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University of York

Why does Humanity need the past? Researchers and public explore what it means to be human

Posted on 14 May 2014

The University of York is to host an event to participate in Being Human, the UK’s first national festival of the humanities, which involves current research on York’s past and its relevance in the present.

It is made possible by a grant from the festival organisers, the School of Advanced Study, University of London, supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Academy.

The University of York has been awarded funding to hold the event during Being Human festival week, 15 – 23 November 2014. ‘Within the Walls: Heritage, Public History and the Historic City’ will champion the excellence of humanities research being undertaken in York and Yorkshire and help to demonstrate the vitality and relevance of this today.

Selected from over 100 applications, the grant will help the university bring together researchers and the local public to engage with their own interpretation of the humanities. ‘Within the Walls’ will be part of a national programme of activities which aim to inform, extend and ignite contemporary thinking and imagination around the humanities. 

Dr Sarah Rees Jones of the Institute for the Public Understanding of the Past said: “We are looking forward to engaging the public through new activities both online and offline that address the value of York’s past for communities in the present and the future. There will be an exhibition of recent research conducted locally to stimulate the imagination but we are really interested in public contributions and ideas.

“At the end of the week we plan to link up with similar projects at the University of Western Australia to consider the values associated with heritage and history among migrant and mobile populations both locally and internationally. The activities grow out of a group of collaborative PHD projects with the City of York Council in the Departments of Archaeology and History at the University of York as well as similar work conducted by local community groups and partners across the White Rose network.”

Currently in its first year, Being Human is led by the School of Advanced Study in participation with the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Academy with the participation of arts and cultural organisations and universities across the UK.

The festival programme will focus on activities that make humanities research accessible to the general public and demonstrate the role of the humanities in the cultural, intellectual, political and social life of the UK.

Thirty-six grants have been awarded to universities and arts and cultural organisations across the UK to participate in the nine days of festival events taking place across the UK, from Truro to Orkney, Swansea to Belfast and Norwich to Liverpool.

Further information:

  • Being Human: A festival of the humanities 15-23 November 2014. What does it mean to be human? How do we understand ourselves, our relationship to others and our place in nature? For centuries the humanities have addressed these questions. Artists, writers, philosophers, theologians and historians have considered who we are, how we live and what we value most. But are these long-standing questions changing in 2014?  We are more connected than ever, yet we spend more time with smart phones and computers than face to face. The world is becoming smaller, yet the digital information we can access and store, even about ourselves, is vast and growing.  Developments in science and technology are moving fast, challenging our understanding of the self and society. What sense can we make of these changes and what challenges do we face? We need the humanities more than ever to help us address these issues and provide the means to question, interpret and explain the human predicament. The festival is held as part of the School of Advanced Study’s 20th anniversary celebrations and draws on the success of the 2013 King’s College Festival of the Humanities. Being Human will be the UK’s first national festival of the humanities. Led by the School of Advanced Study, University of London, in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Academy, universities, arts and cultural organisations across the UK, it will demonstrate the value, vitality and relevance of the humanities in 2014. www.beinghumanfestival.org
  • For more information about the Institute for the Public Understanding of the Past in the Department of History at the University of York, please visit http://www.york.ac.uk/ipup/
  • The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funds world-class, independent researchers in a wide range of subjects: ancient history, modern dance, archaeology, digital content, philosophy, English literature, design, the creative and performing arts, and much more. This financial year the AHRC will spend approximately £98m to fund research and postgraduate training in collaboration with a number of partners. The quality and range of research supported by this investment of public funds not only provides social and cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of the UK. www.ahrc.ac.uk 
  • The British Academy is the UK’s national champion of the humanities and social sciences. As a Fellowship of distinguished scholars and researchers from all areas of the humanities and social sciences, it promotes these disciplines and facilitates the exchange of knowledge and ideas. It funds research across the UK and internationally, and seeks to raise understanding of some of the biggest challenges of our time through policy reports, forums, conferences, publications and public events.  For more information, please visit www.britishacademy.ac.uk. Follow the British Academy on Twitter @britac_news.

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