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Thought Leadership

James McCune Smith: new discovery reveals how first African American doctor fought for women’s rights in Glasgow

Professor Matthew Daniel Eddy, from our Department of Philosophy, has found new evidence of the first known research paper to be published in a British medical journal by an African American doctor.
A portrait of Dr James McCune Smith

Boris Johnson wants to pay Stem teachers a £3,000 premium – research shows incentives don’t work

Professor Stephen Gorard and Professor Beng Huat See, from our School of Education, ask if the idea of paying £3,000 to attract maths and science teachers to poorer schools and areas will work?
Children in a Science Class

Sats – why bringing back tests for 14-year-olds could help disadvantaged students

Professor Stephen Gorard and Dr Nadia Siddiqui, from the School of Education, consider if bringing back SATs for 14 year olds will help disadvantaged students.
Empty classroom with desks & chairs

If we’re serious about ending violence against women, we need to talk about culture

Dr Fiona Vera-Gray, from our Department of Sociology, addresses the way women are depicted onscreen and the real-life consequences.
A woman holding a protest sign saying silence is violence

Japan’s love affair with the fax machine – a strange relic of technological fantasies

Dr Hansun Hsiung, from our School of Modern Languages and Cultures, discusses Japan's previously high-tech image and their current position in the global race to digitise.
Fax machine isolated on white background with clipping path

How the British navy hid the heroic voyage of crippled second world war submarine HMS Triumph

Professor Tim Luckhurst, Principal of South College, looks back on how the British media covered the Second World War.
HMSM Triumph Underway after reconstruction between 1939-1945

The Arctic Council at 25 – regional governance in changing times

Our Durham Arctic Research Centre for Training and Interdisciplinary Collaboration (DurhamARCTIC) and the Embassy of Iceland are celebrating 25 years of the signing of the Ottawa Declaration that led to the creation of the Arctic Council. Here Romain Chuffart, a PhD student in Durham Law School and chair of an event to mark the milestone anniversary, tells us more about the important work of the Arctic Council in changing times for the region.
Polar bear roaring on ice cap

Susanne Braun, Professor in Leadership, discusses narcissistic leadership in a post-pandemic world:

COVID-19 has put our working lives under the microscope: Does my job make a difference? Does it bring me joy?
King piece glowing on a chess board

The little-known story of how slavery infiltrated California and the American west

Dr Kevin Waite, from our Department of History, comments on how the original narrative of American slavery misses a huge swath of the North American map and a crucial chapter in US history.
Black & white photo of african american miner 1800s

Why changes to abortion laws during the pandemic should remain

Dr Elizabeth Chloe Romanis, from our Durham Law School, Jordan Parsons, PhD candidate from University of Bristol and Thomas Hampton, Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Fellow from University of Liverpool, comment on the changes to abortion laws during the pandemic.
Woman taking a tablet

MPs use emotive rhetoric to sway voters in high-profile debates

Covering two million parliamentary speeches held in the UK House of Commons and the Irish Parliament, Professor Sara B. Hobolt (LSE), Dr Moritz Osnabrügge (SGIA), and Dr Toni Rodon (UPF) use a dictionary-based method to measure emotive rhetoric. They show that emotive rhetoric is more pronounced in high-profile legislative debates, such as Prime Minister’s Questions, illustrating that emotive rhetoric is one of the tools politicians can use strategically to appeal to voters.
Red text list of highly emotive words used in the House of Commons

What a landmark court victory for B.C. First Nation means for Indigenous rights and resource development

Giuseppe Amatulli, from our Department of Anthropology, comments on The British Columbia Supreme Court finding that the B.C. government infringed the Blueberry River First Nation’s treaty rights by allowing decades of industrial development in their traditional territory.
Group of demonstrators on road, young people from different culture and race fight for climate change - Global warming and environment concept - Focus on banners