Politics & History News Archive
March 2013
Hazel Blears visits Brunel Centre for Intelligence and Security Studies
The Rt Hon Hazel Blears MP visited the Brunel Centre for Intelligence and Security Studies in February to find out more about the courses on offer at Brunel and learn how this field of study has developed in recent years.
November 2012
Making it easier to be British
Varun Uberoi and Tariq Modood are presenting findings from their research to policy makers at a House of Lords ESRC Festival of Science seminar. Their research argues that despite the obituaries of multiculturalism there has been a multiculturalist advance as where once leading politicians objected to the multiculturalist goal of making Britishness more inclusive of ethnic minorities they often no longer do. Published in Political Studies, their article is available by clicking on the first link below and the second link is to a short version published by the Huffington Post.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-9248.2012.00979.x/pdf
August 2012
Machiavelli panel at 9th MANCEPT workshop in Political Theory
Dr Filippo Del Lucchese has organised a panel on ‘Niccolò Machiavelli: Politics, Philosophy, Law’ at the 9th annual workshop in Political Theory, to be held at Manchester University, 5th-7th September 2012. Machiavelli is one of the most influential thinkers of the Western political tradition. This workshop combines a historical perspective with a theoretical approach. It aims to examine the theoretical problems Machiavelli raised, problems critical not only for the early modern age but for all subsequent Western political theory.
The workshop is included in a series of events that will culminate in an international conference to be held at Brunel University, 29th-31st May 2013, celebrating the fifth centenary of The Prince.
July 2012
Excellent Rankings for Politics, International Studies and History
We are delighted to announce that our programmes within the Department of Politics and History at Brunel have scored highly in a number of high profile rankings.
May 2012
Brunel Politics student speaks of her time on town council
Kerri-Anne Prince has now been on Elstree and Borehamwood Town Council for a year after being elected as a Labour councillor for the Kenilworth ward in the area’s local elections last May.Professor Justin Fisher: Small parties can ‘set agenda’ for bigger ones
Professor Justin Fisher appeared on BBC1’s Daily Politics last week to discuss the issue of political leaders who become bigger than the parties that they represent.
The Head of the School of Social Sciences spoke about the so-called ‘Gulliver dilemma’ in Adam Fleming’s feature on the problems that arise in such situations.
Dr. Philip Davies: MI6 death evidence trail ‘poorly handled’
Brunel University’s Dr. Philip Davies recently appeared on Newsnight on BBC2 to discuss the investigation surrounding the death of MI6 officer Gareth Williams in August 2010.
April 2012
Varun Uberoi receives grant
Policies of multiculturalism are often criticised for undermining national identities. But the Canadian Multiculturalism Act empowers the Canadian federal government to promote a national identity that can include minorities and majorities. Used to help the former feel part of the nation and the latter to see them as such, this grant from the Faculty Research Program of the International Council for Canadian Studies will be used to examine the archival documents that explain why and how this act was designed and used in this way
Professor Justin Fisher advises wannabe politicians in The Guardian
Head of the School of Social Sciences Professor Justin Fisher recently gave advice to anyone thinking of becoming a politician in Susanna Rustin’s article Local Elections 2012: 10 steps to becoming a politician in The Guardian. Speaking about campaign funding, Professor Fisher had an optimistic message for prospective representatives looking to take on established politicians with better financial backing: “If you've got a well-organised campaign you can counter the money. Voters prefer a knock on the door to a telephone call."
Professor Justin Fisher discusses party funding on The Westminster Hour
The Head of the School of Social Sciences made another appearance on BBC Radio 4’s The Westminster Hour this week to discuss Ed Miliband’s suggestions for the regulation of party funding. The Labour leader proposed a £5,000 limit on individual union and business donations and for the cap on party election spending to be reduced from the current £19 million. Professor Justin Fisher said that the Conservatives would ‘have to react’, but questioned whether the measures would be practical. The programme is available to listen to on the BBC News website.
New research reveals the significance of supporters in election campaigns
New research by a team led by Professor Justin Fisher was recently featured in The Times and discussed on BBC Radio 4’s The Westminster Hour. The ESRC-funded study of constituency level campaigning at the last general election has already produced some fascinating results. This new research focuses on the role of non party members (supporters) in election campaigns. Professor Fisher and his colleagues found that around three quarters of all campaigns used supporters to help out and that their efforts both complemented and substituted for the efforts of party members. The research was extensively cited in David Aaronovitch’s column in The Times on Thursday 5th April, and Professor Fisher appeared on The Westminster Hour on Sunday 8th April discussing the findings.
Cash for access claims ‘undermine confidence’, says Professor Justin Fisher
The Head of the School of Social Sciences Professor Justin Fisher appeared on BBC Radio 4’s programme Call You and Yours to discuss political party funding last week.
The Professor of Political Science sat on the panel for a discussion about contributions to parties in light of the recent resignation of a Conservative Party co-treasurer.
March 2012
Students represent Brunel at European Model United Nations
Three Brunel University students travelled to France to take part in one of the most prestigious Model United Nations conferences in the world last month.
The National Model United Nations Europe 2012 took place at the headquarters offices of the Region Nord-Pas-de-Calais in Lille between January 31st and February 6th.
Professor Justin Fisher gives evidence on lobbying regulation
Head of School Professor Justin Fisher gave his views on government plans to regulate political lobbying to the Political and Constitutional Reform Select Committee in February.
The Professor of Political Science said that it was important to strike a happy medium between statutory provision and no regulation in the world of political lobbying.
Slavoj Zizek visits Brunel to discuss the revival of radical politics
Slovenian philosopher and bestselling author Slavoj Zizek visited the School of Social Sciences to talk about worldwide revolutions and protests in recent years. The event attracted a large audience who came to listen to the views of the prominent contemporary philospher and author.February 2012
Lecturer wins Prestigious Book Award
The Department of Politics and History is delighted to announce that Peter Thomas’s book The Gramscian Moment has won the Premio Internazionale Giuseppe Sormani 2011, awarded by the Fondazione Istituto Piemontese Antonio Gramsci in Turin. This prize is awarded every five years for the best work on Gramsci in a European language, and is the first time an author from the anglophone world has won the award. Published in 2009, the book quickly established Peter as one of the leading Gramsci scholars in the world, and this prize is confirmation of this reputation. Details of the book can be found on the publisher’s website.
February 2012
January 2012
Tamson Pietsch Receives Award
Brunel Politics and History lecturer Tamson Pietsch has received an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (ARC DECRA) to assist a three-year research project looking into the origins of the knowledge economy. She will examine how intellectual production and exchange was aided by the new global connections of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.
February 2012
