#birkbeckvoices

As part of a conference on ‘Languages of Internationalism’, hosted by the Reluctant Internationalists research group, Heidi Tworek (University of British Columbia), Humphrey Tonkin (University of Hartford), Lisa McEntree-Atalianis (Birkbeck) and Sebastian Gehrig (Oxford) discuss language and expertise across international organisations in relation to the League of Nations, United Nations, and the states of East and West Germany. The panel, chaired by Jessica Reinisch (Birkbeck), addresses the emergence and uses of language within these organisations. ‘Languages of Internationalism’ aimed to shed light on the centrality of language to people’s pursuit and experiences of internationalism. Language is at the heart of every international enterprise, but as the conference showed, it presents obstacles and dilemmas, as well as opportunities. Many of the papers emphasised frictions and tensions which emerged over the use of languages in international settings. Discussions showed how language could be a tool of com

As part of a conference on ‘Languages of Internationalism’, hosted by the Reluctant Internationalists research group, Jocelyn Olcott (Duke University), Christine Vargha-Harris (Illinois State University – discussion only) and Emma Lundin (Birkbeck) examine the language adopted by international feminist movements in relation to the examples of the 1975 International Women’s Year conference and Swedish and South African political activists from 1968-1994. The panel, chaired by Philippa Hetherington (University College London), addresses how shared these languages were and the extent to which language difficulties were a hindrance at international events. ‘Languages of Internationalism’ aimed to shed light on the centrality of language to people’s pursuit and experiences of internationalism. Language is at the heart of every international enterprise, but as the conference showed, it presents obstacles and dilemmas, as well as opportunities. Many of the papers emphasised frictions and tensions which emerged ove

As part of a conference on ‘Languages of Internationalism’, hosted by the Reluctant Internationalists research group, Marc Volovici (Princeton University), Nick Underwood (University of Colorado Boulder) and Carmen Mangion (Birkbeck) discuss the search for a shared language in relation to the examples of German as a Zionist lingua franca, Yiddish in interwar Paris, and the language of governance amongst Catholic networks and communities. The panel, chaired by David Brydan (Birkbeck), addresses how shared these languages were. ‘Languages of Internationalism’ aimed to shed light on the centrality of language to people’s pursuit and experiences of internationalism. Language is at the heart of every international enterprise, but as the conference showed, it presents obstacles and dilemmas, as well as opportunities. Many of the papers emphasised frictions and tensions which emerged over the use of languages in international settings. Discussions showed how language could be a tool of communication, solidarity an

As part of a conference on ‘Languages of Internationalism’, hosted by the Reluctant Internationalists research group, Diana Georgescu (University College London), Pey-Yi Chu (Pomona College), Beatrice Wayne (New York University) and Dina Fainberg (City, University of London) discuss language and communication during the Cold War. The panel, chaired by Dora Vargha (University of Exeter) highlight frictions and tensions which emerged over the use of language in international settings. ‘Languages of Internationalism’ aimed to shed light on the centrality of language to people’s pursuit and experiences of internationalism. Language is at the heart of every international enterprise, but as the conference showed, it presents obstacles and dilemmas, as well as opportunities. Discussions showed how language could be a tool of communication, solidarity and unity, as well as a force of division and alienation. But the conference also made clear the centrality of language in the performance, experience and pursuit of

As part of a conference on ‘Languages of Internationalism’, hosted by the Reluctant Internationalists research group, Allison Korinek (New York University) and Justin Jackson (New York University) discuss the role of language in constructing the French imperial interpretariat in Algeria, and the work of interpreters in providing local linguistic knowledge during the U.S wars and occupations in Cuba and the Philippines from 1898-1913. The panel, chaired by Ana Antic (University of Exeter) addresses the role of language in constructing empire. ‘Languages of Internationalism’ aimed to shed light on the centrality of language to people’s pursuit and experiences of internationalism. Language is at the heart of every international enterprise, but as the conference showed, it presents obstacles and dilemmas, as well as opportunities. Many of the papers emphasised frictions and tensions which emerged over the use of languages in international settings. Discussions showed how language could be a tool of communicatio

As part of a conference on ‘Languages of Internationalism’, hosted by the Reluctant Internationalists research group, Brigid O’Keefe (Brooklyn College) and Claire Shaw (University of Bristol) discuss the rise and fall of Esperanto in the early Soviet Union and international sign language during the Cold War. The panel, chaired by Humphrey Tonkin (University of Hartford), addresses how international these languages were. ‘Languages of Internationalism’ aimed to shed light on the centrality of language to people’s pursuit and experiences of internationalism. Language is at the heart of every international enterprise, but as the conference showed, it presents obstacles and dilemmas, as well as opportunities. Many of the papers emphasised frictions and tensions which emerged over the use of languages in international settings. Discussions showed how language could be a tool of communication, solidarity and unity, as well as a force of division and alienation. But the conference also made clear the centrality of

