Culture and communication

Working on all periods from prehistory to the present and on places across the globe, York researchers explore every kind of cultural activity, product and practice from poetry to pollution, alongside every aspect of communications from syntax to cyberspace.

They are advancing and challenging how we understand the world, and developing new intellectual tools to make sense of human thought, human behaviour and our relation to the natural world.

Explore this theme

Research

Religion on the move

Our research probes the growing popularity of pilgrimage​

Theme overview

Culture and communication research at York: overview (PDF , 208kb)

Theme champion

Dr Mark Jenner, research champion for Culture and Communication

Mark Jenner is a Reader in the Department of History. He works on the social and cultural history of early modern England and on the social history of medicine c.1500-c.1800. His primary research interests focus on ideas of dirt and pollution.

Read more about Dr Jenner's vision for Culture and Communication

research-champions@york.ac.uk

Research

Sounds accessible

Our researchers are working to make film more accessible for the visually impaired.

Research

For Your Welfare

The story of the launch of the UK’s Welfare State.
Research

A question of complexity

Research by archaeologists at York could challenge understanding of social mobility among our earliest ancestors
Research

​Pendant partners

Academic teamwork solved the mystery of ​a rare Stone Age find
Research

Religion on the move

Our research probes the growing popularity of pilgrimage​
Research

Salomon de Caus - forgotten garden genius​

From ornate grottos to burning mirrors, we trace the roots of Renaissance gardening
Research

Back to school with the Bard

A Shakespearean tale in the digital age
Research

Archaeology in the UK

Preserving punk artwork
Research

Clutter culture

What to save and what to skip?
Research

​Russia's landscape - past and present​

Russian and Soviet attitudes to the environment have been misunderstood, say our experts​
Research

Egypt unwrapped

New book tells a tale of everyday ancient Egyptians
Research

A medieval masterpiece reimagined

Our historians turn detective to recreate St Stephen's Chapel
Research

Why Vikings cared about their hair

Beautifully crafted combs offer intriguing clues to Norse identity
Research

Tuning in to baby talk

Research highlights the critical role of parent-child communication
Research

Cycling back to the future

A journey through the late 19th century by bike
Research

Looking trustworthy

The direction we look in could influence gut feelings about trust
Research

St Mary's Abbey sings out

Bringing historic voices to life with cutting-edge electronics
Research

Corpses, criminology and culture

Delving into our dark fascination with crime
Research

The evolution of our emotional intelligence

Cave art brought out the caring side of our ancient ancestors.
Research

Casting a new light on Darwin fossils

Protein analysis pinpoints the origins of ancient South American mammals
Research

Jobcentre interviewers in the spotlight

Improving the interview skills of Jobcentre Plus advisers.
Research

Our Stone Age past uncovered at Star Carr

Sensational archaeological finds at a peat-filled Mesolithic site.
Research

Research reveals secrets of Stonehenge

Re-writing the history of Stonehenge.
Research

Embalming study ‘rewrites’ key chapter in Egyptian history

Study reveals that mummification began 1500 years earlier than thought.
Research

We are leading the way in forensic speech science

Our experts in speech analysis are in demand in court rooms around the world.
Research

How facial features shape our first impressions

A quick glance determines whether we think someone is trustworthy, dominant or attractive.
Research

Restoring York Minster’s medieval masterpiece

Restoring York Minster's stained glass and stone work masterpiece.

Our research themes