The Rush of the Orinoco: The English Dream of El Dorado
2022-10-26 16:00 - 17:30 (Europe/London) | Miller G05, Whiteknights Campus, RG6 6UR, United Kingdom
Wednesday 26th October, 4-5.30pm, in-person (Miller G05, Whiteknights Campus, University of Reading) and online (please register below for zoom link)
Reading Latin American and Caribbean network (R-LAC) and the Department of Languages and Cultures Research seminar series are pleased to invite you to a seminar with Dr Tomás Straka, Director of the Research Institute of History, Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, Caracas. Venezuela.
The current trial in The Hague about Venezuela’s claim of the Essequibo is another inheritance that remains from the old times of the British Empire throughout the world. Whilst Venezuela and Guyana await the verdict of the International Court, many people have started to think about the historical roots of the problem. A long history of all the imperialisms in the Caribbean – Spanish, Dutch, English and American – and slavery is in the background of the Venezuela-Guyana dispute, as well as the Cold War and the oil economy during the last decades. This talk focuses on the intellectual aspect of this process.
Alongside the British penetration in the Orinoco area (Orinoquia in Spanish), among the British developed a real fascination about this area as a realm of two types of utopias: the endless wealth of El Dorado, and the place where Noble Savages live without troubles. From the adventures of Walter Raleigh to the fantastic novel of Arthur Conan Doyle, the British Orinoquia literature was an inspiration to traders, explorers, filibusters, slavers, and poets. Not for nothing the most world-famous novel of the Orinoco is a classic of the English literature: Robinson Crusoe.
To register for zoom link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-rush-of-the-orinoco-the-english-dream-of-el-dorado-tickets-443273913207

Open Research Forum
2022-10-27 10:00 - 12:00 | Online
Everything you want to know about Open Access but were too afraid to ask

Book your place at this Open Research Forum using this link
Talks will be delivered by the Research Engagement Team from the Library.
Stay for the full programme or just drop in for the sessions that you are interested in.

Programme
10.00-10.05 Introduction to the event and outline of the sessions
10.05-10.20 What is Open Access?
What is Open Access?, What’s the difference between Green and Gold Open Access?, why is it important?, who benefits?, what’s in it for me?
10.20-10.35 CentAUR and the Green Open Access Route
How the University’s institutional repository can help you make your outputs Open Access via the Green route
10.35-10.50 Going for Gold – what does publishing Gold Open Access involve?
What are Pure Gold and Hybrid Gold journals, Creative Commons Licences, finding Gold Open Access journals.
10.50-11.00 Short break for questions/catch-up
11.00-11.15 Paying for Gold Open Access at University of Reading
What is funded, who can apply for funding, how to apply for funding, finding journals in our publisher deals via the new SciFree tool.
11.15-11.30 Funder requirements for Open Access
UKRI funder requirements and how to comply with them, finding suitable journals, navigating the Green Open Access route for funder compliance
11.30-11.40 Avoiding the Sharks – how to choose a reputable Open Access journal
Basic checks to make sure that the journal you are submitting your manuscript to is a reputable one.
11.40-11.50 Open Access for PhD theses
How you can make sure your (or your students’) research is open once the PhD is completed.
11.50-12.00 Time for questions and closing remarks

