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Professor Paul Aplin COVID wasn’t born in a Chinese lab. That’s my view, probably yours too, whatever the latest conspiracy-theorists say. The genetic makeup of COVID-19 is 96% identical to one found in bats, and the COVID outbreak has been pinned down to a wet food market in Wuhan. Wet food markets trade wild animals, … Continue reading From Disaster Comes (Environmental) Opportunity

Travis D. Frain Its been nearly five years since I joined Edge Hill University, studying for a BA in History with Politics. My time as a student was far from orthodox, as in March 2017 I was part of a group of politics students involved in the terrorist attack on Westminster Bridge whilst on a … Continue reading How do we Respond to Terror?

Professor John Sandars The COVID 19 pandemic has seen unprecedented disruption in how we all live, learn and work; medical education has been no exception.  The global impact has fallen mainly on clinical training, especially for medical students and junior doctors.  Traditional opportunities for clinical training, including general practice and hospital, initially became impossible due … Continue reading The Renewal of Medical Education in the Era of the COVID 19 Pandemic

Paula Keaveney ©UK Parliament / Jessica Taylor After a massive build up and an election night involving a partial re-count, we have a result. Can Keir Starmer breathe again? The Labour victory in the Batley and Spen by-election (winning by 323), a close result after a tense and at time acrimonious contest, is qualified good … Continue reading Keir Relief?

Elke Weissmann It’s award season: the BAFTAs have just been celebrated at the beginning of June, and in America, the Emmys will be handed out in September. Did your favourite programmes win? No? Some of them? You are not sure? Your potential lack of knowledge is not all that surprising. This is the industry celebrating … Continue reading Does the Award for Best Television Programme go to What We Value Most?

Figen Murray On 22 May 2017, my life changed forever. My son, Martyn, was 29 years old at the time and looking forward to seeing Ariana Grande in concert at the Manchester Arena. Soon after 10.30pm that night we heard the news that an explosion had taken place at the Manchester Arena.  Martyn was among … Continue reading 4 years on from the Manchester Arena Attack

Professor Emeritus Clive Walker QC (Hon), Christiane Rabenstein During the Troubles in Northern Ireland from 1969 to 1998 over 3,000 people died. It is also estimated that more than 40,000 people suffered both physical and psychological injuries, and many of those still live with permanent disablement. Yet, relatively few instances of loss have been compensated … Continue reading Who Compensates Victims of Terror? The Northern Ireland Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme

Terry O’Hara Three questions: Is it worse to be a victim of terrorism than any other violent crime? What is so different about being a victim or survivor of terrorism? Should the state response for victims of terrorism be different to that for other crime? Founded by Colin and Wendy Parry, the parents of 12-year-old … Continue reading Appropriate Response: Who are the Victims in a Terrorist Attack?

Vicki Lesley As those who attended the recent ISR online screening of my film The Atom: A Love Affair heard in the lively discussion that followed, making this documentary has been an epic undertaking for me. When I set out to investigate the renewed push for nuclear power back in the late 00’s, I had … Continue reading When Documentary Filmmaking Meets Academia – Screening ‘The Atom: A Love Affair’ at ISR

Dr Philippa Holloway The first time I visited a Nuclear Power Station my heart-rate increased. Fears triggered by childhood memories of the Chernobyl disaster were activated, and so began my research journey into how emotions and behaviours are informed by nuclear landscapes.   Vicki Lesley’s documentary film The Atom: A Love Affair reveals, through the … Continue reading What Now for Nuclear Power?

Professor Kevern Verney Approaching the anniversary of the death of George Floyd, on 25 May 2020, the outlook for race relations in the United States appears bleak. Twelve years earlier things seemed so different. In 2008 the election of Barack Obama was greeted with widespread euphoria. Media commentators proclaimed that his victory showed the United … Continue reading George Floyd One Year On: Race and Policing in the United States

Opening up Conversations about Performativity, Playfulness and Creativity in the Early Years of Primary School. Dr Jo Albin-Clark I’ve inherited a bag filled with my primary school books and creations. One thing catches my attention, a faded card with an adult drawn chick shape decorated with scrunched up tissue paper. Inside, a young hand has … Continue reading Not from Keith: What can Posthuman theory and an old Easter card do?

