By Tom Yarrow, Professor of Anthropology, Durham University
Paolo Heywood, Associate Professor, Social Anthropology, Durham University
When John, a stonemason working at Glasgow Cathedral, finishes repairing a section, the highest praise he can receive is that no one notices. “When we get things that come together you just see a couple of wee bits of stone”, he explains. “You don’t actually see the work that went into it. But it’s satisfying getting it to all come back as if it’s never been touched.”
This is the paradox at the heart of skilled conservation work: the better you…
(Full Story)
|
By Roman Pavlyuchenko, Lecturer in Marketing, University of Bath
Delphine Dion, Full Professor, Consmption and Market dynamics, ESSEC
So now we know exactly what you get when you cross two distinct brands of Swiss watch-making, one affordable (Swatch) and one luxury (Audemars Piguet). You get a new model of watch that attracts massive hype, huge queues and brawling customers.
For £335, you might also get your hands on a colourful pocket watch. But first you’d have to brave the crowds.
The watches, manufactured as a collaboration (or “collab”) between the two companies, are available in selected Swatch stores, with
(Full Story)
|
By Jessica Cabezas Alarcón, Dra. Educación y Sociedad. Professora Departament de Mètodes d'Investigació i Diagnòstic en Educació, Universitat de Barcelona
When we talk about intellectually gifted children, the debate tends to focus on one of two questions: how we detect this characteristic, and why it doesn’t always translate into higher marks at school. While these are important questions, they overlook another equally important one: what can schools do once they know a student has to learn in a different way to other others?
Even when gifted students are identified, educators tend to offer an uninspiring response. They set more work, or more of the same…
(Full Story)
|
By Molly Babel, Professor of Linguistics, University of British Columbia
Amanda Cardoso, Lecturer, Department of Linguistics, University of British Columbia
An AI accent manipulation tool may be “cool” technology, but it is arguably also a form of discrimination against workers whose voices are being altered.
(Full Story)
|
By Irene Vitoroulis, Associate Professor, Developmental Psychology, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa
Jonathan B. Santo, Professor of Psychology, University of Nebraska Omaha
Many of us, at one time or another, have been in situations where something someone said or did felt offensive, hurtful or dismissive. These can be subtle, often unintentional, comments, questions or actions that suggest bias and negative assumptions about a person based on their identity.
Social scientists refer to them as microaggressions. They are called “micro” not because they have a small impact, but because they’re…
(Full Story)
|
By Marcin Kaczmarski, Lecturer in Security Studies, University of Glasgow
Less than a week after hosting Donald Trump, China’s leader Xi Jinping welcomed his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to Beijing. Unlike Trump’s visit, this was a routine meeting. The Chinese and Russian presidents have met more than 40 times since 2013, with the latest meeting marking Putin’s 25th visit to China.
The frequency of talks is itself a testimony to the expanding scope of shared interests between the two states. And, as is typical for Sino-Russian summits, Xi and Putin signed…
(Full Story)
|
By Tim Holmes, Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Policing, Bangor University
In the recent king’s speech, King Charles outlined a series of UK government proposals, including plans to move forward with digital identity through the digital access to services bill.
The government says the scheme is designed to modernise access to public services, allowing people to verify who they are more quickly and securely. The proposal is voluntary. But after last September’s politically bruising debate over compulsory national ID cards, digital identity may once again become a contentious…
(Full Story)
|
By Angus Harrison, Senior Lecturer in Law, The University of Law
The 46 countries bound by the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) have signed a new declaration on migration, setting out how they believe human rights law should apply to migration issues.
With the ECHR playing a contentious role in immigration discourse in the UK, the UK government trailed this declaration as a…
(Full Story)
|
By Eva Cheuk-Yin Li, Lecturer in Screen Industries, King's College London
Set in 1930s Taiwan under Japanese colonial rule, Taiwan Travelogue follows fictional Japanese novelist Aoyama Chizuko and her Taiwanese interpreter, Ō Chizuru (or Ông Tshian-ho'h), as they journey across colonial Taiwan by rail, encountering its diverse local food cultures. But Taiwan Travelogue is far more than a historical travel narrative. Through meals, translation and silences, Yáng explores colonial power, intimacy and the limits of empathy.
At first glance, the novel almost resembles a cookbook. Each…
(Full Story)
|
By Olga Lazareva, Professor of Psychology, Drake University
Reggie Gazes, Associate Professor of Psychology, Bucknell University
On your mental number line, are the numbers smaller on the left or on the right? Two comparative cognition researchers explain how culture may influence the orientation – but also may not.
(Full Story)
|