‘Queer British Art 1861–1967’ is the first exhibition dedicated to British LGBTQ art, and marks the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of male homosexuality in England. Clare Barlow, the exhibition’s curator, will introduce the exhibition. Speaker: Clare Barlow joined Tate in 2014. As Assistant Curator, British Art 1750–1830 she is part of the pre-1800 team of Curators and Assistant Curators who are responsible for developing and researching Tate’s collection of artworks from the sixteenth to the early nineteenth centuries. She has also worked on a number of exhibition and display projects, including British Folk Art (2014) and Fighting History (2015). Before working at Tate she was Assistant Curator, 18th and 20th Centuries at the National Portrait Gallery, London.

Non-fiction has risen to prominence in recent years. In this event, discuss why this might be with Birkbeck writers Katherine Angel and Julia Bell, and poet Sarah Howe. Our panellists will ask questions about truth-telling and artifice, representation and voice, in relation to both prose and poetry.

Mike Berlin, a specialist in the social history of London, discusses the history of Birkbeck as a place of refuge throughout the twentieth century, and how refugees have shaped the College. He also discusses how this legacy is continuing with the Compass Project - an initiative which will fund the study of twenty asylum seekers, beginning in autumn 2017. For more information on the Compass Project, go to: http://www.bbk.ac.uk/about-us/outreach/compass-project Birkbeck Voices, the podcast series from Birkbeck, University of London, brings you interviews with our academics, students, alumni and wider community. We cover the latest research and inspiring events taking place at the College and find out more about the people who make Birkbeck the place that it is. Listen to the #BirkbeckVoices SoundCloud playlist - https://soundcloud.com/birkbeck-podcasts/sets/birkbeck-voices

Following the political turbulence of the last 12 months, Birkbeck’s 2017 Arts Week programme tackles some of the most topical issues facing society today through theatre, literature, poetry, photography, cinema and debate. Running from Monday 15 to Friday 19 May, the annual celebration of arts and culture will feature more than 50 free events for the public to attend. In this podcast we give listeners a taster of the thought-provoking and intriguing topics that they will encounter during Arts Week. Dr Leslie Topp talks about political landscapes in Bengal, Nazi Germany and New York City, while Dr Joseph Brooker describes the fantastical work, The Third Policeman, by Flann O'Brien as "Alice in Wonderland meets Kafka, in Ireland". Arts Week - www.bbk.ac.uk/artsweek

Professor Dewaele talks about how multilingualism can benefit children and societies and debunks some of the common myths about multilingual child-rearing. Professor Dewaele's new book, Raising Multilingual Children, is available now and is published by Multilingual Matters. Department of Applied Linguistics and Communication - www.bbk.ac.uk/linguistics Courses in linguistics - http://bit.ly/2pfqwLq Courses in foreign languages - http://bit.ly/2putF61 Birkbeck Voices, the podcast series from Birkbeck, University of London, brings you interviews with our academics, students, alumni and wider community. We cover the latest research and inspiring events taking place at the College and find out more about the people who make Birkbeck the place that it is. Listen to the #BirkbeckVoices SoundCloud playlist - https://soundcloud.com/birkbeck-podcasts/sets/birkbeck-voices

Ian Haywood - Professor of English at Roehampton University - responds to Josephine McDonagh's lecture on ‘The Political Picaresque: Sunshine and Shadow, and Radical Responses to Migrancy and Settlement around 1850’

Dr Jason Edwards, Lecturer in Politics at Birkbeck, discusses the role of populism across a range of recent political events - from Brexit, to the election of Donald Trump, to the rise of the far-right Front National in France - as well as commenting on how populism is playing out in the UK general election campaigns. He also discusses populism in the context of wider ideas about sovereignty and control. For more information about Politics at Birkbeck, go to: http://www.bbk.ac.uk/politics Birkbeck Voices, the podcast series from Birkbeck, University of London, brings you interviews with our academics, students, alumni and wider community. We cover the latest research and inspiring events taking place at the College and find out more about the people who make Birkbeck the place that it is. Listen to the #BirkbeckVoices SoundCloud playlist - https://soundcloud.com/birkbeck-podcasts/sets/birkbeck-voices

Josephine McDonagh: ‘The Political Picaresque: Sunshine and Shadow, and Radical Responses to Migrancy and Settlement around 1850’

