10-Minute Talks

Broadly described, a cynic (in the primary modern sense) is a person given to casting doubt on the motives that drive other people. Often disparaged, cynicism is nevertheless part of the range of ways in which most of us may sometimes choose to engage with others – momentarily tuning up the aggression of our own intelligence. In this talk, Helen Small considers the characteristic features of cynic...

In the era of big data, it is easy to imagine that we have all the information we need to make good decisions. But in fact, the data we have is never complete. Just as much of the universe is composed of dark matter, invisible to us but nonetheless present, the universe of information is full of dark data that we overlook at our peril. In this talk David Hand explores dark data in the context of C...

Pandemics throughout history have provided stark reminders of how the vulnerable can be exploited and abused and COVID-19 is no different.   In this talk, Joanna Bourke outlines how the pandemic has exacerbated, not created, the problem of domestic and sexual violence in our society and how perpetrators have also used fear of the virus as a weapon as part of their arsenal of abuse. Speaker: Profes...

It is often suggested that free will is an illusion and a left-over from an outdated worldview; and that the idea of free will has no place in modern science. In this talk, Christian List argues that far from undermining free will, science actually offers some arguments in its support.  Christian List’s 10-Minute Talk is based on his identically-titled article published in the Boston Review in Feb...

How did people in early medieval Wales live? And how did their lives change between the departure of the Romans in the early fifth century AD and the coming of the Normans to Wales over 600 years later? In this 10-Minute Talk, Nancy Edwards considers some remarkable archaeological monuments, highlighting what these reveal about aspects of identity during this period. Speaker: Professor Nancy Edwar...

The eighteenth-century writers who tried to mount a principled defence of the slave trade look like monsters to us today - quite rightly. But before we get on our high horses to condemn them, it’s worth hearing how uncomfortably closely their arguments anticipate patterns of thought in which most of us are implicated today. Speaker: Professor Alec Ryrie FBA, Professor of the History of Christianit...

In this 10-Minute Talk, cognitive neuroscientist Sophie Scott introduces her pioneering research into laughter. She talks about why we laugh, laughter’s role in social interactions and how laughter can help us to regulate emotions and improve our mood. Speaker: Professor Sophie Scott FBA, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London Transcript:  https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.u...

Is Britain a part of Europe? Ahead of the publication of his latest book Britain and Europe in a Troubled World, Vernon Bogdanor untangles the history of Britain’s complex relationship with Europe and discusses how the EU needs to change if it is to avoid losing more member states. Spanning the last 75 years, this 10-Minute Talk provides the essential background to the struggle over Brexit. His la...

Before the Second World War, only about 20% of the population had any secondary education or only a few percent went to university; today secondary education has long been universal and 50% go to higher education. How and why did we get here from there? Peter Mandler talks about his new book The Crisis of the Meritocracy and explains why Britain, like most other modern societies, has needed to edu...

The COVID-19 pandemic has been unequal and complex in its social and economic impact. It has amplified existing inequalities and has created new insecurities some of which threaten to persist into the future. Fiona Williams will unpick the dynamics and indicate what priorities they pose for social policies. The British Academy’s Shape the Future programme examines the societal, economic and cultur...

In this talk, Rajesh Chandy discusses a topic he has been studying for several years: entrepreneurship. What is entrepreneurship? What are its drivers? And why does it matter to all of us – entrepreneurs, employees, and observers alike? Speaker: Professor Rajesh Chandy FBA, Professor of Marketing, London Business School; Tony and Maureen Wheeler Chair in Entrepreneurship; Academic Director, Wheele...

The pandemic of 2020 has caused untold disruption around the world, and the United Kingdom has suffered particularly seriously. What kind of public accounting will there be for the way in which the virus has played out in Britain? In this talk, Conor Gearty asks whether there will be a public inquiry and if so what shape it will take, and considers also the important role the law has to play in en...

