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The British Academy

@BritishAcademy_

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We mobilise the humanities and social sciences to ​understand the world and shape a brighter future.

London, England
Joined August 2011
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
26 days
Explore the historic home of the British Academy, the UK’s national body for the humanities and social sciences, with a series of historical, art and architectural tours. 15 Sept. Free, book now:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
9 months
The British Academy has awarded its 2023 President’s Medal to a podcast: The Rest is History, for the first time ever. The prize recognises the podcast’s work to promote and popularise history to a global audience. Congratulations! @TheRestHistory
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
3 years
We are delighted to award the British Academy's 2021 President’s Medal to historian and broadcaster Professor @DavidOlusoga in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the humanities and social sciences.
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
1 year
The British Academy today responds to proposals to limit the number of students taking so-called "low-value" degrees in England. The Academy has long argued that graduate destinations and salaries alone are limited proxies for the value of higher education
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
3 months
The British Academy has today published its manifesto, calling on the next government to urgently bolster the humanities and social sciences in higher education and research to fully address the UK's biggest challenges. Read the full manifesto below:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
4 years
From today, we're going to start using #SHAPE – Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts for People and the Economy – to describe the subjects that helps us understand the human world. Find out more at:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
4 years
“Those taking arts, humanities and social science degrees end up in jobs in eight of the 10 fastest-growing sectors of the economy.” Our 'Qualified for the Future: quantifying demand for arts, humanities and social science skills' report in the @guardian :
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
3 months
President of the British Academy, Professor Julia Black, has delivered an urgent intervention on the power and value of the humanities during a speech at the University of Birmingham. Read in full here:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
3 months
The British Academy has today published a manifesto for the humanities, social sciences and arts, which calls on the next government to use insights from all disciplines to address society’s biggest challenges. Read more:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
1 year
On Saturday 17 June, meet the thinkers shaping our world with their social sciences and humanities research through engaging workshops, pop-up talks, film screenings, panel discussions and more as part of our annual Summer Showcase. Book your free place:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
2 years
A new report from the British Academy on the relationship between teaching and research in UK universities indicates that large workloads and research-favouring higher education policies have made it difficult for academics to do both well. Read more:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
2 months
Are you an overseas researcher in the humanities and social sciences interested in collaborating with UK partners? Apply for the Visiting Fellowships to work with a UK-based higher education or other research institution for up to six months. Apply now:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
6 years
Our President, Sir David Cannadine, has written to UUK to share the concerns of British Academy Fellows that the ongoing pensions dispute will make academia a less attractive option for the next generation of scholars:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
11 months
A majority of the UK public would support making modern language learning compulsory in primary and secondary school, according to a new YouGov poll commissioned by the British Academy:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
6 years
"The opportunity to learn languages needs to be open to all, at all life stages." We’ve published a statement backed by the @royalsociety , @acmedsci and @RAEngNews , urging the government to revive national language learning:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
3 years
We're delighted to announce that the winner of the 2021 #BritishAcademyBookPrize for Global Cultural Understanding is "Waves Across the South: A New History of Revolution and Empire" ( @WmCollinsBooks ) by Professor Sujit Sivasundaram of @Cambridge_Uni :
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
13 days
We are still inviting applications from overseas researchers in the social sciences and humanities for the Visiting Fellowships 2025. Awards of up to £40,000 in value are available for international and collaborative research projects. Find out more:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
1 year
The British Academy is delighted to welcome 86 new Fellows, who showcase the richness of humanities and social sciences research and represent a diverse range of expertise. Some Fellows will be introduced throughout the day, but the full list is now live:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
2 years
Congratulations to Professor @DavidOlusoga on his award of the British Academy President's Medal, presented tonight by Professor Julia Black PBA, for his outstanding contribution to the humanities and social sciences.
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
2 years
Join Professor @DavidOlusoga and British Academy President, Professor Julia Black in conversation on 12 May – free – online or in person, to learn more about Olusoga's career-long championing of inclusive approaches to British and international history:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
2 years
We're thrilled to announce that the winner of this year's #BritishAcademyBookPrize is 'When Women Kill: Four Crimes Retold' by Alia Trabucco Zerán, translated by Sophie Hughes and published by And Other Stories ( @andothertweets ). Congratulations!
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
3 months
We invite applications for the Visiting Fellowships 2025. The scheme enables academics from any country to collaborate with a UK higher education or other research institution for up to six months and develop projects with UK partners. Find out more:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
2 years
Nominations are open for the Peter Townsend Prize, which is worth £1,000 and is awarded for a published work with policy relevance and academic merit on poverty and inequality; ageing and the lives of older people; or disability and inequalities in health.