Paula Keaveney When I worked for the BBC in Lancashire I remember one local election night when control of the council rested on the result of just one ward in Skelmersdale.  It was an anxious wait for the party leaders and showed how knife-edge some elections can be. We could see a lot more of … Continue reading Poll Position

It is my sincere hope that this will be the only time that the ISR blog marks the anniversary of the first Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020. Certainly things do look positive – at least here at home. The UK has been riding high in the vaccine charts since January and the anticipated full capacity … Continue reading Covid-19 Anniversary Blog Wrap Up – Is there hope for the ‘roaring 20s’?

A year ago, in March 2020, we saw a global adoption of an online video-based learning approach in the higher education sector as a strategy to flatten the curve of COVID-19 infection and to prevent person-to-person transmission around university campuses. Since then, we’ve found ourselves switching between online and blended learning to mitigate the impacts … Continue reading The problem is often the solution: The future of video-based learning

Last April I wrote a short piece for ISR discussing my views on what appeared to be systemic post hoc errors in statistical and reporting practices on COVID-19 mortality. I also suggested that proportionality should be an important principle helping the Government to strike the right balance between respect for civil liberties and the legitimate … Continue reading ‘Follow the Science’: Is it time to reaffirm the intellectual virtue of inquisitiveness?

A year ago I suggested that COVID-19 might help us become more empathetic towards the life experiences and challenges of vulnerable groups and recognise the opportunity to transition to a more inclusive and sustainable world. Many people – including several authors of this blog – have seen the pandemic as an opportunity or a lesson … Continue reading Are there really any Positives from the Pandemic?

The UK Government used the emergency powers through the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020 to bring in the Coronavirus Act 2020. Similar trends were witnessed worldwide. The legislation has allowed police to restrict movement, prohibit events, detain people, enforce lockdowns and quarantine restrictions. In the UK, more than 68,000 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) … Continue reading Civil Liberties ‘on loan’: Covid-19 and beyond, do the police need more powers?

The Sewing Rooms is a social enterprise that uses sewing skills to improve the resilience, health and employability of some of our community’s most vulnerable people. At the end of 2019, we were celebrating our move to new premises and the many opportunities for expansion that came along with having a larger space in which … Continue reading Surviving the Pandemic: How to Trade out of Trouble

Almost a year ago I wrote a piece for the ISR Covid-19 blog on what might happen to business models due to the pandemic. Part of my focus then was about the role of global supply chains, and particularly how disruptions in those supply chains can have a detrimental impact on a business. I thought … Continue reading Covid-19, Brexit and a ‘Gust of Wind’: The Perfect Storm for Global Supply Chains

A year ago, I was wondering how some educational practices could be changed in category from ‘special’ to ‘normal’ as a result of socially distanced practices, and what that might mean for our relationship with normality. Online access to education had previously been campaigned for by disabled students with limited success, and where it was … Continue reading Normalising ‘special’: Covid, online learning and those with special educational needs

What with COVID, the death of the Duke of Edinburg and a football furore, you could be forgiven for not noticing the recent build-up of 80,000 Russian troops on the Russian-Ukraine border. Unsurprisingly, this has raised alarm within the international community, as an armed conflict between these two nations would have serious and inevitable implications. … Continue reading Relax… World War Three is NOT Imminent – at least not yet

We all know what Zoom calls are like. They’re just not the same. Pundits talk about ‘zoom fatigue’ – this weariness that results from this unnatural form of communication. ‘But what’s so unnatural about it?’ supporters say. You can hear the words (usually), you can see facial expression (when not frozen), indeed you can stare … Continue reading What COVID-19 has taught us about human communication

Perhaps second only to “you’re on mute”, the phrase “can you hear me now?” has become key to COVID-19 pandemic communications. Whether this phrase follows unmuting or is used as the go-to check-in question following the all too many incidents of unstable WIFI connections, the reality is that we all want to be heard. When … Continue reading Can you hear me now?

