As we try to comprehend a world of turbulence and change, we need help in interpreting the evidence of the recent past, and in appreciating the significance of its visual imagery.
In these short reflections, four Fellows of the British Academy – Adam Roberts, Richard English, Stella Bruzzi and Catriona Kelly – offer us some valuable perspectives.

Sir Adam Roberts is Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Oxford, and Past President of the British Academy. Here he teaches us a lesson that needs to be learned from the Arab Spring of 2011.

Richard English is Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Internationalisation and Engagement at Queen’s University Belfast, and author of the recent book Does terrorism work? Here he helps us explore that very question. [at 8:10]

Stella Bruzzi, Professor of Film and Television Studies at the University of Warwick, is working on a project entitled ‘Approximation: Documentary, history and the staging of reality’. Here she reveals how iconic imagery is forever subject to reinterpretation. [at 14:02]

Catriona Kelly, Professor of Russian at the University of Oxford, is currently working on a history of Lenfilm Studio. Here she talks about why the studio was so important for Russians who grew up in the Soviet period, and what happened to it when Soviet power collapsed. [at 19:44]

From Our Fellows

From Our Fellows 01, November 2016

The British Academy is the UK’s national academy for the humanities and social sciences. We mobilise these disciplines to understand the world and shape a brighter future. ​

From artificial intelligence to climate change, from building prosperity to improving well-being – today’s complex challenges can only be resolved by deepening our insight into people, cultures and societies.​

We invest in researchers and projects across the UK and overseas, ​engage the public with fresh thinking and debates, and bring together scholars, government, business and civil society to influence policy for ​the benefit of everyone. ​