Natural History Museum Research Open Day
2022-11-02 10:00 - 16:00 | Palmer Building, Whiteknights Campus, University of Reading.
Wednesday 2 November, 10:00-16:00, Palmer building, Whiteknights campus
Research colleagues are invited to attend an open day to learn how the University and Natural History Museum are aiming to develop research and training together.
The University and Natural History Museum will jointly launch the first phase of a long-term research collaboration. They will present initial ideas on how we might develop research and training together, as well as using the day as a forum for seeking others’ ideas.
The collaboration provides significant opportunities for researchers in all disciplines, whether it be new arts research, ensuring food security, tracking genetic responses to climate change or the emergence and spread of infectious diseases. While a link to natural history and/or the NHM collections will be a requirement, work could involve any discipline.
As well as anticipating partnerships across Reading’s scientific research themes, the Museum’s researchers are enthusiastic about Reading’s expertise in creative approaches to collections and their histories and engagement with intangible cultural heritage.
Senior figures at the University will be joined at the event by members of the Museum’s senior leadership, researchers, laboratory heads and members of their digital, data and informatics team.
Plans to move 28 million specimens and research capability to the University’s Thames Valley Science Park were announced in May 2022. Its potential scope is across all NHM collections and research.
Reserve your place
Open to University of Reading colleagues only.
Please note that spaces are limited so please book your place by 12pm Wednesday 19th October using this online form. Much of the event will be recorded and made available online. Lunch will be provided.
For further information, visit the NHM’s page about their new science and digitisation centre.
Research Open Day schedule
10.00 – 10.30 Refreshments on arrival
10.30 – 10.45 Welcome and opening remarks (Robert Van de Noort, Vice-Chancellor)
10.45 – 11.30 Vision for NHM research and collections, and the TVSP, followed by Q&A (Tim Littlewood, Director of Research, NHM)
11.30 – 12.15 Building collaborative research followed by Q&A (Ken Norris, Deputy Director of Science, NHM & Phil Newton, Research Dean)
12.15 – 12.30 Partnership with University of Reading (Doug Gurr, Director, NHM)
12.30 – 13.30 Networking lunch
13.30 – 14.30 Parallel Session 1: Science Facilities (NHM Laboratory Heads)
13.30 – 14.30 Parallel Session 2: Heritage & Creativity: Collections & Culture (John Gibbs / Roberta Gilchrist, Research Deans & Sandra Knapp, Collections & Culture Research Lead, NHM)
14.30 – 15.15 Opportunities in Digital and Data Science (NHM / University of Reading)
15.15 – 16.00 Networking opportunity with refreshments
16.00 Close

Beckett at Reading - 50th Anniversary
2022-11-04 - 2022-11-05 | Minghella Studios, Minghella Building, Whiteknights Campus, RG6 6UR, United Kingdom
Beckett at Reading 50th Anniversary
Celebrating the Beckett Exhibition of 1971
Organised by the Beckett International Foundation and the Beckett Research Centre
Minghella Studios, University of Reading, 4-5 November 2022
Friday 4 November 2022
13.30-14.15 Coffee and Registration
14.15-14.30 Opening Words
14.30-15.15 The Billie Whitelaw and Katharine Worth Collections
(Jonathan Heron and Matthew McFrederick)
15.15-16.00 Academic Projects I: Staging Beckett (Anna McMullan and Trish McTighe) and Beckett’s Doodles (Jonathan Bignell and Bill Prosser)
15.45-16.15 Coffee Break
16.15–17.15 Three Dialogues: The Beckett Archive (TBC)
17.15-18.00 Barry McGovern: The Archive – ‘it’s another of my resources’
[Break]
19.15-20.30 Beckett Fellowship Premiere: Hannah Khalil’s ‘The Lighthouse Keeper’s Son’ (followed by a Q&A with Hannah Khalil and Maureen Beattie)
20.30-21.30 Wine Reception and Launch of the Mary Bryden Collection

Saturday 5 November 2022
12.30-13.00 Coffee and Registration
13.00-14.15 Company
Trinity College Dublin (Julie Bates with Creative Fellows)
The Beckett Circle of Japan (recording)
The Beckett Society (Laura Salisbury)
The Happy Days Beckett Festival (Sean Doran)
14.15-15.00 Academic Projects II: Beckett Digital Manuscript Project (Dirk Van Hulle and Mark Nixon) / The Samuel Beckett Letters Project (recording)
15.00-15.30 Coffee Break
15.30-16.00 The Beckett Archive through the Years (Anna McMullan / Mark Nixon) A Message from Berlin (Walter Asmus; recording)
16.00-17.30 Roundtable: Beckett Studies
(Chair: Trish McTighe; Participants: Daniela Caselli, William Davies, Hannah Simpson, Katherine Weiss, Shane Weller)
[Break]
19.00-20.00 The Knowlson-Beckett Interview Tapes (James Knowlson)
20.00-21.00 Closing Remarks and Wine Reception

Exhibitions
‘Let us do something, while we have the chance.’ The Origins of Reading’s Samuel Beckett Collection, University of Reading Library, University of Reading, 27 September 2022 – 13 January 2023: https://tinyurl.com/origins-of-Beckett-at-Reading
‘A glimpse of the surface’: Samuel Beckett and Avigdor Arikha, The Museum of English Rural Life, University of Reading, 4 October 2022 – 27 January 2023: https://tinyurl.com/Beckett-and-Arikha

