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UCL Department of Geography

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Nikki Tanu

Research Title

Fixed line telephony and the changing geographical and social structure of the UK, 1869-1985


More About Nikki

Academic Background

  • 2020 – Present: MPhil Human Geography (ESRC Funded), University College London
  • 2017 – 2020: BA Geography with Quantitative Methods, University College London

Research Interests

The main aim of this PhD is to investigate the temporal and spatial patterns of residential mobility and migration and thereby using this as a measure of social mobility in Britain. It plans to do so by extracting and digitising data from telephone directory archives held by the industry partner, British Telecommunications.

 Because telephone directories hold a wealth of information as to where residential and commercial subscribers had been located over the course of historical time, it can reveal insights into the historical geographies of the UK that would not be found elsewhere. This research is also envisioned to supplement existing research at the UCL Consumer Data Research Centre (CDRC) in the residential geographies of populations in the UK through the analysis of Anglo-Saxon surnames.