So, Who is Nelson Mandela? Reading Race, Collecting Cultures - The Roving Reader Files

The Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Race Relations Resource Centre is an open access University of Manchester facility. The blog 'Reading Race, Collecting Cultures' (www.aiucentre.wordpress.com) features on its website (http://www.racearchive.manchester.ac.uk). The Roving Reader Files category of blog posts is produced by Alison Newby (under the pseudonym The Roving Reader) in collaboration with Hannah Niblett (Collections Access Officer). The former provides the text and the latter provides the images. The Roving Reader Files are designed as public engagement materials. The intention is to introduce research skills and terminology to the general user/reader in an entertaining yet informative manner by revealing hidden stories, making unusual connections and sharing insights into using the Centre's collection for research. The post "So, Who is Nelson Mandela?" appeared after the death of Nelson Mandela. It explored how published memoirs and autobiographies are produced; whether the information they contain represents 'the truth' in terms of historical record; and the varying publication formats that autobiographical material can generate (including film).