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The Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences in the Modern University
Rt Hon. David Willetts, Minister of State for Universities and Science, gave a speech at the British Academy on 1 March 2011. The Minister was introduced by Professor Sir Adam Roberts, President of the British Academy.
The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: New Technology, Enhanced Scholarship
Professor Brian Harrison, Editor of the ‘Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, in association with the British Academy’, describes how the new dictionary has been compiled, comparing the modern experience with that of the editors of the original DNB.
Martin Buber: Philosopher of Dialogue and of the Resolution of Conflict
Professor W. John Morgan discusses the life and thought of Martin Buber, and asks whether his concepts of dialogue can help today in efforts to resolve conflicts in the Middle East, and between other communities in dispute.
The Royal African Company of England in West Africa 1681-1699
Professor Robin Law FBA has recently completed a three-volume edition of correspondence relating to the English in West Africa during the last two decades of the 17th century. Although the period covered by this correspondence is brief, it was one of great historical significance. Below, Professor Law illustrates the scope …
The Frontiers of the Ottoman World: Fortifications, Trade, Pilgrimage and Slavery
In February 2007 a multidisciplinary international workshop took place at the British Academy, organised by the Academy-sponsored overseas schools and institutes that support research on aspects of Ottoman history and archaeology. The workshop brought together archaeologists and historians to consider the results of British research on the Ottomans in a …
Bride Price, Poverty and Domestic Violence in Uganda
A British Academy Larger Research Grant has supported the first-ever research on how ‘bride-price’ may link to poverty and domestic violence in Uganda. Professor Gill Hague and Dr Ravi K. Thiara explain how this innovative research was carried out, and how it is helping to change some traditional attitudes.
Newton International Fellowships (BAR)
On 16 February 2010, an event was held at the Royal Society to celebrate the success of the Newton International Fellowships scheme. The Fellowships are awarded by the British Academy, the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering to attract outstanding postdoctoral researchers to the UK for two years. …
Obesity: The Welfare Regime Hypothesis
A conference held in Oxford in November 2009, with financial support from the British Academy, considered the hypothesis that obesity rates are influenced by social welfare regimes, and have risen more in market-liberal than in social-democratic societies. Professor Avner Offer FBA, Dr Rachel Pechey and Professor Stanley Ulijaszek explain the …
The Contribution of Scholarship to Good Government
Richard Wilson (Lord Wilson of Dinton), Secretary of the Cabinet from 1998 to 2002, and now Master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, looks at three recent British Academy publications that contribute to current debates on good government.
History and the Pensions Crisis
In June 2005 a conference was held at the British Academy bringing together leading experts from a number of countries to discuss the current pensions crisis in the UK, and to consider the way forward. Dr Hugh Pemberton, one of the convenors of the conference, reflects on the nature of …
Through a Glass Brightly: The Magic Lantern in History
On 16-17 February 2001, the Academy hosted a two-day colloquium, ‘Lantern Projections’, which brought together over twenty invited speakers from the UK, the United States, Italy and Belgium. Its aim was to map the emerging ‘intermedial’ field of Lantern studies, involving early cinema specialists, art historians and lantern enthusiasts, and …
Darwinism, Creative Evolution, and Popular Narratives of 'Life's Splendid Drama'
2009 has been the bicentenary of Charles Darwin’s birth, and the 150th anniversary of the publication of ‘On the Origin of Species’. On 29-30 June, the British Academy, the Royal Society, and the American Philosophical Society held a joint conference in Cambridge to celebrate. One of the participants, Professor Peter …
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