Registration: https://tinyurl.com/Beckett-at-Reading-50
Donations: https://tinyurl.com/donate-to-Beckett-at-Reading
Please support the activities of the Beckett International Foundation and the Beckett Research Centre by giving as much or as little as you can! Thank you.
If you have any queries, please contact Mark Nixon (m.nixon@reading.ac.uk)

ID Seminar: Relationships between climate change, adaptation strategies and productive and efficiency in agriculture
2022-11-07 13:00 - 14:00 | Frank Parkinson room, Agriculture, Whiteknights, RG6 7BE
The Department of International Development is pleased to have Associate Professor, Dr Sanzidur Rahman, delivering a seminar entitled: ‘Relationships between climate change, adaptation strategies and productive and efficiency in agriculture’.
The seminar is taking place on Monday 7 November from 1-2pm in the Frank Parkinson Room, Agriculture Building. You can also join via Teams here.

Tackling the Grand Challenge of consumer trust in the food supply chain
2022-11-09 10:00 - 12:00 | Online
The Grand Challenge Consumer Trust project team at the University of Reading invite you to a conference on industry consumer trust initiatives “Tackling the Grand Challenge of consumer trust in the food supply chain”, on Wed 9 November 2022 at 10:00 – 12:00 GMT.
The conference is online and free of charge. For more information and to register, please click here for the conference eventbrite page. (Please note: registration closes 18:00 GMT Tue 8 Nov 2022.)
Please join us to learn more about consumer trust initiatives facilitated by the Grand Challenge project team at the University of Reading and consumer insights from the project, which is funded by EIT Food co-funded by the EU.
The event will feature presentations about consumer trust initiatives undertaken by a range of companies and organisations, including:

SRUC/Waitrose: “Tracking animal emotional well-being on farms”
Farmforce: “Farmforce: Food’s first mile challenges, solved by software.”
Connecting Food: “Tracking food journeys” (provisional title)
McDonald’s: “Consumer Trust, Sustainability and Healthy Food Choices”
Mimica: “Have expiry dates expired? Introducing the intelligent way to know it’s fresh”
Little Hearts Preschool: “Healthy-eating education for young families”
Walker’s Shortbread: “Towards label clarity and sustainable packaging”

The conference chair is Professor Kevin Money, Henley Business School.
If you would like further information or have any questions about this event, please contact Michelle Felton: m.a.felton@reading.ac.uk.

Digital Humanities as a Discipline & Oxford Summer School
2022-11-09 14:00 | Palmer 106
This event is for the Digital Humanities Community of Practice members.
If you are interested in joining the conference, please email m.olivia@reading.ac.uk.
Programme

14:00
Welcome tea and coffee

14.05 to 14.15

Introduction and reflection on Digital Humanities in contemporary academia by Dr Mara Olivia (Digital Humanities expert)

14.15 to 14.50

“Digital Humanities and my research” – Presentations from colleagues who attended the Oxford Digital Humanities Summer School:

Dr Jumbly Grindrod (Philosophy)
Dr Rachel Foxley (History)
Professor Teresa Murjas (Film Studies)
Dr Marjorie Geherhardt (Languages)
Q&A session

14.50
Break

15.00 to 15.50

“Digital Humanities and my job” – Presentations from colleagues who attended the Oxford Digital Humanities Summer School

Dr Rachel Lewis (Heritage and Creativity Research Development Manager)
Olivia Thompson (Digital Humanities Hub Project Officer)
Guy Baxter (Associate Director of Archives Services, University Museum and Special Collections)
Fiona Melhuish (University Museum and Special Collections Librarian)
Sharon Maxwell (Archivist, University Museum and Special Collections)
Q&A session and discussion

15.50 to 16.00
What’s next for Digital Humanities? Closing talk by Dr Mara Olivia