The COVID-19 pandemic has provided us with insights into different political regimes’ responses to what is now a prolonged, unpredictable, and difficult to manage crisis. Parts of Eastern Europe had initially been considered as the models for how to respond to the pandemic. Nearly a year on, with cases surging and the state struggling to … Continue reading You Still Need Society! Authoritarianism and COVID-19

In a year when we spent more time at home than ever before, television provided a crucial window on the world. Ofcom estimated in August 2020 that during lockdown people were spending an average of 40% of their waking hours in front of a screen. TV watching was up by approximately a third. While this … Continue reading A Year of Covid TV

As outdoor sports facilities open and organised sports clubs begin to welcome back members, it’s uplifting to note that there have been numerous positive developments in safeguarding children and young people in this sector recently. These include: In its latest 10-year plan, Sport England, the body responsible for grassroots sport, have named safeguarding as one … Continue reading Covid-19 and Sport: Some Positive Outcomes for Athletes and Athlete Welfare

Negative discourses around migration have created a hostile environment for asylum seekers and refugees. Having often had horrific and unimaginable experiences in their home country – and endured dangerous passage to claim asylum, refugees need places to feel accepted, recognised, to heal, reconcile in their host communities and to share their experiences of daily life … Continue reading Third sector organisations: An oasis for asylum seekers and refugees in the wake of Covid-19?

While the pandemic has been detrimental for many, COVID-19 has also presented us with opportunities. One such opportunity has been to re-examine the impact that increased digital engagement has had on increasing participation in the autistic community. Autistic people are advantaged by being able to engage digitally with friends, colleagues, classmates and educators. Among other … Continue reading Silver Linings: Autism, Covid and Digital Engagement during the Pandemic

In this morning’s tutorial with a postgraduate our conversation meandered here and there, touching on writing, juggling deadlines and inter-weaving theoretical ideas with the blessed Harvard referencing. It reminded me of the best things about being a university tutor – I was actually helping! Except, I was sitting in my house with my laptop perched … Continue reading After a Year, is it Time to Log Off?

Motor cars have been used for crime since their earliest pre-First World War development. However, with the rapid rise in car ownership it was the interwar period that saw public and political concern rise significantly. Fears about criminal use of motor cars became focused on the idea of the ‘motor bandit’, an emotive and flexible … Continue reading Then and Now: Crime, Speeding Cars, and How to Stop Them

A year ago we started to experience changes to even the most menial of tasks, including the weekly shop. Stripes of yellow and black tape appeared on supermarket floors guiding us around (sometimes unfathomable) one way systems, and indicating where we should stand in a ‘socially distanced’ queue. Plastic screens that used to adorn checkouts … Continue reading A Year ‘at a distance’: Is there hope ‘when this is all over’?

So now we know.  Figures published by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation show that the impact of COVID-19 on tourism has been devastating. International arrivals to the UK fell by 74% in 2020; levels not seen since the early 1990s. 1 billion international arrivals have been ‘lost’, along with export revenues of $1.3 trillion. … Continue reading Winners and Losers: A Year of Tourism During Covid-19

Has the time finally come for a universal basic income (UBI)?  Many believe so, especially in light of the economic fall-out from the covid-19 pandemic. Experiments of basic income are running in many advanced welfare states. What for centuries has been an outpost of radical, even obscure, philosophical and economic debates could soon become a … Continue reading Rebuilding after COVID-19: Is Now the Time for a Universal Basic Income?

`Never say never’ … the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico has fallen. Well, not literary, but since the inauguration of Joe Biden, they have stopped building it. Yet this is largely symbolic, as due to pandemic, the U.S.-Mexico border continues to be closed. In fact, since March 2020 the US-Mexico border has been … Continue reading Who needs a wall? US-Mexico Immigration during a Pandemic

A year ago I was planning a workshop hosted by Youth Focus NW. Speakers were coming from across the country and there were lots of discussions over whether the event should be cancelled or go ahead. Taking the lead from the Cheltenham Festival, we went ahead with our chairs spaced a metre apart. That was … Continue reading A Year of Youth Work in Lockdown: What have we been doing if not innovating?

