Empires of Emptiness: What the past tells us about desert warfare in the Sahara – at a time when it is being fought

Dr Berny Sèbe
Senior Lecturer in Colonial and Post-Colonial Studies
Principal investigator of the ‘Outposts of Conquest’ project (www.birmingham.ac.uk/empires)

Empires of Emptiness: What the past tells us about desert warfare in the Sahara – at a time when it is being fought

When it comes to fighting jihadists in the desert, forget about the buzzwords now commonly associated with radical Islam elsewhere: social networks, internet recruitment or online propaganda. Of course, cybercafes are not entirely absent, even in the most remote oases, so cyber-recruitment and e-propaganda are not entirely irrelevant, but there are more important aspects to the picture to be taken into account when it comes to war in the desert. Continue reading →

Call for Proposals: Care for the Future Early Career Researcher Conference

Call for Proposals: Care for the Future Early Career Researcher Conference

Past Matters, Research Futures

Deadline for proposals: 31 July 2016
Further information can be found in the call document: Care for the Future ECR Conference call document June 2016

Past Matters, Research Futures will take place at the Royal Society, London, 12-13 December 2016 and will showcase the exciting research conducted by Early Career Researchers (ECRs) related to Care for the Future: Thinking Forward through the Past, one of four strategic research themes supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). ECRs are represented in the theme in a variety of ways, and are recognised as playing a key role in its development, dynamism and legacy.  Continue reading →

Connecting with the past : The Fundamental Principles in Critical Historical Perspective

On 16 and 17 September 2015, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the University of Exeter and the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council, held a two-day historical symposium to discuss the humanitarian fundamental principles in critical historical perspective. The conference gathered approximately 50 participants including academics, historians and senior humanitarian practitioners from across the International Red Cross Red Crescent Movement and other humanitarian organisations.

DOWNLOAD THE CONFERENCE REPORT HERE. Please note, this report was updated on 15 Jan 2016 to correct an error on p6.

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Using Film to Examine Heritage, Identity and Global Citizenship: A Care for the Future follow-on project

Paul Cooke (University of Leeds) describes his film-education project ‘Using Film to Examine Heritage, Identity and Global Citizenship’: supporting the work of the Bautzen Memorial to Engage New Audiences’


Bautzen Project Trailer from Paul Cooke on Vimeo.

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Connecting with the Past

Connecting with the Past – the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross Red Crescent Movement in Connecting with the Past, Fundamental Principles front imageCritical Historical Perspective symposium to be held at the ICRC Humanitarium, Geneva, 16-17 September 2015

A two-day historical symposium jointly organized by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council, the University of Exeter and the ICRC. Participation is by pre-registration only; please see details for our livestreamed public event below.

Programme with speaker abstracts abd participant bios

Stubborn realities, shared humanity: History in the service of humanitarian action: This livestreamed public event, to be held on 16 September from 18:00 to 19:30 (BST+1), will gather internationally recognized historians, academics and senior humanitarian practitioners to discuss the doctrine of humanitarian principles in critical historical perspective.