Ghandhi Research Seminar Series: Prof Yuval Shany
2022-11-09 14:30 - 15:30 | Palmer Building, 107
Global Law at Reading (GLAR) is one of the leading groups of expert staff researching and teaching global law at any university in the UK. As Reading’s research hub for public international law, EU law and human rights law it has a proud international reputation for research excellence in these areas. The series was launched in 2015. It is named in honour of Professor Sandy Ghandhi, who taught at the School of Law from 1978 to 2013 and remains an emeritus professor at Reading.
Anyone is welcome to attend this seminar, and attendance is free.
Wednesday 9 November
2:30-3:30pm
Palmer 107 Professor Yuval Shany (Hebrew University)
Digital Rights and the Outer Limits of International Human Rights

GEAR quarterly lecture: Firm Heterogeneity and Imperfect Competition in Global Production Networks
2022-11-10 14:00 - 15:30 | LO22 G01 London Road Campus
The Group for Economic Analysis at Reading (GEAR) is pleased to announce the 4th GEAR Quarterly Lecture on “Firm Heterogeneity and Imperfect Competition in Global Production Networks”, to be delivered by Professor Kalina Manova, UCL and CEPR, on Thursday 10 November at 2-3:30pm in a hybrid format.
Attendance is free. To register your interest, please e-mail Ms Jenna Gardner at j.gardner@reading.ac.uk or Dr Alexander Mihailov at a.mihailov@reading.ac.uk.
For more details, please see the poster on the GEAR Quarterly Lectures webpage (the MS Teams link to join online can also be found here).
There will be a drinks reception after the lecture from 3.30-4.30pm, we look forward to seeing you there!

DSA2023 Conference: The Anthropocene workshop
2022-11-10 14:00 - 16:00 | Palmer Building, Whiteknights Campus, University of Reading.
The Global Development Research Division is holding a themed workshop from 2–4pm on Thursday 10th November in the Palmer Building.
There are six great talks lined up, all related to the Anthropocene, which is the primary theme for the DSA2023 Conference. The talks will be delivered by researchers from across the University, including:

The School of Law
The School of Agriculture, Policy and Development (SAPD)
The School of Geography and Environmental Science (SAGES)
The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL)
The Institute of Education (IoE)

Programme
Human Rights and Pandemics in the Anthropocene, Rosa Freedman (Law)
Encountering the Anthropocene: Reconfiguring Human-Nature Relations, Alex Arnall (SAPD)
Museums, Heritage and the Anthropocene, Ollie Douglas (MERL) – title TBC
Education in the Anthropocene: the Harawayan Bee Hotel as an interdisciplinary catalyst, Jo Johnson (IoE)
Responsible Research: Ethics and Controversies in the Anthropocene, Andrew Ainslie (SAPD)
Critical Geographies of Disaster: New Network Launch, Sophie Blackburn (SAGES)
Please RSVP by Thursday 3rd November to Dr Alex Arnall (a.h.arnall@reading.ac.uk), notifying of any dietary requirements.

Research for Impact: How to design research
2022-11-14 13:00 - 14:00 | Online
The Department of International Development is pleased to host Professor Duncan Green (Editor of the influential blog From Poverty to Power‘, Strategic Adviser for Oxfam GB, and Professor in Practice at LSE). The title of his talk will be: ‘Research for Impact: how to design research’.
The seminar is taking place on Monday 14 November from 1-2pm on Teams. You can join here.

Posters in the Library
2022-11-15 - 2022-11-18 | Library Foyer
Discover how research at Reading is addressing twenty-first century challenges
Winners and finalists from the University’s Engagement and Impact Awards 2022 will be discussing their outstanding work during a series of short talks from 12pm each weekday between Tuesday 15 and Friday 18 November.
The talks will take place in the library foyer and will be followed by a short Q&A session. Each event will last no longer than 30 minutes.
The Engagement and Impact Awards celebrate excellence in our research, highlighting projects that address real world problems and change the world around us. They recognise individuals and teams at the University who make an outstanding contribution to engaging the wider world with their work and making an impact. In 2022 we received 28 entries from across a wide spectrum of disciplines and from researchers at different stages of their careers. Eleven high-quality applications were selected and four winners chosen.
Each of the projects that will be presented during Posters in the Library week address a significant challenge and engage individuals, organisations or communities to bring about positive change locally, nationally and internationally.
Details of the programme are shown below with links to further information on each topic:
Tuesday 15 November
12pm and 1pm
Wednesday 16 November
12pm and 1pm
Thursday 17 November
12pm and 1pm
Friday 18 November
12pm and 1pm

