Connecting Research

ODSECS Research Seminars
2020-10-14 16:00 - 17:00 (Europe/London)
The Open Digital Seminar in Eighteenth-Century Studies brings together researchers in eighteenth-century literature and culture from across the globe for conversation, debate, and sociability. It aims to make the best new research available to the widest possible audience, and to facilitate a diverse and inclusive research culture.
ODSECS seminars take place live online and are also recorded to ensure maximum accessibility. In each seminar, a 20- to 30-minute paper delivered by an expert speaker is followed by a 20- to 30-minute question and answer session. All participants are welcome to contribute to the Q&A using a microphone or the typed chat function. You can book a place here.
Sessions:
14 October 2020 at 4pm – ‘The Good Man on trial, or, male virginity and the politics of misogyny’, Rebecca Anne Barr, University of Cambridge
18 November 2020 at 4pm – ‘Sacred Medicine at Strawberry Hill: British Antiquaries and Indigenous Objects’, Robbie Richardson, Princeton University

University Public Lecture (online): What If 2016 Was the Most Consequential Election in American History
2020-10-14 19:00 - 20:30
What if 2016 was the most consequential election in American history?
Every election matters and this year US presidential race is no different. Given President Trump’s controversial first term record, and more recently, his poor handling of the health pandemic, no wonder Democratic candidate, Joe Biden, has called this election the last chance to save American democracy. But COVID-19, the economic crisis it precipitated, and the Black Lives Matter protests have only exacerbated and highlighted issues that have plagued American politics and society for decades now. Trump is not a historical anomaly.
What if 2016 altered forever the character of the nation? In this lecture, historian Mara Oliva looks at the political, economic and social reasons behind Trump’s rise to power, the impact of his election on democracy at home and abroad and what this means for 2020.
Mara Oliva is Associate Professor of US political history at the University of Reading.
To register for this free event, please click here.

The Chemical Analysis of Roman Gold Coins: XRF, LA-ICP-MS and the Identification of Major Gold Sources
2020-10-15 16:00 - 17:00
Archaeology Seminar Series – Autumn 2020, Science and Archaeological Materials
All sessions will be held on Microsoft Teams. Please email Gabor Thomas (gabor.thomas@reading.ac.uk) for more information.
Sessions:
15 October 2020 at 4pm – ‘The Chemical Analysis of Roman Gold Coins: XRF, LA-ICP-MS and the Identification of Major Gold Sources’, George Green, Ashmolean Museum; Lincoln College, Oxford

GLAR Ghandhi Research Seminar Series
2020-10-21 13:00 - 14:00
GLAR is the home of public international law, EU law and human rights law at the University of Reading. The Ghandhi Research Seminar Series showcases the work of experts in these fields. The series was launched in 2015 and is convened this year by Dr Marie Aronsson-Storrier and Dr Matthew Windsor.
All sessions will be held on Microsoft Teams. Please email Matt Windsor (m.r.windsor@reading.ac.uk) for an invite.
Sessions:
21 October 2020 at 1pm – ‘Worldmaking on the Sea’, Dr Surabhi Ranganathan, University of Cambridge
11 November 2020 at 1pm – ‘Posthuman International Law and the Rights of Nature’, Dr Emily Jones, University of Essex
25 November 2020 at 1pm – ‘Intersectional Discrimination’, Dr Shreya Atrey, University of Oxford
3 February 2021 at 1pm – ‘Audit as Accountability: Technification, Expertise and Club Governance of Development Finance’, Dr Celine Tan, University of Warwick
24 February 2021 at 1pm – ‘Veiled Power: International Law and the Private Corporation’, Dr Doreen Lustig, Tel Aviv University
21 April 2021 at 1pm – ‘Colonial Futures: Resource Extraction and International Jurisdiction in the Seabed and Space’, Dr Cait Storr, University of Technology Sydney

GLAR Ghandhi Research Seminar Series: ‘Worldmaking on the Sea’
2020-10-21 13:00 - 14:00
GLAR is the home of public international law, EU law and human rights law at the University of Reading. The Ghandhi Research Seminar Series showcases the work of experts in these fields. The series was launched in 2015 and is convened this year by Dr Marie Aronsson-Storrier and Dr Matthew Windsor.
All sessions will be held on Microsoft Teams. Please email Matt Windsor (m.r.windsor@reading.ac.uk) for an invite.
21 October 2020 at 1pm – ‘Worldmaking on the Sea’, Dr Surabhi Ranganathan, University of Cambridge