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
4 months
“Social sciences and the humanities have never been more necessary. They give shape and meaning and so the core of what the academy does will be to make that case.” Professor Rana Mitter, British Academy vice-president for public engagement in today's @guardianculture
@guardianculture
Guardian culture
4 months
The end of empire: revamped British Academy stakes claim for modern role in UK’s global mission
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
4 years
Today we're announcing a new round of Special Research Grants, to be awarded to humanities and social sciences research projects looking at the impacts of COVID-19 on people, societies and the economy. Applications open today and will close 27 May:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
6 years
We're delighted to welcome the largest ever cohort of British Academy Postdoctoral Fellows, an unprecedented two-thirds of whom are women.
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
3 years
Professor @wmarybeard FBA on why #SHAPE disciplines matter: #ThisIsSHAPE
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
3 years
Professor @garyyounge FBA explains why SHAPE subjects are vital:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
5 years
"The greatest cause of poverty was not, as often believed, feckless shirking by the irresponsible lower classes, but low pay for full-time work, or inability to get regular work despite best efforts." – Professor Pat Thane FBA
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
6 years
The first woman to be awarded our Kenyon Medal turns 100 today. Joyce Reynolds FBA has led archaeological expeditions throughout Europe and Africa and was awarded the medal for her contribution to epigraphy.
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
1 year
"SHAPE subjects (the Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts for People and the Economy) help us understand our shifting world, as well as provide us joy, enrichment and fulfilment." - Professor Julia Black, President of the British Academy
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
4 years
Today, alongside the @ahrcpress , @ASCL_UK , @BritishCouncil and @UniversitiesUK , we are presenting proposals for a UK-wide national languages strategy:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
7 years
Incredibly pleased to announce that humanities & social science researchers will benefit from £500,000 a year in small research grants for the next 5 years, thanks to the generous support of the @LeverhulmeTrust !
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
4 years
We're delighted that three Fellows of the British Academy, Professor Sarah Worthington, Professor @sophiescott and Professor @ImranRasul3 , have been recognised in the #QueensBirthdayHonours list for their contribution to the humanities and social sciences:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
6 years
"Knowledge is only knowledge if it’s an active verb, if somebody is doing it. It’s not a set of things that you can consign to a library and say is there. Knowledge is something that is dynamic and changing." @wmarybeard on #howhumanities enrich our lives:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
4 years
"Languages should not just be for the socially advantaged, but for everyone. We must act soon to make this a reality.” – Professor Neil Kenny FBA The @BigIssue covers our proposal for a national languages strategy:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
3 years
"Language is both universal to our species and central to who we are. Linguistics tries to understand just what this fundamental aspect of ourselves is." Professor @davidadger FBA explains the study of #linguistics :
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
5 years
“Step one is to see the sexual politics, but can we go beyond this? What happens with women artists? Is it just a case of exalting male desire?” Professor @wmarybeard FBA talks to the @guardian ahead of her @BBCTwo two-part series, ‘Shock of the Nude’:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
4 years
On 24 February, Professor Sir David Cannadine PBA joins the world-renowned writer @MargaretAtwood , recipient of our 2020 President's Medal, to discuss her life, work and activism. Sign up to watch the event live and join the post-talk Q&A here:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
5 years
"Around 90% of studies looking at the effect learning a #language has on achievement in other subjects of the school curriculum report a positive impact, across English language learning, literacy, maths and science." #SundayReads
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
6 years
"Historians learn to ask, ‘who said this, why did they say it, what did they hope to gain and to what extent can we trust it as an accurate account?’ That skill is more vital than ever." Dr @MirandaKaufmann on #howhumanities can help combat #fakenews :
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
10 months
The British Academy is thrilled to announce that the winner of this year's #BritishAcademyBookPrize for Global and Cultural Understanding is 'Courting India' by Nandini Das @rentravailer , published by Bloomsbury. Congratulations!
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
4 months
The British Academy is delighted to relaunch the Journal of the British Academy, an online, open access journal showcasing the very best research in the humanities and social sciences.
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
5 years
"It has been shown that people who speak other languages often exhibit more empathy and a global mindset." Our report reviews the academic evidence base for cognitive, academic and age-related benefits of learning a #language :
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
3 years
We are delighted to welcome 84 new Fellows from across the humanities and social sciences disciplines to our Fellowship, which is now headed by our 31st President, Professor Julia Black PBA, who succeeds Professor Sir David Cannadine FBA:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
3 years
The Office for Students has confirmed its intention to cut funding for subjects including media studies, performing arts & design. While we welcome a reprieve for archaeology, we remain disappointed in this decision based on perceived value of disciplines.