Reducing risk of glacial floods in Central Asia (Posters in the Library)
2022-11-15 12:00 - 12:30 | Library Foyer
On Tuesday 15 November at 12pm, Maria Shahgedanova will be discussing her research which has helped to mitigate the potentially catastrophic effects of climate change in Central Asia.
As part of our Posters in the Library series, from 12pm each weekday between Tuesday 15 and Friday 18 November, you can learn more about how research at Reading is addressing twenty-first century challenges.
Each day, in an informal ten-minute presentation, one of the finalists from the University’s Research Engagement and Impact Awards 2022 will present their life‑changing work and answer any questions you might have

We Make Film: filmmaking, creativity and disability in urban India (Posters in the Library)
2022-11-15 13:00 - 13:30 | Library Foyer
On Tuesday 15 November at 1pm, Shweta Ghosh will be discussing her practice-led research which is being used to highlight the urgent need for more inclusive and accessible filmmaking practices in India and beyond.
As part of our Posters in the Library series, from 12pm each weekday between Tuesday 15 and Friday 18 November, you can learn more about how research at Reading is addressing twenty-first century challenges.
Each day, in an informal ten-minute presentation, one of the finalists from the University’s Research Engagement and Impact Awards 2022 will present their life‑changing work and answer any questions you might have.

Reducing missed outpatient appointments and health inequalities through AI (Posters in the Library)
2022-11-16 12:00 - 12:30 | Library Foyer
On Wednesday 16 November at 12pm, Weizi (Vicky) Li will be discussing how she and a team of researchers developed an artificial intelligence (AI) system which is being used by the NHS to tackle health inequalities by reducing the number of missed hospital appointments.
As part of our Posters in the Library series, from 12pm each weekday between Tuesday 15 and Friday 18 November, you can learn more about how research at Reading is addressing twenty-first century challenges.
Each day, in an informal ten-minute presentation, one of the finalists from the University’s Research Engagement and Impact Awards 2022 will present their life‑changing work and answer any questions you might have.

Uncovering hidden stories from Oxford Road (Posters in the Library)
2022-11-16 13:00 - 13:30 | Library Foyer
On Wednesday 16 November at 1pm, Sally Lloyd-Evans, Alice Mpofu-Coles, Robyn Woronka and Toby Barlow will be discussing their work with local communities and artists to reveal and celebrate the heritage of one of the town’s most diverse and multicultural streets.
As part of our Posters in the Library series, from 12pm each weekday between Tuesday 15 and Friday 18 November, you can learn more about how research at Reading is addressing twenty-first century challenges.
Each day, in an informal ten-minute presentation, one of the finalists from the University’s Research Engagement and Impact Awards 2022 will present their life‑changing work and answer any questions you might have

Tackling air pollution through citizen science (Posters in the Library)
2022-11-17 12:00 - 12:30 | Library Foyer
On Thursday 17 November at 12pm, Hong Yang and Marta O’Brien will be discussing how they are helping communities to breathe healthier air by equipping schools and families with tools and skills to identify and tackle air pollution.
As part of our Posters in the Library series, from 12pm each weekday between Tuesday 15 and Friday 18 November, you can learn more about how research at Reading is addressing twenty-first century challenges.
Each day, in an informal ten-minute presentation, one of the finalists from the University’s Research Engagement and Impact Awards 2022 will present their life‑changing work and answer any questions you might have.

Improving ethnic diversity in higher education (Posters in the Library)
2022-11-17 13:00 - 13:30 | Library Foyer
On Thursday 17 November at 1pm, Ciara McCabe and colleagues will be discussing their work with students from under-represented ethnic backgrounds which is being used to support fair access to higher education.
As part of our Posters in the Library series, from 12pm each weekday between Tuesday 15 and Friday 18 November, you can learn more about how research at Reading is addressing twenty-first century challenges.
Each day, in an informal ten-minute presentation, one of the finalists from the University’s Research Engagement and Impact Awards 2022 will present their life‑changing work and answer any questions you might have.

