What is the role of Academia, Art and Public intellectuals today? Three leading scholars from the humanities and social sciences share their thoughts and perspectives on pressing issues of our time.
On the occasion of the annual autumn meeting of the Holberg Committee, the Holberg Prize will host a reception and panel discussion at the British Academy on 23 October.
The Panel will feature Holberg Prize Laureates Professor Paul Gilroy and Professor Griselda Pollock, as well as Professor Gurminder K. Bhambra. Chair of the Holberg Committee Professor Ann Phoenix will moderate the discussion.
Abstract
Current planetary realities are shaped by interconnected crises—including climate change, biodiversity loss, the proliferation of warfare to multiple territories and domains of civil society, as well as the rise of disinformation and populist discourses. Narratives—whether textual, digital, spoken, visual and algorithmic—are integral to such polycrises. They inform how problems are perceived, understood, and addressed. In this panel we would like to probe the current status and power of narratives. What role should academia, art and public intellectuals play in shaping, contesting and, perhaps, providing alternative narratives in local and global contexts? How can they challenge proliferating and contradictory populist and political narratives?
Programme
- 18:00: Doors open
- 18:30: Welcome by Prof. Hetan Shah, CEO of the British Academy.
- 18:35: Introduction by Chair of the Holberg Board, Prof. Jørgen Sejersted
- 18:40: Opening by moderator Prof. Ann Phoenix
- 18:45: Opening statements by the three panelists: Prof. Paul Gilroy,
Prof. Griselda Pollock and Prof. Gurminder Bhambra - 19:00-19:40: Moderated discussion
- 19:40-19:55: Q and A
- 20:00: Event ends
Speakers
Paul Gilroy
Photo: Eddie Otchere
Paul Gilroy is Emeritus Professor of Humanities at University College London. Born in London, Gilroy has taught in several universities and written widely on matters of culture, politics, history, music and art. He was awarded the Holberg Prize in 2019.
Griselda Pollock
Photo: University of Leeds
Griselda Pollock is Professor emerita of Social and Critical Histories of Art and former Founder-Director of the Centre for Cultural Analysis, Theory and History (CentreCATH) at the University of Leeds. Her many works develop the theories and methods for feminist studies in the visual arts, boldly challenging her own discipline’s failure to acknowledge women’s creativity and larger questions of difference and diversity. She has contributed equally to feminist film studies and cultural theory by formulating new concepts that expand theoretical and methodological resources for transdisciplinary cultural analysis. Pollock was awarded the 2020 Holberg Prize.
Gurminder K. Bhambra
Gurminder K. Bhambra is Professor of Historical Sociology and Associate Dean for Research and Innovation in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Sussex. She is a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA), of the Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS), and the Royal Historical Society (FRHistS). She recently completed a Leverhulme Trust Major Research Fellowship project (2022-24) on ‘Varieties of Colonialism, Varieties of Empire’. She has been President of the British Sociological Association and Trustee of the Sociological Review Foundation.
Ann Phoenix (Chair)
Ann Phoenix is Professor of Psychosocial Studies at the Institute of Education, University College London, and a former co-director of the Thomas Coram Research Unit. Her research focuses on the ways in which psychological experiences and social processes are linked and intersectional. It includes family poverty and migration; young people; racialized and gendered identities; masculinities; parenting; and narrative research and mixed methods. Phoenix is Chair of the Holberg Committee.
