Historical narratives of British South Asian lives
The history of South Asian immigration to Britain is long, rich and varied, not just a post-war phenomenon.
In this Shelfies video, Yasmin Khan discusses three books on South Asian immigration that showcase the range and depth of historical approaches and narratives through which this story can be told.
The featured books are:
Untouchable by Mulk Raj Anand
The White Man’s World by Bill Schwarz
Ayahs, Lascars and Princes by Rozina Visram
Contributor: Dr Yasmin Khan is a historian, writer and University Lecturer in British History in the Department for Continuing Education at the University of Oxford. She is a recipient of a British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship for her project, ‘The Pioneer Generation: Historical Narratives of British South Asian Lives, 1945 - 1968’ (Twitter: @OxfordYasmin).
Shelfies: Historical narratives of British South Asian Lives
Image: Front cover of Untouchable by Mulk Raj Anand (Penguin Classics, 2001) © Penguin Books Ltd.
Graphic novels for uncertain times
Graphic novels can engagingly articulate complex stories and issues, deftly weaving together artistic and literary techniques to create gripping and informing narratives.
In this Shelfies video, Dominic Davies discusses defining works by Guy Delisle and Richard McGuire that have inspired him as well as how their imaginative arrangements of space and time can help us to make sense of crises and uncertainty in modern times.
The featured books are:
Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City by Guy Delisle
Hostage by Guy Delisle
Here by Richard McGuire
Contributor: Dr Dominic Davies, Senior Lecturer in English, City, University of London. He is the recipient of a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship for his project, ‘Drawing the South African City: Mapping Urban Infrastructures in the Graphic Novel Form’. He is most recently the co-editor of a volume of essays, 'Documenting Trauma in Comics' (Twitter: @DrDomDavies).
Shelfies: Graphic novels for uncertain times
Image: Front cover of 'Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City' by Guy Delisle (Jonathan Cape, 2012) © Guy Delisle / Penguin Books Ltd.
Introducing Mary Midgley and what is philosophy for?
During the Second World War, the remarkable philosopher Mary Midgley graduated from Oxford University alongside distinguished contemporaries Elizabeth Anscombe, Phillipa Foot, Iris Murdoch, and Mary Warnock – a period described as ‘The Golden Age of Female Philosophy’.
In this Shelfies video, Clare Mac Cumhaill and Rachael Wiseman celebrate Mary Midgley’s intellectual legacy and highlight two books that can help us to navigate new and difficult topics, stressing the value of collaborative philosophical reasoning and thinking.
The featured books are:
What is Philosophy for? by Mary Midgley
The Owl of Minerva: A Memoir by Mary Midgley
Contributors:
Dr Clare Mac Cumhaill is Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Durham University. She received a British Academy Rising Star Engagement Award for her project ‘Mapping the Quartet: The Living Legacy of a Female Philosophical School’. Dr Rachael Wiseman is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Liverpool. Together, they received a BA / Leverhulme Small Research Grant for their project ‘In Parenthesis’ (Twitter: @parenthesis_in).
Worksheets and activities on Mary Midgley's philosophy for children and teenagers (ages 6+), with accompanying notes for teachers and educators, are available via the Notes from a Biscuit Tin website.
Shelfies: Introducing Mary Midgley and what is philosophy for?
Image: Front cover of What is philosophy for? by Mary Midgley (Bloomsbury Academic, 2018) © Irene Martinez-Costa / Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Popular culture and visualising gender-based violence
Using street art to visualise gender-based violence can be crucial in raising awareness and promoting the visibility of women and girls in civil society.
In this Shelfies video, Charlotta Salmi discusses influential works by Stuart Hall and Sarah Banet-Weiser and how they have impacted her own research. These sources have inspired her work in Nepal, helping to understand how murals by artists such as Kiran Maharjan (aka ‘H11235’) visualise the tensions between women’s activism and systemic injustice.
The featured books are:
Cultural Studies 1983: A Theoretical History by Stuart Hall
Empowered: Popular Feminism and Popular Misogyny by Sarah Banet-Weiser
Contributor: Dr Charlotta Salmi, Lecturer in Postcolonial and Global Literature, Queen Mary University of London. She is a principal investigator for the British Academy funded project, ‘Visualising Gender-based Violence in Graphic Awareness Campaigns in Nepal’ (Twitter: @charlotta_salmi).
Shelfies: Popular culture and visualising gender-based violence
Image: Front cover of Cultural Studies 1983. A Theoretical History by Stuart Hall; edited by Jennifer Daryl Slack and Lawrence Grossberg (Duke University Press, 2016) © Dharmachari Mahasiddhi / Duke University Press