Biting One’s Tongue: Agency and autoglossotomy in The Spanish Tragedy
2020-10-26 13:00 - 14:00
Early Modern Research Centre seminar series: ‘Biting one’s tongue: agency and autoglossotomy in The Spanish Tragedy’
Alanna Skuse, University of Reading
Mondays at 1pm via Zoom. To join, please email emrc@reading.ac.uk.
Programme – Autumn Term 2020
9 November: ‘Where is the warrant in “I warrant thee”?’, Derek Dunne, University of Cardiff
23 November: ‘Performing Domesticity at Cromwell’s Court 1653-1658′, Beth Bourne-Williams / ‘Women Writing About Women: Tracing a 17th Century Feminist Heritage’, Kate Shaw
7 December: ‘Illness and Recovery in the Early Modern World’, Hannah Newton, University of Reading

Children's half-term lecture (online): Cats, Bats, and Pointed Hats: Halloween and the history of witchcraft
2020-10-28 16:00 - 17:00
Children’s half-term lecture (online): Cats, Bats, and Pointed Hats: Halloween and the history of witchcraft
As shadowy figures walk our streets, clutching broomsticks, cauldrons, and pointed hats, we ask why witches and magic came to be associated with Hallowe’en. We’ll take a journey back to the 17th century to investigate beliefs about witchcraft in the past, act as historical detectives gathering stories and evidence, and find out where some of our Hallowe’en traditions really come from.
Helen Parish is Professor of History at the University of Reading. She specialises in the history of religion and magic, and the study of the relationship between the natural and the supernatural in Europe between 1400 and 1800.
To register for this free event, please click here.

LOB Research Seminar: Dr Giovanna Campopiano
2020-10-29 13:00 - 14:00
LOB Research Seminar Featuring Dr Giovanna Campopiano, Director of the Centre for Family Business of Lancaster University.
Date and time: 29 September 2020 at 1pm-2pm
Location: Held virtually on Microsoft Teams, details TBC
Name of organiser: Marcello Mariani

Human Geography Seminar Series
2020-10-29 13:00 - 14:00
Human Geography Seminar Series – Autumn 2020
All sessions will be held on Microsoft Teams. Please email Ruth Evans (r.evans@reading.ac.uk) for more information.
Sessions:
29 October 1-2pm: ‘The Trepidations of an African PhD Researcher – Who Are You and Why Are You Here?’ Atenchong Talleh Nkobou, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading.
The Trepidations of an African PhD Researcher

The Trepidations of an African PhD Researcher
2020-10-29 13:00 - 14:00 | Teams
The Trepidations of an African PhD Researcher – Who Are You and Why Are You Here?
Atenchong Talleh Nkobou, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development
This paper contributes to research that has a predominant focus on western researchers in the global South. Firstly, the paper examines how my African identity fits into a western discourse of being a researcher and their intersections with my other personalities as I world-travel. Secondly, the paper elaborates on violence and intimidation in the field and how researchers may succeed or fail in negotiating such risks.
Presentation, followed by commentary and Q& A with discussants, Dr. Yaw Adjei-Amoako and Dr. Vevila Dornelles
Join Microsoft Teams Meeting

Centre for Book Cultures & Publishing (CBCP) Research Seminars
2020-10-29 17:00 - 18:00
CBCP Events held by the School of Languages and Literature. All sessions will be held on Teams. Please email David Brauner (d.brauner@reading.ac.uk) for additional information.
Sessions:
29 October 2020 at 5pm – ‘Paper Monuments: the Obituary as Memorial and Archive in Eighteenth-Century England’, Dr Rebecca Bullard, University of Reading
12 November 2020 at 4pm – ‘Victorian Literary Businesses: The Management and Practices of the British Publishing Industry (Palgrave Macmillan)’, Marrisa Joseph, University of Reading
10 December 2020 at 5pm – ‘Around the World in 18 Books: An Introduction to Literary Translation in Children’s and YA Publishing’, Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp, WorldKidLit, translator from Arabic, German and Russian

‘Paper Monuments: the Obituary as Memorial and Archive in Eighteenth-Century England’
2020-10-29 17:00 - 18:00 | Teams
Centre for Book Cultures and Book Publishing events series:
Rebecca Bullard (English Literature)
‘Paper Monuments: the Obituary as Memorial and Archive in Eighteenth-Century England’
You can join via Teams.
Contact The Centre for Book Cultures and Book Publishing.