In this 10-Minute Talk Richard English asks four questions about religion and terrorism: Should religion be seen as a cause for terroristic violence or a restraining influence upon it? Is religious terrorism an existential threat? Is religious terrorism something new? And should religion, in terms of its influence on terrorism, be seen as something that is a detachable part of that mixture? Speake...

In November 1979, Margaret Thatcher exposed the distinguished art historian Anthony Blunt as a former Soviet spy - part of the infamous Cambridge Spy Ring who traded secrets with Moscow during the Second World War. Blunt’s unmasking provoked a media outcry that turned him into a national hate figure. In this 10-Minute Talk, President of the British Academy David Cannadine discusses the background...

The 'Spanish Flu' of 1918-19 remains the most devastating pandemic of modern times, possibly killing up to 100 million people world wide. The loss of life massively exceeded the numbers killed during the First World War. Yet curiously its political, military and social impact was largely unrecognised at the time and is barely considered today. In this talk, Hew Strachan discusses the challenges th...

How do people manage when their lives are utterly transformed by circumstances beyond their control? Fiona Stafford discusses a diary kept by a woman in 1941, whose new normal involved rationing, restrictions, isolation and air raids. Speaker: Professor Fiona Stafford FBA, Professor of English Language and Literature; Tutorial Fellow, Somerville College, Oxford

Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806–1861) was one of the most popular poets of the Victorian period, remembered for her challenging poetry and courage of her views. In this 10-Minute Talk Isobel Armstrong discusses key stages of her life and work, from the courtship letters she wrote to her future husband through to the 19th century social and political issues which fed into her work. Speaker: Profes...

The idea that climate change has caused, and will cause, war has been embraced by journalists and politicians, popular science writers and academics alike. However, this concept is not new. In this 10-Minute Talk David Livingstone looks back in history, tracing links between earlier writings about climate and violence and contemporary thinking. Speaker: Professor David Livingstone FBA, Professor o...

As ongoing protests against racial injustice and police brutality in the United States are met with militarised police action, tear gas, the National Guard, and threats of military intervention from representatives of the Trump administration and U.S. Congress, many observers are asking if this is what American fascism looks like. It is a question the Trump campaign itself raised when it decided t...

Westminster Abbey has a fascinating history to tell. As well as being a place of worship, it is an architectural masterpiece and treasure house of artefacts; the final resting place for some of the most significant people in Britain’s history; and the setting for every coronation since 1066 and numerous other royal occasions. In this talk, President of the British Academy David Cannadine discusses...

Why are Shakespeare plays filled with songs – not all of them relevant to the story? In this 10-Minute Talk, Tiffany Stern discusses sales of printed songtexts in Shakespeare’s London. She asks whether songs performed in, about or after plays were ‘product placement’ for theatre sales. Speaker: Professor Tiffany Stern FBA, Professor of Shakespeare and Early Modern Drama, Shakespeare Institute, Uni...

Reflecting on years spent talking to parents, teachers and children about the influx of digital technologies in their lives, Sonia Livingstone will dispel some popular myths about screen time along with other techno-hype and fear-mongering, and offer some evidence-based suggestions to help maximise digital opportunities for children and minimise the risks. Speaker: Professor Sonia Livingstone FBA,...

As a film historian, Ian Christie has become increasingly interested in how audiences respond to films, which we can now view in so many different ways. Having taken part in a large empirical study of film viewing across the UK in 2011, he identifies some of the benefits, including unexpected ones, that we may gain from our viewing - which may well be greater than usual at this time. Speaker: Prof...

If a society is measured by how it treats its worst off, we have reason to think hard and well about how we manage the lives of those in prison. Philosophy – in particular, the collaborative doing of philosophy – has here a role to play. Join M M McCabe as she explores how introducing philosophical discussion into prisons may matter. To find out more, visit Philosophy in Prison: https://www.philos...

Music can keep us physically, emotionally, and socially strong. But just how does music help? In this talk Tia DeNora considers everyday musical engagement as a way of regulating emotion, holding focus, managing pain and promoting social connection (including the sense of connection). She explores some of the reasons why music is a particularly valuable medium for wellbeing and suggests that this...