British Academy seed funding supports UK-Italy collaborative research into inequalities

The British Academy and the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei have awarded funding to seven research projects examining the theme of inequalities.

Funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the awards follow a Knowledge Frontiers Symposium held virtually earlier this year in partnership with the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei on the theme of inequalities. The symposium brought together early-career researchers across SHAPE (Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts for People and the Economy) to explore how inequalities can be and have been conceptualised, represented and addressed.

The funding will allow researchers to examine these questions further while facilitating international engagement and collaboration between early-career researchers based in Italy and the United Kingdom from a broad range of disciplines.

Awarded projects include:

• “Robot invasion: an evaluation of the impacts of robots on employment, industrial growth, and inequality in the OECD countries” — Dr Eshref Trushin, De Montfort University, Dr Mariele Macaluso, University of Bologna, and Dr Pietro Maffetone, University of Napoli Federico II
• “The long cry of COVID-19: investigating how child bereavement policies address inequalities caused by grief in Italian and British primary schools” — Dr Melissa Jogie, University of Roehampton, Dr Valentina Pagani, University of Milano Bicocca, and Dr Mariele Macaluso, University of Bologna
• “Encounters for justice: a comparative study of how journalists mediate stories of domestic abuse and gender-based violence” — Dr Jane Freeland, German Historical Institute London, Dr Alice Baroni, University of Padova, and Dr Melissa Jogie, University of Roehampton
• “Plugging future teachers into technology as a way of addressing education inequalities” — Dr Vander Viana, University of East Anglia, Dr Melissa Jogie, University of Roehampton and Dr Mariele Macaluso, University of Bologna
• “Tracing (in)visible inequalities: methods for justice-centred research” – Dr Francesca Piazzoni, University of Liverpool, Dr Valentina Pagani, University of Milano Bicocca, Dr Michela Franceschelli, University College London, Dr Jane Freeland, German Historical Institute London, Dr Joseph Harley, Anglia Ruskin University, Dr Pere Ayling, University of Suffolk, and Dr Alica Baroni, University of Padova
• “Mapping inequalities in smart places” – Dr Paolo Gerli, Edinburgh Napier University, Dr Cristiana Lauri, European University Institute, Dr Mara Ferreri, Northumbria University, Dr Marta Regalia, Università degli Studi di Milano, and Dr Andrew James Williams, University of St Andrews
• “Undoing structural biases in the art world” — Dr Lorna Dillon, University of Cambridge, and Dr Elena Settimini, Fondazione Arte della Seta Lisio.

Professor Simon Goldhill, the British Academy’s Foreign Secretary and Vice-President, said:

“The social sciences and humanities are essential to understanding multifaceted issues such as inequality. We cannot address inequalities adequately without insights from our disciplines. Not only do these fascinating and timely projects exemplify the strength of interdisciplinary research, they also emphasise the value of international collaboration to outstanding research. We are delighted to forge closer ties with the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei and we hope this funding encourages further collaboration between early-career researchers in the UK and Italy.”