Book Launch: The Women Who Invented Twentieth-Century Children’s Literature
2022-11-17 17:00 - 18:30 | Edith Morley Building, G74, University of Reading, Shinfield Road, Reading, RG6 6EL, United Kingdom
Join us for a hybrid in-person/online event to mark the publication of The Women Who Invented Twentieth-Century Children’s Literature: Only the Best (Routledge: Children’s Literature and Culture Series), by Elizabeth West, CBCP ECR Fellow.
This event is free and open to all. Join us in the Edith Morley Building, Room G74, to be followed by drinks at Park House. To register for the Zoom link, click here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/424176642757
Publishing for children between 1930 and 1960 has been denigrated as a relatively fallow period for creativity and quality, certainly in comparison with the ‘golden ages’ of children’s literature that preceded and succeeded it. This book questions this perception by using archival evidence to argue that the work of what was predominantly a female group of editors, illustrators, authors and librarians (collectively referred to as bookwomen) resulted in many titles which are still considered as ‘classics’ today. The bookwomen reframed ideas about how children’s publishing should be approached and valued and, in doing so, laid the foundations for a subsequent generation of children’s authors and publishers who were to achieve far greater prominence. The key to the success of the bookwomen was their willingness to experiment, the strength of their relationships, and their comprehensive understanding of the book production process. By focusing on a selection of women working across all aspects of the book production process, this book demonstrates that, both individually and collectively, women capitalised on their position as ‘other’ to the existing male institutions.
The event will be followed by drinks at Park House.

Discovering land for housing migrant workers in Kochi, India (Posters in the Library)
2022-11-18 12:00 - 12:30 | Library Foyer
On Friday 18 November at 12pm, Angelique Chettiparamb will be discussing how her work with public policymakers in the Indian city of Kochi, is improving access to affordable housing for the city’s migrant workers.
As part of our Posters in the Library series, from 12pm each weekday between Tuesday 15 and Friday 18 November, you can learn more about how research at Reading is addressing twenty-first century challenges.
Each day, in an informal ten-minute presentation, one of the finalists from the University’s Research Engagement and Impact Awards 2022 will present their life‑changing work and answer any questions you might have

Destigmatising self-injury through art (Posters in the Library)
2022-11-18 13:00 - 13:30 | Library Foyer
On Friday 18 November at 1pm, Alanna Skuse and Tina O’Connell will be discussing how their series of participant-led art workshops are raising important questions about how we understand and talk about self-injury.
As part of our Posters in the Library from 12pm each weekday between Tuesday 15 and Friday 18 November, you can learn more about how research at Reading is addressing twenty-first century challenges.
Each day, in an informal ten-minute presentation, one of the finalists from the University’s Research Engagement and Impact Awards 2022 will present their life‑changing work and answer any questions you might have.

ID Seminar: An interplay: analysing the narratives of women farmers in the small-scale sugarcane plantation in Negros Occidental, Philippines
2022-11-21 13:00 - 14:00 | Online
The Department of International Development is pleased to have Doctoral Researcher, Pamela Eleazar, delivering a seminar entitled: ‘An interplay: analysing the narratives of women farmers in the small-scale sugarcane plantation in Negros Occidental, Philippines’.
The seminar is taking place on Monday 21 November from 1-2pm on Teams. You can join here.

ID Seminar: Social vulnerability and adaptation to climate change in India
2022-11-28 13:00 - 14:00 | Agriculture Building, Seminar Room 1L10
The Department of International Development is pleased to have Dr Sanchita Garai (Visiting Academic Dept
ID, and Scientist Dairy Extension Division, ICAR-NDRI India) delivering a hybrid seminar entitled: ‘Social vulnerability and adaptation to climate change in India’.
The seminar is taking place on Monday 28 November from 1-2pm in the 1L10 Seminar Room, Agriculture Building. You can also join via Teams here.

