The History of Misinformation
Tue 25 Feb 2025, 18:30
- Accessibility
- Hearing loop
- Live subtitling
- Online and in person
- Wheelchair accessible venue
Contact the events team for further information about accessibility at this event.
- Venue
- The British Academy, 10-11 Carlton House Terrace, SW1Y 5AH
- Price
- Free
- Event series
- The Age of Mistrust?
Misinformation is nothing new. From the rumours that helped spark the French Revolution to the Great Moon Hoax that gripped 19th-century New York, fake news has shaped societies and influenced the course of history for hundreds of years.
Join renowned Academy Fellows and historians on a whirlwind tour through the history of misinformation. Drawing on in-depth research and vivid sources, our panel will bring to life historical tales of alternative facts and distorted truths from across the globe – and reveal how the past can help us better understand the challenges we face in today’s 'post-truth' world.
Speakers:
Alvin Jackson is Sir Richard Lodge Professor of History at the University of Edinburgh. Before moving to Edinburgh, he held posts at University College Dublin Queen’s University Belfast. He was made Fellow of the British Academy in 2024. He has published extensively on modern Irish, Scottish and British History. He is especially interested in the political relationship between Britain and Ireland. His most recent book, United Kingdoms: Multinational Union States in Europe and Beyond, 1800-1925, was a TLS Book of the Year.
Yasmin Khan is Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford. She previously held posts at the University of Edinburgh and Royal Holloway, University of London, and she was a British Academy Mid-Career Fellow in 2019-20. Her research focuses on the history of the British in India, the British Empire, South Asian decolonisation, refugees and the aftermath of empire. Her award-winning books include 'The Great Partition: The Making of India and Pakistan' and 'The Raj at War: A People’s History of India’s Second World War'.
Free, booking required
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