Foreword (BAR 5)

The British Academy publishes a regular account of its activities by means of its biannual Review.

The period covered by this Review saw the completion of Sir Tony Wrigley’s term of office as President of the Academy. During his Presidency, the Academy has developed in significant new ways. As arrangements for funding advanced research have changed at the national level, so the Academy has taken the opportunity to redefine and boost, in all its activities, its primary role as the national academy for the humanities and social sciences. At his farewell address to the Annual General Meeting, Sir Tony reflected on the substantial achievements of the Academy during the past four years and looked forward with optimism to the future [article].

The Spring season was a busy one for the lectures and conferences programme, and extracts and reports give a flavour of some of the events organised by the Academy. The Academy’s prestigious programme of research appointments reached its annual climax, and the winners of Research Readerships and Senior Research Fellowships are announced in thuis issue. In July the Academy appointed the next cohort of Postdoctoral Fellows who will, it is hoped, go on to emulate their predecessors by becoming leading scholars in their field. Through both the senior and the junior research appointments, the Academy aims to recognise and cherish individual research excellence, and thereby to contribute substantially to the nation’s research capital.

Other areas of the Academy’s activity – in its adopted Projects, in publications, in international relations and the work of the overseas institutes and sponsored societies, and in the regular award of small research grants – are also described in these pages.

This issue of the Review covers events and activities that took place during the first half of the year, from January to July 2001. It is the fifth issue of the Review, and the Academy will be pleased to receive comments and suggestions on how the content might be developed in the future.