News & Events

A two-day symposium, Time, Memory and Forgetting in the Western, will take place at University of Essex on 10–11 September 2026. Organised by Richard Parker and Jordan Savage, the event explores temporality and memory and in Westerns. Keynotes include Erin Murrah-Mandril, Neil Campbell and Jonathan Skinner. A special “Dorn in Essex” strand examines poet Edward Dorn and his connections to Essex in the 1960s and 70s. Abstract deadline: 29 May 2026.

"The United States of America at 250" - May 29, 2026, 12.30 - 7pm, at the Ray Dolby Centre, University of Cambridge. Three distinguished panels of journalists, artists, politicians and academic experts will debate the meaning of the Declaration of Independence in its own historical moment; the effects of the Declaration and the American Revolution on the rest of the world; and the enduring significance of 1776 for the United States in the twenty-first century. https://www.philanthropy.cam.ac.uk/story/the-united-states-of-america-at-250

"Jinwon Kim draws a deeply researched - and deeply felt - portrait of Manhattan's famous restaurant and nightlife hotspot Koreatown, placing it at the symbolic intersection of global ambitions and local identities. This 'transclave,' as Kim ingeniously calls it, both depends on and transcends contemporary Korean views of Korean culture, opening the door to intraethnic struggles as well as interethnic understanding." - Sharon Zukin, author of Naked City: The Death and Life of Authentic Urban Places

2027 marks the 50th anniversary of the film now generally known as Episode IV: A New Hope, the first instalment in the hugely successful Star Wars franchise created by George Lucas. As beloved as it is divisive, Star Wars now straddles multiple decades and generations while proliferating across narrative media (novels, comics, games, animation, TV). It provides a series of compelling case studies in the relationship between creativity and commerce, from the foundation of Lucasfilm during the New Hollywood period to the 21st century Disney-era.

Talk by Sheheryar B. Sheikh (Dalhousie University): The long shadow of 9/11’s falling towers looms still over world events. The War on Terror rhetoric is now built into the framework of how the U.S. approaches Muslims and Islam across the world. Policy and literary discourse are not separate entities, and in this talk, Dr Sheheryar B. Sheikh will show the ramifications of early and contemporary post-9/11 literature’s contribution to the perpetuation of White American trauma and Islamophobia in the psyche of a nation that has become drunk on its power and belligerence. Hosted by Ruth Maxey.

In this episode, we’re joined by Gary Younge — an award-winning journalist, author, and academic whose work has long challenged the way we think about power, race, democracy, and justice. Join us, Dr. Nicole M. Gipson and Dr. Ahmed Honeini, for a thoughtful and compelling conversation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DX7y1odV7g