COVID-19 has had a huge impact on human mobility and migration. Governments across the world took extraordinary measures to curtail international travel and movement of peoples whilst simultaneously calling all their citizens to return home. Domestic systems of disease management followed including enforced quarantine and closed borders. The pandemic was initially thought as an equalizer; … Continue reading COVID-19, (im)mobility and Health Inequalities

Research and contemporary reports on the impact of COVID-19 indicate how those from marginalised and disadvantaged backgrounds have been most impacted by the virus. This has been particularly the case for disabled people and ethnic minorities. February 2021 was LGBT History Month, a time to focus on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people who shaped … Continue reading The Continued Impact of Coronavirus on LGBTQ+ People

There were many revealing moments in the explosive interview between Oprah Winfrey and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex broadcast on ITV1 on Monday night. But the one that caught my attention was the slightly awkward admission from the pair that they had watched ‘some’ of The Crown. This was not exactly an Oprah scoop. … Continue reading A brief interlude from COVID: is The Crown fact or fiction?

A year of ministry in lockdown brings with it a conflicting mixture of befuddlement, anger and hope. The anger comes from standing alongside many families in their bereavement with so few people allowed in our buildings; thirty in Church, and ten or twenty at Crematoria. No hymn singing allowed even in a brief respite near … Continue reading A Year On in Lockdown Ministry

12 months ago I reimagined a good society in the wake of Covid-19. The vision was one of mutual aid, community strength and public policy, led by strong, independent and diverse voices. One year on, this vision has in some sense been enacted; yet the pandemic has revealed more obstacles on the road to a … Continue reading Digital Inclusion and a ‘Good Society’ in the wake of COVID-19

The information paradox dictates that as news sources multiply and information becomes overabundant, the more likely it is for exaggerated, implausible and untruthful stories to gain traction. The pandemic aside, it is the ‘infodemic’ we should now be fighting? Over the last 12 months, conspiracy theories have not only become a main mode of communication … Continue reading Pandemic or Infodemic? 2020, the Year of ‘Fake News’?

Endgame stages a world in which old people expire in dustbins, a worker incarcerated at home reels under the weight of contradictory imperatives, while a self-regarding overseer, obsessively gives, and reviews his own performance. Beckett left us a play for our times. A year on from our first collective experience of lockdown, ‘hyperconnectivity’ has shaped … Continue reading Hellish Repetition: Lockdown Anticipated in Samuel Beckett’s ‘What Where’

Covid-19 Anniversary Blog 22/04/2020.. London, United Kingdom. First virtual PMQs and Ministerial statement on Coronavirus, with First Secretary of State Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP and the Leader of the Opposition Sir Keir Starmer MP. Picture by  Jessica Taylor © UK Parliament “It’s not what you say, it’s what people hear”, writes US Political Consultant … Continue reading Keir Exposure – Constructive Opposition a Year on?

In April 2020 regulations in the United Kingdom (UK) relating to the protection and care of children who live in residential family centres and who are cared for by foster carers, were relaxed. This raised alarm bells about the increased risk of these children’s rights not being met. Twelve months on, what is current state … Continue reading The Unmet Rights of Children in Care: the State of Affairs 12 months on

The 24th March 2021 will be the anniversary of the first Covid-19 lockdown in the UK. Since then we have been on a roller-coaster, both personally and professionally, and witnessed unprecedented changes to our way of life. Some will be temporary – others will be permanent; but as we approach the anniversary, can we predict … Continue reading Covid-19 Anniversary Blog

This May sees a huge set of elections.  It will be the biggest national test of party popularity since the General Election.  Postponed local and mayoral elections from last year combine with scheduled contests to give us a psephologist’s dream. Yet a row in Liverpool over who will be on the ballot paper for Labour … Continue reading Who chooses – finding candidates for public office

By Heidi Beirich Taking the stage on January 20 for his inaugural speech in front of the American Capitol that had just been stormed by hundreds of right-wing extremists, President Joe Biden specifically called out the problem of white supremacy and the need to confront it. He denounced the “racism, nativism, fear, demonization” that propelled … Continue reading How the Biden Administration Can Take on White Supremacy

We’re midway through Veganuary, the annual challenge to those who typically consume animal products to spend a month going vegan. Reports suggest half a million people in the UK have made the pledge to eat only plant-based food as part of the initiative this year, and the number of participants has risen rapidly since the … Continue reading Veganuary

Social responsibility is part of Bluecoat’s core purpose. We have survived many challenges and the basis of our resilience has always been a deep sense of responsibility to our civic role. We are a working arts centre with a community of artists, creative businesses, a public garden, galleries and performance spaces. We engage offsite with … Continue reading Is Socially Distanced Social Responsibility Possible?