Jocelyne Saab is a journalist, photographer, artist, scriptwriter, producer and film director. She has spent more than four decades documenting conflict and deprivation, especially the civil war in her native Lebanon in the 1970s and 1980s. Her Beirut Trilogy was a highlight of the Essay Film Festival’s 2017 programme. Essay Film Festival - http://www.essayfilmfestival.com/ Department of Film, Media and Cultural Studies - http://www.bbk.ac.uk/culture/ Birkbeck Institute of the Moving Image - http://www.bbk.ac.uk/arts/research/birkbeck-institute-for-the-moving-image Birkbeck Arts Week 2017 - http://www.bbk.ac.uk/arts/about-us/events/arts-week Courses in film studies - http://www.bbk.ac.uk/study/course_search?q=film Birkbeck Voices, the podcast series from Birkbeck, University of London, brings you interviews with our academics, students, alumni and wider community. We cover the latest research and inspiring events taking place at the College and find out more about the people who make Birkbeck the place th

As part of a workshop hosted by the Reluctant Internationalists research group on Writing ‘Outsiders’ into the History of International Public Health, a roundtable discussion addressed what difference adding outsiders makes to the way historians write the history of public health and the history of internationalism more broadly. The discussion also questioned the adequacy of existing standard narratives of international public health and the ways in which historians can instead tell these narratives from below. The panel, chaired by Jessica Reinisch (Birkbeck), included Susan Gross Soloman (Toronto), Peter Jackson (Glasgow), Paul Weindling (Oxford Brookes) and Patrick Zylberman (EHESP). The workshop examined what impact factoring in “outsiders” would make to the way historians write the history of international public health. In addition, the workshop sought to ask what close study of “outsiders” and the processes of marginalisation can tell us about the international system of public health – its rules (wri

As part of a workshop hosted by the Reluctant Internationalists research group on Writing ‘Outsiders’ into the History of International Public Health, Jessica Pearson (Macalester), Dora Vargha (Exeter) and Ana Antic (Exeter) addressed inclusion and exclusion in international health networks. The panel, chaired by David Brydan (Birkbeck), discussed life beyond the WHO, both for colonial powers and for many socialist states. In addition, debate turned to the importance of distinguishing between global public health and international public health. The workshop examined what impact factoring in “outsiders” would make to the way historians write the history of international public health. In addition, the workshop sought to ask what close study of “outsiders” and the processes of marginalisation can tell us about the international system of public health – its rules (written and unwritten), its reach, and its commitment to inclusiveness? For more information – http://bit.ly/2oYYqjs

As part of a workshop hosted by the Reluctant Internationalists research group on Writing ‘Outsiders’ into the History of International Public Health, David Brydan (Birkbeck), Paul Weindling (Oxford Brookes) and Maria Zarifi (Hellenic Open University) examined the history of public health in the so-called ‘outsider’ states of Franco’s Spain, Nazi Germany, and Greece. The panel, chaired by Johanna Conterio (Birkbeck), also incorporated debate on the centrality of public health to state building and the role of nationalism in international public health. The workshop examined what impact factoring in “outsiders” would make to the way historians write the history of international public health. In addition, the workshop sought to ask what close study of “outsiders” and the processes of marginalisation can tell us about the international system of public health – its rules (written and unwritten), its reach, and its commitment to inclusiveness? For more information – http://bit.ly/2oYYqjs

As part of a workshop hosted by the Reluctant Internationalists research group on Writing ‘Outsiders’ into the History of International Public Health, Susan Gross Solomon (Toronto), Johanna Conterio (Birkbeck) and Sarah Marks (Birkbeck) examined public health in Soviet Russia during the inter-war years. The panel, chaired by Ana Antic (Exeter), fostered discussion on the extent of the performative aspect of ‘insiders’ and ‘outsiders’ as labels in relation to international gatherings and congresses, as well as to what extent the Soviets can be classified as having truly been ‘outsiders’ during this period. The workshop examined what impact factoring in “outsiders” would make to the way historians write the history of international public health. In addition, the workshop sought to ask what close study of “outsiders” and the processes of marginalisation can tell us about the international system of public health – its rules (written and unwritten), its reach, and its commitment to inclusiveness? For more info

As part of a workshop hosted by the Reluctant Internationalists research group on Writing ‘Outsiders’ into the History of International Public Health, Jessica Reinisch (Birkbeck), Lion Murard (French National Centre for Scientific Research), Yitang Lin and Thomas David (University of Lausanne) and Davide Rodogno (University of Geneva) discussed the political dimensions of international health. The panel, chaired by Dora Vargha (Exeter), addressed the theme of giving and taking in international public health and examined who can be regarded as an ‘outsider’. The workshop examined what impact factoring in “outsiders” would make to the way historians write the history of international public health. In addition, the workshop sought to ask what close study of “outsiders” and the processes of marginalisation can tell us about the international system of public health – its rules (written and unwritten), its reach, and its commitment to inclusiveness? For more information – http://bit.ly/2oYYqjs