Tagged content

Letters of Charles Dickens (BAR)

The work of publishing the complete letters of Charles Dickens started under the general editorship of Humphry House, assisted by his wife Madeline House, in the 1950s. The first of 12 projected volumes appeared in 1965, and the final collection of letters covering the period 1867–1870 is on course for …

British Town Maps, 1470-1895

A catalogue and cartographical analysis. The study of the urban cartography of Great Britain forms part of a long-term research programme, based at Exeter University Geography Department, to record and analyse the pre-Ordnance Survey, large-scale (i.e. highly detailed) maps of the nation. The first two parts of the programme concerned …

Romano-British Writing Tablets (BAR)

Excavations at Vindolanda and Carlisle, Roman military posts to the south of Hadrian’s Wall, have yielded a remarkable collection of Roman writing-tablets, both ink writing-tablets and wooden stilus tablets. Based at the Centre for the Study for Ancient Documents in Oxford, a major interdisciplinary project on Romano-British Writing Tablets is …

Punching Our Weight: The Humanities and Social Sciences in Public Policy Making (BAR)

In September 2008 the British Academy published the latest in its series of reports which seek to inform public debate on topics of current interest. The report, ‘Punching our Weight: the humanities and social sciences in public policy making’, addresses the question of how policy makers can maximise the untapped …

Explaining the Fall of European Communism in 1989

On 15–16 October 2009, the British Academy held a symposium on ‘The Collapse of Communism in Europe: A Re-examination Twenty Years After’. The convenor, Professor Archie Brown FBA, here offers his own reflections.

Scientific Approaches to the Study of Roman Ports

Professor Simon Keay explains the latest work being done to study the ports of the Roman Empire – in particular the massive site of Portus, the port of ancient Rome itself.

Dispossession and Displacement: Forced Migration in the Middle East and Africa (BAR)

In February 2008, a group of British Academy-sponsored organisations held a conference to consider one of the world’s pressing problems. The conference co-ordinator, Dr Dawn Chatty, describes the background to the event and its conclusions.

From Land's End to John o'Groats: A Fundraising Challenge

In August 2010, to raise money for the British Academy, its President, Sir Adam Roberts, undertook a cycle ride from Land’s End to John o’Groats (LE JoG) – aiming to complete the journey on his 70th birthday. His companion along the way was his daughter Hannah. Here are edited extracts …

New finds at Star Carr

Recent press reports have highlighted research on the location of Britain’s earliest house. Chantal Conneller, Nicky Milner and Barry Taylor provide further information on the British Academy-supported excavations at Star Carr.

Africa’s Neglected Chronic Disease Burden

‘Setting priorities for research, practice and policy.’ One of the British Academy’s UK-Africa Academic Partnerships has been offering a fresh approach to tackling chronic disease in Africa. Dr Ama de-Graft Aikins reveals the key insights of a report published in November 2010.

Happy Families?

Dr Simon Griffiths and Emma McKay of the British Academy’s Policy Centre discuss Professor Pat Thane FBA’s new overview of changing family patterns.

Shoes and social fabrics: Exploring the Journeys and Life-worlds of a Pair of Flip-flops

In 2007, Professor Caroline Knowles received a British Academy Small Research Grant to explore an innovative means of compiling raw information about the world’s complex interactions. Here she gives a taste of the project that took her from China to Ethiopia. The photographs are by her collaborator, Michael Tan.

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