Over recent years organisations have increasingly tried to engage with the digital world, but who would have thought that a global pandemic would be the thing to turn our practice upside-down? To the world, and its young people, 2020 was a year of change and instability; rules changed seemingly minute by minute. Life as we … Continue reading Socially Distanced Social Responsibility: Engaging Young People Today

In light of the current, and preceding lockdowns, ‘church’ at St Gabriel’s, Huyton, has been very different. Transferring worship services online has allowed our congregation to interact, but the ceasing of public worship has decimated church finances and fees. We cannot let out of our facilities which impacts our ability to reach out to the … Continue reading Social Distant Socially Responsible: One Church’s Experience

Overcoming digital divides, building social connections and acting in a socially responsible way in the midst of a global pandemic isn’t easy. Last week (13/01/21) ISR hosted a webinar to discuss this challenge. The date of the webinar coincided with the launch of the JRF UK poverty report and the JRF Destitution Report which both … Continue reading How do you do Socially Distant Social Responsibility?

On his or her way out of office, a UK Prime Minister will often send a small group of allies to the House of Lords. On his way out of office, a US President will let a bigger group out of jail! The ability to issue a pardon for a federal crime is one of … Continue reading Sorry seems to be…

Since the mid-90s secularisation in Ireland has been discernible, with sharp declines in mass attendance, vocations, regular family prayer and Catholic sacramental engagement. This period dovetails with allegations of sexual abuse amongst the clergy, and the mistreatment of unmarried mothers (Fallen Women) in religious-run institutions (Magdalene Laundries, Mother and Baby Homes). It also coincided with … Continue reading ‘Catholicism at a Crossroads’: Technology in Times of Crisis in Modern Ireland

The death of filmmaker Michael Apted on 7 January 2021 prompted an outpouring of praise for his long career in film and television production. He directed well-regarded feature films such as Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980), Gorillas in the Mist (1988) and Nell (1994). But it is for his work on the pioneering television documentary Seven … Continue reading ‘A Nosy Interest in the Human Condition’: Michael Apted’s Up Series

The recent scenes of mob rule in Washington DC have sent shockwaves around the globe, and have been met by statements of disbelief and disapproval from world leaders. The condemnation of the insurrectionists by leading Republicans, including Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and Vice President Mike Pence, and the subsequent congressional confirmation of Joe Biden’s … Continue reading Two Cheers for American Democracy

As we see the imposition of hard borders within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for the first time since the Acts of Union in 1707, the cosmopolitan dream of a world without borders appears to be slipping away. The European Union, once an organization eager to push for the dismantling of … Continue reading The Pandemic X Brexit: A World with Hard Borders?

When Arts Council England launched its 10-year strategy in January, no-one could have guessed what was just around the corner. ‘Let’s Create’ is a strategy full of hope; about opening up opportunities, developing shared experiences and recognising the creative potential in each of us. COVID-19 has challenged us all, on a professional and personal level. … Continue reading COVID Creativity: new possibilities or a fresh challenge?

Each year the 20th November marks World Children’s Day in recognition of, and to promote, children’s rights. This date is significant because on the 20th November in 1959, the Declaration of the Rights of the Child was adopted by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly and, on the same date in 1989, the UN General … Continue reading World Children’s Day: why we need to raise awareness about children’s rights

According to experts at a recent public event supported by the Institute for Social Responsibility (ISR), sports organisations need to rethink how they approach athlete welfare, to ensure they are meeting their legal and moral obligations, and to provide a healthy and safe environment. Abuse and maltreatment in sport have featured heavily in national and … Continue reading At the Heart of Gold: Rethinking Athlete Welfare

In recent weeks media commentators have dubbed the 2020 U.S. election ‘historic’. It’s understandable. The campaign was fought in the midst of a global pandemic. By election day over 9.5 million Americans had contracted COVID-19 and more than 235,000 had died. The contrasting responses of the candidates towards the epidemic, and their competing visions of … Continue reading Biden, Trump and the Lessons of the Past