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
4 years
Professor @JudithJesch FBA is an expert in Viking Studies, based at @UniofNottingham . Here, she tells @HistoryExtra about what life was like for women of different social classes in the Viking age:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
2 years
We are delighted to welcome 85 leading academics to our Fellowship, including a record number of women representing a range of specialisms from education and social stratification to the interface of law and technology. See the full list:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
4 years
“A humanities degree can hold the key to a number of professions.” #SHAPE subjects – Social Sciences, Humanities & the Arts for People & the Economy – teach you skills for the real world. Read more in the @Telegraph :
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
6 years
The President's Medal has been awarded to @TheZeinabBadawi for her international contributions to broadcast journalism and for advocating women’s education in Sudan and other countries. Here's an interview about her @BBCWorld series, #TheHistoryofAfrica :
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
6 years
"Languages are a key indicator of how willing and prepared we are to operate in an increasingly interconnected, multilingual and multicultural world." #europeandayoflanguages
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
3 months
President of the British Academy, Professor Julia Black, championed the power of the humanities in a powerful address at the University of Birmingham. Read the full speech:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
1 year
Applications for the Postdoctoral Fellowships are now open. The scheme offers outstanding early career researchers the opportunity to strengthen their experience of research and teaching in an academic environment. Find out more and apply now:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
4 years
We're delighted to welcome 86 new Fellows to our world-leading Fellowship and to announce that Professor Julia Black CBE FBA will be our 31st President, succeeding Professor Sir David Cannadine:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
2 months
The British Academy is delighted to welcome 86 new Fellows! We are first and foremost a Fellowship organisation, going all the way back to our founding by Royal Charter in 1902 - our Fellows truly are the heartbeat of the Academy.
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
9 months
The Horizon Europe Pump Priming Collaboration scheme supports collaborative activity between partners in the UK and EU/Associated Countries. It provides a great opportunity for researchers who have not applied for Horizon Europe funding before. Apply now:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
4 years
#SHAPE , or "social sciences, humanities & the arts for people & the economy, is designed to encourage schoolchildren and undergraduates to view these subjects as positive steps towards a high-status career".
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
9 months
Professor J.G.A. Pocock FBA was a celebrated historian whose multidisciplinary scholarship changed our understanding in areas such as the history of common law practice and principles in England. His obituary can be read here:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
6 years
“Graduates of the arts, humanities and social sciences are vital to our nation’s economy and culture; the service sector, fuelled by the skills and knowledge of these graduates, makes up 80% of our economy" - Our response to Universities UK report
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
4 years
“Graduates of arts, humanities and social sciences are just as resilient to economic upheaval as other graduates and are just as likely to remain employed as STEM graduates during downturns”
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
4 years
Join Dr Sada Mire ( @SomaliHeritage ) in conversation with Professor Simon Goldhill FBA next week on 24 September at 5pm for a discussion on how her findings can help improve our understanding of a region divided by religion and politics. Book now:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
4 years
Twice a winner of the #BookerPrize , @MargaretAtwood is a world-renowned writer. As the recipient of the 2020 British Academy President’s Medal, she'll join our President, Professor Sir David Cannadine, in conversation on 24 Feb at 6pm. Book for free now:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
6 years
"The stories and the people within the humanities and social sciences are compelling and important and deserve to be more widely heard." – @lizhutch , our Director of Communications introduces our new #howhumanities and #howsocialscience series on @Wonkhe :
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
6 years
With language student numbers falling and university language departments enduring more cuts, we’re launching a new pilot project to map the provision of foreign language teaching and research in the UK. The first language we’re mapping is Arabic. More to follow!
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
5 years
"Nothing beats #language learning when it comes to producing a mindset of cultural agility that is highly valued by employers in an increasingly global labour market." #MondayMotivation
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
3 years
Today on the anniversary of Britain’s first lockdown we publish 'The #COVIDdecade : understanding the long-term societal impacts of COVID-19', a new multi-disciplinary evidence review of the pandemic's effects on society.
