Category: The Conversation

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Pavan Mano, Lecturer in Global Cultures, King’s College London Richard z/Shutterstock The Bank of England has announced a redesign of its banknotes and invited the public to suggest new themes that might feature on them. Victoria Cleland, the Bank of England’s chief cashier, said this was…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Millie Horton-Insch, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, History of Art Department, Trinity College Dublin There was great excitement at the news this month that the Bayeux tapestry – the 11th-century embroidered epic depicting the conquest of England by William the Conqueror in 1066 – will go on display…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Samuel Fairlamb, Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway University of London Joe Rey Photography/Shutterstock In September 2023, so many people were shocked when the famous Sycamore Gap tree, thriving in a dip along Hadrian’s Wall, was deliberately cut down overnight. For many, the tree symbolised…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Michael Martin, Lecturer in Urban Design and Planning, University of Sheffield Co-created play space with children and the community, Via Val Lagarina Milan. Milan municipality Children play everywhere. Yet their right to play – protected by a UN convention – is constantly challenged by adults. Play…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Edward White, PhD Candidate in Psychology, Kingston University One hundred years after a Tennessee teacher named John Scopes started a legal battle over what the state’s schools can teach children, Americans are still divided over evolution. Scopes was charged with violating Tennessee law by teaching evolution,…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Thomas Thurnell-Read, Reader in Sociology, Loughborough University William Perugini/Shutterstock Recent figures from the British Beer and Pub Association show that pubs will close at the rate of one a day in the UK during 2025. This is just the latest chapter in a familiar story –…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Dan Baumgardt, Senior Lecturer, School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol What are you bringing back with you? The Picture Studio/Shutterstock Summer is synonymous with adventure, with millions flocking to exotic destinations to experience different cultures, cuisines and landscapes. But what happens when the…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Tom Long, Professor of International Relations, Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Warwick The Execution of Emperor Maximilian of Mexico, June 19, 1867 Edouard ManetWikimedia Commons In 1867, the world’s most powerful statesmen, including Austria’s Emperor Franz Josef, France’s Napoleon III and US secretary…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Shelley Galpin, Lecturer in Culture, Media and Creative Industries, King’s College London In my former life as a teacher, I once had a job interview in which I was asked how I dealt with the problem of teaching Jane Austen to boys. Having had experience of…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By James Weber, Lecturer in Atmospheric Radiation, Composition and Climate, University of Reading Tony Skerl/Shutterstock An estimated 4.2 million deaths can be attributed to poor air quality each year. Poor air quality is the largest fixable environmental public health risk in the world. Our new study presents…