Methodologies for Global Development Research,
2020-10-30 13:00 - 14:30
A Global Development Research Division workshop
Ethnographic perspectives on the drug trade – Tom Grisaffi
How can you collect data on illegal activities? Tom will give a brief history of ethnographic methods and how he has used this approach to study politics and cocaine production in Bolivia and Peru. He will highlight three key areas: how to negotiate access, how to conduct fieldwork, and how to write up the data.
The ‘difference in differences’ methodology for impact evaluation – Stefania Lovo
‘Difference in differences’ is a quantitative method for impact evaluation that uses observational data from before and after a particular event took place. It is widely used because it is intuitive and fairly flexible. In her presentation, Stefania will provide a non-technical overview of how the method works and its main advantages using examples from her own research.
The walking interview: experiences from Mozambique – Alex Arnall
In recent years there has been growing interest in the walking interview method, during which the researcher accompanies people as they move around the landscape. Alex will share experiences of carrying out walking interviews with small-scale farmers in Mozambique – what the strengths of the method are plus some of the potential pitfalls.
When no does not mean no: a story of gender preferences in online vacancies – Tho Pham
Tho will highlight the applications of machine learning in economics/development research with reference to a work-in-progress where she looks at gender preference hidden in online job ads. First, she will describe the data collection procedure where job vacancies posted on various job sites are scrapped on daily basis. Second, she will briefly discuss some machine learning techniques, namely semi-supervised Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) and Random Forest (RF), which are used to examine the job ads’ text to determine embedded gender preference.
Join Microsoft Teams Meeting

Applying to run a UROP project – staff information session
2020-11-04 13:00 - 14:00
The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme (UROP) is the University of Reading scheme that gives undergraduate students the chance to build their research experience, and staff an extra pair of hands to support their research work over the summer.
We have two sessions coming up for staff interested in finding out more about the scheme:
Wednesday 16 September, 13:00-14:00, Webinar
Wednesday 4 November, 13:00-14:00, Webinar
Session details
This session is intended for staff who are new to the scheme, whether they are new to the University or just haven’t been involved before. It will give staff a chance to find out all about the UROP programme and how the application process works.
Staff applying to be a Principal Investigator (PI) should be a permanent staff member or a member of staff on a fixed-term contract that runs until after Nov 2021. PDRAs can apply as a PI (with their supervisor as a Co-I) and PhD students may co-supervise projects (but not lead them).
Applications to run a project will open in October 2020 and details can be found via www.reading.ac.uk/UROP
Please register:
If you would like to join one of the webinars please add your details to this form. You will then be emailed a link to join the webinar closer to the time.
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Tom McCann, Projects Officer
Careers & Employability, Student Services
1st Floor, Carrington Building, Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 6UA

Where is the warrant in “I warrant thee”?
2020-11-09 13:00
Early Modern Research Centre seminar series: ‘Where is the warrant in “I warrant thee”?’
Derek Dunne, University of Cardiff
Mondays at 1pm via Zoom. To join, please email emrc@reading.ac.uk.
Programme – Autumn Term 2020
‘Where is the warrant in “I warrant thee”?’, Derek Dunne, University of Cardiff
23 November: ‘Performing Domesticity at Cromwell’s Court 1653-1658′, Beth Bourne-Williams / ‘Women Writing About Women: Tracing a 17th Century Feminist Heritage’, Kate Shaw
7 December: ‘Illness and Recovery in the Early Modern World’, Hannah Newton, University of Reading

GLAR Ghandhi Research Seminar: ‘Posthuman International Law and the Rights of Nature’
2020-11-11 13:00 - 14:00
GLAR is the home of public international law, EU law and human rights law at the University of Reading. The Ghandhi Research Seminar Series showcases the work of experts in these fields. The series was launched in 2015 and is convened this year by Dr Marie Aronsson-Storrier and Dr Matthew Windsor.
All sessions will be held on Microsoft Teams. Please email Matt Windsor (m.r.windsor@reading.ac.uk) for an invite.
11 November 2020 at 1pm – ‘Posthuman International Law and the Rights of Nature’, Dr Emily Jones, University of Essex