We may not know yet who will win the Presidential Election but, as Edge Hill programme leader for Politics Paula Keaveney, argues, some people have “won” already. I am constantly amazed by the speed with which US commentators switch from the results of an election to the question of who will run next.  Sometimes there … Continue reading And the winner is…

Even in a small national state like our own, it would be more accurate to talk about identities rather than posit the notion of a single all-encompassing identity. This multiplicity of identities is formed by an interaction of class, region and culture. George Orwell’s comment that one rarely hears an educated accent north of Watford … Continue reading Some Thoughts on the Crisis of National Identity

November 1st 2020 is World Vegan Day, a day when vegans around the world will celebrate veganism. It’s also a great opportunity to reflect on recent research about veganism undertaken by academics including those from Edge Hill University. In the last five years veganism has moved from the margins to the mainstream. This is best … Continue reading World Vegan Day: What Does the Research Say?

The post-Brexit referendum period has witnessed the growth of English nationalism, spikes in hate crime, allegations of institutional racism in the Home Office following the Windrush scandal, and accusations of anti-Semitism in the Labour party. Terror attacks in London and Manchester have undermined public confidence feeding widespread anti- Muslim sentiments, and wars of the last … Continue reading Britishness, Identity and Belonging

In the volatile COVID-19 era, the shift of the UK government away from the ‘hostile environment’ may come as a surprise to some. Priti Patel’s statement on the 21st July 2020 on a more compassionate ‘people, not cases’ approach to immigration in the wake of the Windrush scandal contrasts sharply with Brexit and its aggressive … Continue reading Windrush as Watershed? Revisiting migration policy and practice in the UK

As schools and settings prepare to welcome back all children it is important to be aware that the past 6 months will have been a different experience for each child. We also cannot assume that all children have the same feelings, thoughts and emotions about the transitional processes that they are currently undergoing and the … Continue reading “Have you heard me?” Consulting with young children at a time of transition and change in early years.

In my favourite political sitcom, The Thick of It, defenestrated opposition leader Nicola Murray tells spin doctor Malcolm Tucker to take her seriously because she is now “a grandee”.   “You’re not a grandee… you’re a blandee” he replies. Tucker doesn’t want to listen to any of her advice.  She is, as far as he is … Continue reading The Club of 5: Can former PMs really shape the debate?

When schools around the world transitioned to a distance learning model caused by COVID-19, many believed that the current generation of young people, born in a context of great technological development, would easily make the leap. For many students however, this was not the case. Although students need to master information, media and technology skills … Continue reading Technologically Savvy Students? Revelations During a Pandemic

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s 2018 presidential election victory appeared to seal his party’s domination over Turkey’s politics until the end of his term in 2023, or even 2028. Since this victory however, he has presided over an ailing economy. The Turkish lira has plummeted, foreign reserves have shrunk as the Central bank intervened to stabilise the … Continue reading Narrating the pandemic: COVID-19 as a feature of Turkey’s political landscape

Some of you might have seen the Tweets and blogs making the rounds regarding the sexual harassment and exploitation (sexual and not) of female academics. I read them with a profound sense of knowing sadness: whilst I have been lucky to not be in these women’s places, the misogyny and gendered power imbalances are evident … Continue reading Gendered Double Imbalances in Higher Education

Musings on Julio Nakpil’s “Deus Omnipotens et Misericors (Requiescat et pace), Marcha Funebre” (1943) The Research Center for Culture, Arts and Humanities of the University of Santo Tomas, Manila, was in the middle of retrieving and publishing the works of the Filipino composer Julio Nakpil (1867-1960) when we were locked down by the pandemic. Manila … Continue reading Art, Music and Death Amidst the COVID 19 Pandemic:

If we look only at trade figures, Sino-Italian relations might not be considered worth our attention. In fact, they are very lop-sided. For Italy, China is not a significant partner, accounting for 3.4% of exports and 7.2% of imports. For China, Italy is even less important, representing less than 1% of both imports and exports. … Continue reading Caught in the middle? Italy and China after COVID-19

Nigeria confirmed their first COVID-19 case on 27th February and since then Nigeria’s centre for disease control has been the leading institution for reporting and tackling the pandemic. By June 2020, there were 22,020 cases and 542 deaths recorded. Nigerians have to adapt to a new reality, after initially only hearing the news via media platforms … Continue reading Covid-19 and Nigeria

As a social scientist working in the field of Chinese politics, I note with interest the speed with which perceptions of China changed these last months. A Cold War mentality is detectable. We hear from many parts of the world that China’s rise as a superpower is a challenge to the status quo. Politicians and … Continue reading A New Cold War? Can we maintain good academic relationships with China post Covid-19?

