By Geoff Mapaya, Associate Professor, Department of Music, University of Venda
Kofi Agawu is regarded as one of the world’s foremost authorities on African music. The Ghanaian scholar, teacher and researcher has changed how the world hears and studies it.
I am a scholar of indigenous African music. I have researched and written extensively on African indigenous knowledge systems and worldviews.
I also know Professor Agawu personally. He has visited my institution,…
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By Gaby Hansen, Lecturer in the Department of Architecture, Planning and Construction, Namibia University of Science and Technology
Christina Breed, Senior Lecturer, University of Pretoria
New research shows how Windhoek’s ‘Brown is Beautiful’ approach could use its dry landscape to protect the city from heat, drought and floods.
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By Brittany Vining, Postdoctoral Research Assistant, Reproductive and Women's Health, University of Oxford
Suzannah Williams, Associate Professor in Ovarian Physiology, Lead for Ovarian Cryopreservation and Fertility Preservation Research, Lead of Rhino Fertility Project, University of Oxford
Studies may include both sexes yet leave differences unexplored. That gap becomes more consequential when old evidence helps train medical AI.
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By Alex Albinski, DPhil Candidate in Physics, University of Oxford
Noam Vogt-Vincent, Associate Professor in Earth Sciences, University of Oxford
Vast quantities of plastic and fishing gear are washing up along the shores of the Seychelles, destroying fragile ecosystems and causing significant economic problems.
Aldabra Atoll, a Unesco world heritage site in this archipelago nation of 115 islands, is estimated to have accumulated more than 500 tonnes of plastic on its shores alone. Most of this plastic debris continues to pile up along its beaches today. It was estimated that removing it would cost approximately US$4.68 million (£3.46 million) and…
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By Lizzie Simon, Lecturer in Politics in the Department for Social and Political Sciences, Philosophy and Athropology, University of Exeter
Hannah Bunting, Senior Lecturer in Quantitative British Politics and Co-director of The Elections Centre, University of Exeter
Electoral reform is a perennial debate in UK politics. But it never comes to fruition – arguably because it’s never in the interests of the governing party to change the voting rules that got it into power. Now though, there are reasons to believe things could be about to change.
Labour won the 2024 general election by a landslide in the most disproportionate election ever,…
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By Tandeep Sidhu, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Criminology, University of Manitoba
Amy Graham, Master of Arts Student, Department of Sociology and Criminology, University of Manitoba
McKenzie Duguay, Master of Arts Student, Department of Sociology and Criminology, University of Manitoba
Wolves are a vital part of Canada’s rich biodiversity and are a culturally important species. Killing them to protect caribou repackages the colonial fear of the “big bad wolf.”
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By Isabella Podwinski, Social Media Producer, The Conversation
Justin Bergman, International Affairs Editor, The Conversation
On The Conversation Weekly podcast, defence and security analyst Hugh White explains why the AUKUS project has been anything but smooth sailing.
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By Maria Elena Buslacchi, socio-anthropologue, chercheuse post-doc à L'Observatoire des publics et pratiques de la culture, MESOPOLHIS UMR 7064, Sciences Po / CNRS / Aix-Marseille Université, Aix-Marseille Université (AMU)
Research on how heading to a museum could be good for the brain and general wellbeing suggests that culture fixes are an important resource for public health and social cohesion.
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By Linda Osti, Senior Lecturer in Tourism Management, Bangor University
Supporters tend to call it a “visitor levy”. Detractors prefer to call it a “tourist tax”.
Whether you agree with it or not, an extra charge for overnight stays has become a common feature of modern travel. Recent visitors to New York, Prague, Milan and Edinburgh will have already paid it. And now mayors in England will have the chance to impose it.
Some think these fees will cause…
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By Ruth Ogden, Professor of the Psychology of Time, Liverpool John Moores University
Anna Powell, PhD Student, Liverpool John Moores University
Patricia Kingori, Professor of Global Health Ethics, University of Oxford
Imagine it’s the dead of night. Your phone pings with a text – it’s a government emergency alert: “Leave your home immediately! Only take with you enough supplies for the next three days.” What would you want in your go-bag?
Our new survey of UK adults (results not yet published) has found a surprising number of people prioritised sentimental belongings such as a childhood teddy bear.
In the face of climate change and growing geopolitical instability, governments have started to advise…
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