Creative Entrepreneur in Residence talks programme: Authentic Enough? Opening up the past with selective authenticity
2022-12-01 13:00 - 16:00 | Edith Morley, 127, University of Reading, Shinfield Road, Reading, RG6 6EL
1st December, 1pm Edith Morley 127
All UoR researchers who might be interested are warmly invited to join the talks in this programme. Do join us for the presentations and a chance for cross disciplinary conversation.
Some of the world’s biggest entertainment IPs are rooted in historical stories or eras – from TV series like The Last Kingdom, Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall trilogy, to video games such as Assassin’s Creed.
Whilst the past offers clear creative opportunities – a ready-made storyworld and audience familiarity with characters and plot – there is often a tension between historical accuracy and the needs of narrative, audiences and formats.
In this talk we will hear from creatives whose work has addressed these questions in theatre, games and immersive experiences. We will discuss ‘selective authenticity’, where situations when historical fact is at odds with popular conceptions of the past are avoided, to ensure that suspension of disbelief isn’t broken. And will explore the concept of ‘authenticity of experience’ as a means of opening up the past for audiences.
Speakers include:
Luke Holmes is a game designer for Creative Assembly, producers of the multi-million selling Total War series. Prior to this he has been an interpretation manager at leading heritage attractions, including the Tower of London and the SS Great Britain, and is the author of several academic articles on historical gameplay and ludic theory.
Hannah Price is a director and creative director working across theatre, VR, digital, games and events. She is an award winning freelance theatre director, founder and previous Co-Artistic Director of Theatre Uncut and has directed theatre and immersive events across the world. She is Creative Director of the Gunpowder Plot, the new 5 star reviewed immersive theatre and VR experience at the Tower of London – and as a BAFTA-winning video game performance director, she has worked on some of the world’s biggest titles.
And Tim Powell, the University of Reading’s Creative Entrepreneur in Residence.

ID Seminar: Understanding the adaption of Zero Budget Natural Farming in Andhra Pradesh, India
2022-12-05 13:00 - 14:00 | Frank Parkinson room, Agriculture, Whiteknights, RG6 7BE
The Department of International Development is pleased to have Dr Sarah Duddigan (Research Fellow) and Dr Grady Walker (Senior Research Officer) delivering a seminar entitled: ‘Understanding the adaption of Zero Budget Natural Farming in Andhra Pradesh, India’.
The seminar is taking place on Monday 5 December from 1-2pm in the Frank Parkinson Room, Agriculture Building. You can also join via Teams here.

Visiting Filmmaker: Peter Treherne
2022-12-06 15:00 - 17:00 | Bob Kayley Theatre, University of Reading, Shinfield Road, Reading, RG6 6AH, United Kingdom
TUE DEC 6th (Wk11) / 3pm / Bob Kayley Theatre
CFAC is building a partnership with the filmmaker Peter Treherne, who has recently secured Arts Council funding for a wonderfully ambitious feature film, Matter of Britain. The project also builds on a collaboration with The Museum of English Rural Life, part of the University of Reading’s Museums and Special Collections Services.
Treherne will come and talk with us about his project – his inspirations and creative ambitions, and his plans for engaging a village community in the trials and tribulations of film production.
All welcome. No booking required.
Matter of Britain is a co-creative film that performs the Quest for the Holy Grail with the community of Mayfield, East Sussex. In the Arthurian myths, knights seek the Grail in the hope of restoring their land which has been laid waste by human greed and violence. This waste land serves as a metaphor for the climate crisis and so the film/quest becomes a means through which the people of Mayfield can express their ecological concerns and connect with the agricultural landscape of the High Weald.
The script, based on Sir Thomas Mallory’s 1470 Le Morte Darthur, was developed by Peter Treherne with the support of an Arts Council of England Project Grant. Production will take place on farmland around Mayfield between January 2023 and January 2024. The completed project will be exhibited at the Museum of English Rural Life in Reading and Ditchling Museum of Art & Craft in Sussex.
The production is supported by an Arts Council of England Project Grant, the Lund Fund, East Sussex Arts Partnership, the Wateryard Theatre Group, the Museum of English Rural Life, the University of Reading and Ditchling Museum of Art & Craft.