As Covid-19 spread rapidly throughout the world, the Australian university year was just beginning. Student introductions had been made, course material had been outlined, but deep learning had not been initiated. As swiftly as Covid-19 took hold, so did the need for Australian academics to restructure their courses from on-campus to online delivery, while attempting … Continue reading Computer Says ‘No’: Digital Resistance and Online delivery in Tasmania

The COVID-19 pandemic and its ripple effects became real in South Africa with lock down at the end of March 2020. No one, not the most prepared, respected or skilled lecturer, could have prepared for what was to come.  Initially, we higher education lecturers, waited patiently for the government and Minister of Higher Education to … Continue reading “In times of trouble the wise built a bridge and the fool a dam” a Nigerian proverb.

Over the past four months humankind has endured a combination of forced challenges and changes that few in history have experienced. Underlying the need for these constraints is arguably the cornerstone to our existence – health. Amongst all the uncertainty, unpredictability, panic, and novelty that has become part of a newfound daily routine for many, … Continue reading A View from Tasmania: Has the pandemic influenced health and health behaviour?

Just as the COVID-19 pandemic began five members of the Action Research Network of the Americas established a foundation. The Musical Learning Action Research Community was approved. A month later, we had a fortunate encounter with another member working from Java, Indonesia, and now this action research community is working on 16 different projects to … Continue reading Observing Different Worlds: Action Research and the Musical Learning Community

Black Lives Matter has been thrown into the news and all our consciousness following yet another black man’s death in the USA due to Police brutality. This has triggered a global reaction expressing the frustration of those who don’t feel that they are listened to. Having been brought up in St. Helens after the war, … Continue reading Racism and Me!

While our lives have been upended by the pandemic, the outrage triggered by the killing of George Floyd has drawn vital attention to the global scourge of racism. The impact of the Black Lives Matter movement has been immediate and spectacular. Protesters around the world have braved Covid-19 to amplify their anti-racist message. In the … Continue reading Totem and Taboo: UK Television Comedy in the light of Black Lives Matter

Isolating at home has become the norm, in what feels like an ultra-long winter vacation! The Chinese Ministry of Education has decreed that “classes will be suspended, without school suspension” and so, like the rest of the world, we have had to turn to the webcast. Webcast teaching has a number of advantages. It provides … Continue reading A View from China: Will COVID-19 Change the Way We Teach?

Recently we launched an international thread to the ISR blog with goal of amassing views and responses around the world; and we have been thrilled to receive a range of diverse contributions that we will be posting in the coming days. Of course, the world does not stop for anything – not even a global … Continue reading ISR Blog: A note from the editor

The current COVID pandemic has hit us all both professionally and personally. Personally, I am very relaxed and easy-going person who manages stress in my work and personal life easily through a combination of regular exercise, prioritizing, and controlling what I can control and not worrying about what I cannot control. The current pandemic is … Continue reading Coping During the Current Global Pandemic: A View from Australia

UK universities suffer worst-ever rankings in world league table while Asian institutions rise. Sure, we can blame a lot on a nasty virus, but truth is we all know this has been building up for some time. If you are surprised that the Asian Century is now well and truly underway then frankly you’ve not … Continue reading The Asian Century is Underway – but will Universities in the West lose out?