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
6 years
"Modern languages should be for everyone. We must do more to help schools prioritise them.” – @OxfordModLangs 's Professor Neil Kenny FBA leads our response to @BritishCouncil 's 2018 #languagetrends report:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
6 years
"Ideas are not the preserve of posh white men." @wmarybeard & David Cannadine talk to @BBCNews about why we're holding a Summer Showcase #ForCuriousMinds this Friday and Saturday:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
2 years
Graduates in the SHAPE disciplines (Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts for People and the Economy) make invaluable contributions to the UK’s economy and society through a range of exciting career paths, a new British Academy report shows. Learn more:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
6 years
"We are not scientists, we are not sitting together in a laboratory producing a cure. But what we are doing is having impact in a cultural context, and by that I mean making ideas seem normal, from which change flows." – @conorgearty #HowSocialScience
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
3 years
Language skills are essential to the economic development of the UK: #ThisIsSHAPE
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
3 months
Do you identify as an early career researcher? The British Academy's Early Career Researcher Network (ECRN) provides personal and professional development opportunities across the SHAPE disciplines. Visit our website to register now:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
3 months
Leaders of the British Academy have today warned that the proposals for the REF 2029 open access approach could have negative impacts on research and researchers, calling on UK higher education funding bodies to pause and undertake further research:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
3 years
"A very great deal has been lost, and the randomness of survival has made that loss uneven. Nevertheless, it is possible to gain an impression of the scale of what once existed." Professor Teresa Webber FBA explains the study of #palaeography :
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
6 years
"You can’t weigh wisdom or take a measuring-tape to it; but without it, humanity will be annihilated." – Rev. Prof. Diarmaid MacCulloch FBA tell us why he thinks the humanities is the "wise end of human wisdom." #HowHumanities
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
4 years
"We see modern history... as trying to understand how a whole variety of processes have come together over the past few centuries to create a present we often don’t think about as more than a few years or decades old." – Professor Rana Mitter FBA
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
4 years
"A very great deal has been lost, and the randomness of survival has made that loss uneven. Nevertheless, it is possible to gain an impression of the scale of what once existed." @CamHistory 's Professor Teresa Webber FBA explains the study of #palaeography
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
3 years
We are delighted to launch our Early Career Researcher Network to support researchers across the UK. The first of our Regional Hubs to launch will serve the Midlands in partnership with @unibirmingham . Find out more: #ECRNetwork #EarlyCareerResearcher
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
6 years
"Languages can no longer be regarded as an optional extra. Britain must meet this challenge head-on and prove to the world that it is, after all, an outward-looking, global nation." Sir David Cannadine PBA champions learning languages in today's @guardian :
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
21 days
Our research on employment rates features in @thetimes today in this piece on the data driven case for studying the humanities. It echoes our call for a broad and balanced curriculum, to turn the tide on the narrowing of subject choices post-16.
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
11 months
Have you ever wished you could speak another language? Today, the British Academy and partners are launching The Languages Gateway, a one-stop-shop bringing together language learning resources across different audiences, learners and languages.
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
5 years
"Learning a language stops you over-relying on the same old habits and reflexes; it pushes your mind in new directions; it makes you able to adopt an unfamiliar mindset." – Professor Neil Kenny FBA
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
3 years
Quentin Skinner is one of the world’s foremost #historians , writing pioneering studies of authors including Machiavelli and Hobbes, and studying topics such as changing ideas of liberty and the state. Join our two-day conference to discuss Skinner's ideas:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
2 years
Join @DavidOlusoga and British Academy President, Professor Julia Black in conversation on 12 May – free – online or in person, to learn more about Olusoga's career-long championing of inclusive approaches to British and international history:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
5 years
We’re delighted to announce the winners of our British Academy Medal and President’s Medal tonight, awarded to two academics whose work “has bought academic rigour into public debate on the major challenges of our day”: @NaomiOreskes and @bengoldacre .
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
2 months
Do you identify as an early career researcher? The British Academy's Early Career Researcher Network (ECRN) provides personal and professional development opportunities across the SHAPE disciplines. Visit our website to register now:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
6 years
"Languages are a key indicator of how willing and prepared we are to operate in an increasingly interconnected, multilingual and multicultural world." Professor Neil Kenny FBA explains why the UK needs to reverse the decline in language learning:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
3 months
The British Academy has today called on the next government to support an educational system that offers opportunities to all. Read our manifesto for the social sciences, humanities and arts:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
6 years
"There is a growing body of evidence that studying languages opens doors to a wide range of future careers, as well as equipping people with fluency in another language". Professor Neil Kenny FBA, addresses the decline in languages at A-level.
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
11 months
Only 21% of adults in the UK can converse in a different language - yet languages are essential to the UK's economy, society and culture. The British Academy and partners are today launching The Languages Gateway, a hub for resources and learning.
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
5 years
“A courageous and inspiring figure, whose work has been transformative, dealing with some of the most pressing issues of our time.” @KingsCollegeLon Professor Paul Gilroy FBA ( @bungatuffie ) has been awarded the 2019 #HolbergPrize :
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
5 years
“The UK has the potential to become a linguistic powerhouse. If it did, it would be more prosperous, productive, influential and, literally, healthier. Languages must be the wind in global Britain’s sails." Professor Sir David Cannadine PBA #WorldHelloDay
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
2 months
Applications for the Global Professorships are now open. The scheme offers mid-career and senior researchers an opportunity to undertake high-risk, cutting-edge research in the humanities and social sciences. Awards are up to £900,000. Apply now:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
1 year
The British Academy has today launched its new Strategic Plan for 2023 to 2027, setting out its vision of putting the humanities and social sciences at the heart of understanding the world and shaping a brighter future. Learn more:
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@BritishAcademy_
The British Academy
1 year
"SHAPE subjects (the Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts for People and the Economy) help us understand our shifting world, as well as provide us joy, enrichment and fulfilment." - Professor Julia Black, President of the British Academy
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