members of the association pursue a wide range of interests in the nineteenth century, including art history, cultural studies, history, literary studies, performance studies, and the history of science. This breadth of focus reflects the interdisciplinary spirit that has characterised BAVS since its foundation.

The Annual Conference

Each year, the BAVS Annual Conference brings together scholars from a range of disciplines to discuss key issues in Victorian studies. The 2016 conference, titled "Consuming (the) Victorians," was hosted by Cardiff University from 31st August to 2nd September under the theme of Victorian consumer cultures.

The event attracted over 330 academics, postgraduate research students, and early career researchers from across the globe. Plenary lectures were delivered by Patricia Duncker (University of Manchester) on George Eliot and the neo-Victorian imagination, Christina Bashford (University of Illinois) on the late-Victorian "violin craze," and Frank Trentmann (Birkbeck College) on the global aspects of Victorian consumer culture.

The three days were organised into a series of open and themed panel sessions, supplemented by workshops on illustration and editing. A concluding "President's Panel" of pre-eminent speakers drawn from the conference reflected on the themes explored throughout the event.

Supporting Victorian Studies

Beyond the annual conference, BAVS supports a diverse range of events funded through its grants programme. The association provides opportunities for members at any career stage to undertake research or organise scholarly activities related to the Victorian period. A full account of the 2016 conference and its highlights is available in the conference reflections article.

A diverse range of other events supported by BAVS funding can be found on the BAVS events page.