It is probably known to most readers of this column that Israel is home to an existential conflict between national-ethnic groups. This conflict is often manifest in clashes between narratives on how Israel was established, and the history of the very land upon which it sits. Yet, few realize how polarized the discourse among Israelis … Continue reading Tip of the iceberg: COVID-19 and the welfare state in Israel

Over the last few months, ISR has attempted to capture the EHU view of the pandemic. This proved to be wide-ranging, thought provoking and at times, challenging. Yet a pandemic is by its very nature a global, or at a least trans-boundary phenomenon. We have seen many countries attempt to deal with the pandemic in … Continue reading Seeking International Perspectives on a Global Pandemic

When we had the idea to ISR blog in the week after lockdown in late March, we could not have imagined that it would have such resonance. Since the start of April we have had nearly 50 posts, charting our immediate response as an academic community to a once in a 100-year event. In receiving, … Continue reading To the Moon and Back: Summing up the ISR/EHU Covid-19 Blog

HAMM: This is not much fun. But that’s always the way at the end of the day, isn’t it, Clov? CLOV: Always. HAMM: It’s the end of the day like any other day, isn’t it, Clov? CLOV: Looks like it. HAMM (anguished): What’s happening, what’s happening? CLOV: Something is taking its course. Samuel Beckett’s Endgame … Continue reading Staging Apocalypse: Endgame, by Samuel Beckett

In uncertain times, it is unsurprising that evoking the idea of ‘normal’ provides a source of comfort. ‘Normal’ implies a predictability and coherence that many of us crave. Both a return to the ‘old’ normal and a re-imagining of a ‘new’ normal are presented as potential reassurances of a more familiar and comprehensible future. It … Continue reading Returning to ‘normal’: Better or Worse for those with special need and/or disabilities?

The development of electronic communications over the past few years has made home working a possibility for many of us, the current Covid-19 pandemic has made it compulsory for even more of us. If we set aside the pressures of social isolation, this is a development that could have many benefits. In the early days … Continue reading Covid-19: Liberation from the Clock (for some)

As a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, schools in England have radically shifted form. After temporarily closing for the majority of children, they have remained open for some. The sector is in the midst of planning how to bring more children on site safely. Alongside this, extraordinary attempts have been made to sustain relationships with … Continue reading Listen up! Schools have always been much more than places for Education

Following a series of family bereavements;  including my father, mother and only brother over a 2 year period, my elder daughter responded very positively when I said she was coping very well.  ‘Dad’, she said, ‘we have become experts at bereavement!’ Notwithstanding, I required counselling having been devastated by my losses; she is now a … Continue reading Experts at Bereavement?

Given the rapid shift to focus on online video-based learning due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it is evident that we need to develop understanding of how this mode of learning will impact student engagement with their course and learning. Also, what measures can be used to determine its success? Video-based learning has a long history … Continue reading Covid-19, Higher Education and the rise of video-based learning

22/04/2020.. London, United Kingdom. First virtual PMQs and Ministerial statement on Coronavirus, with First Secretary of State Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP and the Leader of the Opposition Sir Keir Starmer MP. Picture by  Jessica Taylor © UK Parliament Parliamentary opposition is usually pretty easy.  You criticise the other side.  They are wrong, they haven’t … Continue reading Constructive Opposition in a Time of Crisis: Can the new Labour Leadership Rise to the Challenge?

As part of Voluntary Arts’ Creative Network, I was recently invited to talk with Nick Ewbank, Chair of ISR’s External Advisory Group, about everyday creativity in the context of the response to COVID-19. In particular, we were looking at David Gauntlett’s definition and how he emphasises the idea of ‘making is connecting’, and advocates the … Continue reading Creative Resilience and going OFFLine during Lockdown

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the film and television industries. Production has been halted on all UK feature films and television series, cinemas were closed, and film festivals migrated on line. The onset of the virus has, however, accelerated changes that were already forecast. The enhanced subscription take up  for the streaming platforms such as … Continue reading Streaming and CGI? The future of TV and Film after COVID-19?

Media scholarship, cultural commentary and movie reviews regularly reflect on production contexts and their impact on possible readings of the films and shows we watch. Both 9/11 and the Covid-19 epidemic have been described by as ‘America under attack.’ President Trump has stated that the epidemic is a ‘worse attack’ on the US than both … Continue reading Covid-19: Hollywood’s Next 9/11?

Those who lead – people, educational or research programmes, engagement activities or even entire organisations in Higher Education, like every other sector globally, are now confronting the challenges of how to move forward in a world where everything we do has the potential for radical change. However, despite common references to a ‘new normal,’ realistically … Continue reading Towards a ‘Next Normal’: HE and Reflection at Speed