Looking Back, Seeing Further
Although the IAS theme for this year was Futures, 2010-11 also marked the fifth annual programme of events.
Five Years of IAS Themes 2006-07 The Legacy of Charles Darwin
2007-08 Modelling 2008-09 Being Human 2009-10 Water 2010-11 Futures
The Futures year therefore offered a chance to look back upon the interdisciplinary ventures that have emerged throughout the IAS’s productive early years, and to imagine ways of building upon these in following years.
A good representation of what the IAS stands for came with an event to celebrate the book Seeing Further: The Story of Science and the Royal Society, edited by Bill Bryson, Durham University’s Chancellor (2005- 11). This lavishly illustrated collection was created in celebration of the 350th anniversary of the Royal Society. It features contributions from a host of scientists, historians and novelists, and tells the story of science from 1660 to the present day. It also looks ahead to what the next 50 years might bring. Seeing Further: An Evening on the Magic of Science was a sell-out event at Durham’s Gala Theatre held in association with Durham Book Festival; it included Bill Bryson, Richard Holmes, Martin Rees and others in conversation. The Royal Society was founded as the hallmark institution of the scientific enlightenment. As the IAS shows, however, much twenty-first century research now develops through interdisciplinary ventures. It is therefore highly appropriate that the IAS celebrated the history of science whilst looking forward to the future of research in which multiple disciplines collaborate together.
Heading in the opposite direction, bringing Durham to the London institute, IAS Director Professor Michael O’Neill hosted an evening at the Royal Society in conversation with Sir Andrew Motion, the former
poet laureate. Durham holds strong links with this prominent public figure thanks to a number of previous events at which Sir Andrew has featured, including a conference on Navigating Memory in the 2009 Water year.
Serving as a showcase of the prestige that the IAS has now established, it was attended by a number of Durham alumni, who form part of a wider ‘Friends of the IAS’ network. This network will help the IAS to fundraise and promote its activities so that it can continue to develop its programmes of research and the dissemination of knowledge.
As its first five years have shown, the IAS offers a platform to bring the world’s leading thinkers and authors to a wide public audience. Perhaps best embodying this valuable role is the annual King Hussein Memorial Lecture in Cultural Dialogue, which was established in 2008 as part of the Being Human year. The purpose of this annual lecture is to promote reflection on intercultural understanding. During this Futures year, the lecture was given by Professor Charles Tripp (of the School of Oriental and African Studies), who is an expert on the Middle East often featured in the broadcast and print media. His lecture on ‘Capitalist Practice and the Muslim Subject: Grounds for Dialogue or Terrain of Resistance?’ explored the ways in which Muslims have struggled to make sense of the world which, in the wake of the collapse of Communism, seems driven by capitalist ideology.
A comprehensive archive of all the IAS’s themes, Fellows and activities from the past five years can be found at:
www.durham.ac.uk/ias/
28 | 29
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64