Humanities news

Associate Professor in Film Studies wins BAFTSS Award

Tue, 23 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Digital Empowerment in Language Teaching (DELTEA) project receives ESRC funding

Tue, 13 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Confucius Institute - 10 years at the �� (2011-2021)

Thu, 11 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000

The Confucius Institute, housed at the School of Humanities at the ��, has reached its tenth anniversary this year. During the past ten years, the Institute has developed from what was originally a teaching centre to today's multi-level, multi-type and multi-location organisation. In addition to the university centre, there are three affiliated Confucius Classrooms and three teaching centres which provide credit and non-credit courses, lunch clubs, after-school programmes and evening classes in Chinese language and culture.

Battle of Fenny Bridges memorial unveiled | Humanities | ��

Professor Mark Stoyle gave the keynote address at a recent event which was organised by the Battlefield Trust and local historical societies to commemorate the 475^th anniversary of the Battle of Fenny Bridges in East Devon.

The engagement was a key turning point in the Western Rising of 1549 – the so-called ‘Prayer Book Rebellion’ – which saw a strong force of rebels from Devon and Cornwall narrowly defeated by the royal army which had been sent down from London to suppress them.

The event concluded with a new memorial to those who took part in the engagement – one which was funded by local people and the Battlefield Trust – being unveiled by Richard Foord, the MP for Honiton and Sidmouth.

Coastal & Inland Waters Heritage Science Facility | Humanities | ��

Parkes Institute PhD student to launch new exhibition on ’The Wandering Jew’

Reframing the Wandering Jew from its origins in medieval Christian myth, this exhibition presents how the legend evolves across time and cultures. It draws on an expansive set of sources including Romantic and Gothic literature, Yiddish drama, Jewish visual art, Rabbinic sermons, Nazi and anti-Nazi film, and 21st century regenderings of the myth. A particular highlight is a specially commissioned print, ‘Flight’, by artist and sculptor David Hochhauser. These diverse forms and genres reflect the relevance of the Wandering Jew, representing Jewish exilic experience but also more widely universal themes of myth, migration and memory.

Speaking of the exhibition, Anoushka said: "As a student of English and Russian literature, my first engagement with the Wandering Jew was my discovery and translation of a dramatic prologue titled ‘Agasfer’ by Vladimir Nabokov, which he wrote in 1923. I continued research into the legend and how it has evolved through art and literature for my MA and PhD and thought it would be perfectly suited to a travelling exhibition for a wider public audience, and to reflect the itineracy of the myth.

The exhibition has three main aims: to explore examples of the legend being used as vessels for Jewish/non-Jewish rapprochement, to showcase how Jewish writers and agents have reclaimed the Wandering Jew to represent exilic experiences, and to speak to more universal and contemporary issues of myth, migration and memory. It’s really exciting to see my research in this way — thanks also to the creative insight of Valley Graphics, support of the Parkes Institute, and funding from the Jewish Historical Society of England and German History Society — and with a few future venues lined up, I can’t wait to see where it will go!"

The exhibition features insights and contributions from the wider Parkes Institute community, including Charlie Knight, Noëmie Duhaut, Neil Gregor, Tony Kushner, Claire Le Foll, and Katie Power.

Launch Event

On Wednesday 13 November, the Parkes Institute and the �� will host a launch event for the exhibition. Come along to see the exhibition before, much like the Wandering Jew, it travels across the UK. The launch will see Anoushka introduce the project and give a reading of the first translation of ‘Agasfer’ by Vladimir Nabokov, after which attendees are invited to explore the exhibition along with refreshments.