Ghandhi Research Seminar Series: Prof Holger P Hestermeyer
2022-12-07 14:30 - 15:30 | Palmer Building, Room 108
Global Law at Reading (GLAR) is one of the leading groups of expert staff researching and teaching global law at any university in the UK. As Reading’s research hub for public international law, EU law and human rights law it has a proud international reputation for research excellence in these areas. The series was launched in 2015. It is named in honour of Professor Sandy Ghandhi, who taught at the School of Law from 1978 to 2013 and remains an emeritus professor at Reading.
Anyone is welcome to attend this seminar, and attendance is free.
Wednesday 7 December
1-2pm
Palmer 108 Professor Holger P. Hestermeyer (King’s College London)
The Unbearable Flexibility of International Law: The (Ab)use of MoUs

Workshop: Accommodating diversity in the workplace
2022-12-08 10:00 - 16:00 | University of Reading, RG6 6UR
Date: 8th December 2022
Where: Whiteknights Campus, University of Reading
We are pleased to invite you to the first workshop in our “Accommodating Diversity in the Workplace” Series. We are a group of researchers based at the University of Reading working on a range of projects focusing on best ways to accommodate diversity in the workplace. We aim to understand issues relating to diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and consider the implications for good workplace practice and policy.
Attendance is free and includes a networking lunch and refreshments.
About the workshop
The purpose of the workshop is to bring together academics and organisations in an informal way to brainstorm and build a share understanding of the challenges around policy and practice related to various types of diversities.

Topics for discussion at the workshop:

The meaning of diversity in the workplace (what is and what is not diversity)
To what extent and how diversity enters hiring decisions
Diversity issues that we are currently addressing in our research and want to understand the challenges of employers when they decide on policies and practices on these issues

Who is the workshop aimed at?
HR professionals and others involved in designing and applying diversity policies in the workplace; Hiring and Line managers; Diversity & Inclusion representatives within the workplace; Employer organisations; Charities interested in diversity in the workplace.

Register here

Spaces of Translation: European Magazine Cultures, c. 1945-1965
2022-12-08 17:00 - 18:30 | Edith Morley Building, G74, University of Reading, Shinfield Road, Reading, RG6 6EL, United Kingdom
Speakers: Andrew Thacker (Nottingham Trent) and Alison E. Martin (Mainz/Germersheim)
This research seminar is free and open to all. Join us in person in the Edith Morley Building, Room G74. To join via Zoom, register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/428120508967
In this project we study a small constellation of literary and cultural magazines from three countries and language areas – Britain, France and Germany – in order to consider how, through translation, they explore and construct notions of European identity in the period following from the end of World War Two to the mid-1960s. Rapid shifts towards decolonisation, the Americanisation of European culture, the rise of anti-militarism and the strategic and ideological conflicts instigated by the Cold War all stimulated an ongoing reassessment of what the European idea stood for and whether or how it might be achieved. Using the notion of periodicals as ‘European spaces’, the project addresses how periodical culture in Britain, France, and Germany used translation to reconfigure a vision for Europe after the catastrophe of World War Two. As The Gate/Das Tor declared in 1947, art, music and literature were ‘not the property of one nation alone’ and that ‘a deeper understanding of our cultural ties with Europe is a surer way to international friendship than political treaties’. But what exactly was the significance of the translation of works of poetry, fiction, criticism, and non-fiction in this period? How did translated texts operate as vehicles for the forging of new European identities? And how did the crossing of linguistic boundaries produce alliances across national borders?

Catherine Butler, ‘Studio Ghibli and British Children’s Literature in Japan’
2022-12-13 17:00 - 18:30
This talk is part of the CBCP and Outside in World Webinar series on Children’s Literature and Translation.
Join us online to hear Catherine Butler (Cardiff) talking about ‘Studio Ghibli and British Children’s Literature in Japan’.
This event is free and open to all. To register for the Zoom link, click here.
Hayao Miyazaki has had a lifelong interest in British children’s literature, and an influential role in popularising it in Japan, notably through the animations he created at Studio Ghibli. In this talk I will discuss some aspects of that contribution, and that of directors whom Miyazaki directly influenced, especially his protogé, Hiromasa Yonebayashi. But I will also ask two questions: why does Hayao Miyazaki, who loves British children’s books and has adapted several, never used Britain as a setting? And what are the consequence of taking a story from one setting and medium and putting it into another?
Catherine Butler is Reader in English Literature at Cardiff University. Her academic books include Four British Fantasists (2006), Reading History in Children’s Books (with Hallie O’Donovan, 2012) and Literary Studies Deconstructed (2018), and several edited collections. Her latest book, British Children’s Literature in Japanese Culture: Wonderlands and Looking-Glasses, is due to be published by Bloomsbury in 2023. She has also published six novels for children and teenagers. Catherine is Editor-in-Chief of Children’s Literature in Education.