University Public Lecture (online): Your Voice Speaks Volumes About You: What accent change in English can tell us about England
2020-11-11 19:00 - 20:00
Your Voice Speaks Volumes About You: What accent change in English can tell us about England
University Public Lecture (online), Professor Jane Setter
Why do we speak the way we do, and why do accent differences in British English fascinate some people and infuriate others? Take a trip across time to discover the origins of different accents of English in England, recent changes in the way we speak, and how language and attitudes to it are a reflection of so many other discipline areas, including history, geography, sociology, politics and economics.
Jane Setter is Professor of Phonetics in the Department of English Language and Applied Linguistics and a National Teaching Fellow. Probably best known for her popular science book, Your Voice Speaks Volumes: it’s not what you say, but how you say it (OUP, 2019) and the Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary (CUP, 2011), Jane is a sought-after commentator in the media on topics such as UK accents, pronunciation and English as a global language. Her research interests are in speech prosody (rhythm, intonation), mainly looking at children with speech and language deficits and features of South East Asian Englishes.
To register for this free event, please click here

LOB Research Seminar Featuring Dr Secil Danakol
2020-11-12 13:00 - 14:00
LOB Research Seminar Featuring Dr Secil Danakol, Aston Business School
Date and time: 12 November 2020 at 1pm-2pm
Location: Held virtually on Microsoft Teams, details TBC
Name of organiser: Marcello Mariani

Book launch of Victorian Literary Businesses
2020-11-12 16:00 - 17:00 | Teams
Centre for Book Cultures and Book Publishing events series:
Marrisa Joseph (Henley Business School)
Book launch of Victorian Literary Businesses: The Management and Practices of the British Publishing Industry (Palgrave Macmillan)
You can join via Teams.
Contact The Centre for Book Cultures and Book Publishing.

Being Human Festival: Making a Home Away from Home
2020-11-14 09:00 - 17:00 | Museum of English Rural Life (The MERL), Redlands Road, Reading, RG1 5EX, United Kingdom
Last year, the UN Refugee Agency revealed that the number of people fleeing violence was the highest recorded since World War II. While the need for temporary shelter has never been greater, many refugees find that these settlements are more permanent than originally intended. Ongoing conflicts prevent their return home and the lack of infrastructure and support leaves them unable to move forward. In this exhibition, explore a replicated UNHCR tent decorated by a Syrian refugee and discover more about the interior and exterior space. Learn how to make Arabic coffee as you chat with the researchers and reflect on what ‘home’ looks like for the people who have been forcibly displaced for years.

Part of Being Human Festival, 12-22 November
#BeingHuman2020
Speaker: Yasmine Shamma, Lecturer in English Literature, University of Reading
Free drop-in, booking required. Bookings for this event will open shortly.
This event will take place at the The Museum of English Rural Life. In light of the rule of 6, this will be a walk through event, with no more than 4 admitted at a time (to allow for co-organisers to be present). If you have any questions about this event please refer to our Public Events FAQs. If your question is not answered, please email events@thebritishacademy.ac.uk.
Image: A makeshift kitchen in a refugee caravan in the Zaatari refugee camp, 2019. Photo by Yasmine Shammagee

New Food Solutions for Cancer Patients - study participants needed
2020-11-19 08:00 - 2020-12-07 17:00
Help researchers at the University of Reading evaluate food products specially designed for cancer patients who are experiencing taste and smell alterations and/or require, or have required, texture-modified foods as a result of their treatment. Your input will directly influence the design and development of new innovative food solutions for cancer patients.
Close to 70% of cancer patients undergoing treatments experience side-effects (taste loss, bad taste in mouth, metallic taste, saliva absence, sores in mouth, vomiting, loss of appetite) that may have a large impact on their daily food intake.
The main aim of this study is to design and develop new innovative food solutions for cancer patients, taking into account not only their nutritional requirements but also their sensory changes thereby promoting eating pleasure.
We are looking for:

Cancer patients who require/have required texture-modified foods to attend an online focus group session
Healthcare workers of adult cancer patients who require texture-modified foods to attend an online focus group session
Cancer patients experiencing taste & smell alterations to evaluate some food products at home over 2 weeks,
All participants must be aged 18+ (patients 18-70)

You will be remunerated for your time.
The study runs until 7 December 2020
For more information or if you would like to sign up, contact us at SensoryScienceCentre@reading.ac.uk

Performing Domesticity at Cromwell’s Court 1653-1658 / Women Writing About Women: Tracing a 17th Century Feminist Heritage
2020-11-23 13:00 - 14:00
Early Modern Research Centre seminar series: ‘Performing Domesticity at Cromwell’s Court 1653-1658′, Beth Bourne-Williams / ‘Women Writing About Women: Tracing a 17th Century Feminist Heritage’, Kate Shaw
Mondays at 1pm via Zoom. To join, please email emrc@reading.ac.uk.
Programme – Autumn Term 2020
7 December: ‘Illness and Recovery in the Early Modern World’, Hannah Newton, University of Reading

Macroeconomics and Reality: Where Are We Now?
2020-11-24 09:00 - 18:45 | Zoom
A one day conference hosted by the Economic Analysis Research Group, University of Reading and ESRC’s Rebuilding Macroeconomics network.
The sessions ar themed around Climate Change and Pandemics, Beyond the Representative Firm and Consumer, Information and Big Data, Computational Advances and Politics and Society and this is the full programme.
To register for the conference, please contact Richard Arnold.

GLAR Ghandhi Research Seminar: ‘Intersectional Discrimination’
2020-11-25 13:00 - 14:00
GLAR is the home of public international law, EU law and human rights law at the University of Reading. The Ghandhi Research Seminar Series showcases the work of experts in these fields. The series was launched in 2015 and is convened this year by Dr Marie Aronsson-Storrier and Dr Matthew Windsor.
All sessions will be held on Microsoft Teams. Please email Matt Windsor (m.r.windsor@reading.ac.uk) for an invite.
25 November 2020 at 1pm – ‘Intersectional Discrimination’, Dr Shreya Atrey, University of Oxford

LOB Research Seminar Featuring Professor Abby Ghobadian
2020-11-26 13:00 - 14:00
LOB Research Seminar Featuring Professor Abby Ghobadian, Henley Business School
Date and time: 26 November 2020 at 1pm-2pm
Location: Held virtually on Microsoft Teams, details TBC
Name of organiser: Marcello Mariani

Methods for Participatory Development and Communications
2020-11-27 13:00 - 14:30
Global Research Division workshop
Using visual methods to enable participatory action-research: women and Zero-Budget Natural Farming in Andhra Pradesh, India – Henny Osbahr and Grady Walker
We use participatory photography when reporting on Zero-Budget Natural Farming approaches in Andhra Pradesh, India. Reporting of sustainable agricultural innovation practice has not always created space for marginalised voices. Participatory action-research merges theory with action and participation, while challenging institutionalised academic methods of collecting and curating knowledge. It relies on the accumulation of knowledge through participant action and seeks to advance the interests of underrepresented groups and classes, including in policy debate. In this short presentation, we will highlight how the approach was used to facilitate a channel for self-help groups of women to explain their often subjective reasons for adopting innovative rural practice.
Understanding how participatory scenario planning can support learning for social-ecological resilience – Sam Poskitt
Participatory scenario planning (PSP) is widely used for public engagement and co-production by researchers and practitioners with the expectation that this can encourage learning that supports progress towards social-ecological resilience. However, thus far there is limited theoretically informed analysis regarding how PSP may support learning in this context. In this presentation, I will explain how I developed a conceptual framework to help understand how PSP can support learning and then applied this framework to an empirical study of learning in PSP processes that focuses on social-ecological resilience.
One step backwards, one step sideways: notes at the margins of a participatory ethno-fiction – Lorenzo D’Angelo
This presentation aims to discuss the choices behind the making of a film shot in collaboration with people living in a gold-mining area in South-Western Uganda. Among other features, this is a locality in which Ugandan security services keep an active eye on gold mining sites and on a researcher eager to film. Hence, the presentation will reflect on issues such as: What is the relationship between reality, fiction, and storytelling? To what extent can collaborative ethnography be participatory?
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Interrogating the promises of agriculture 4.0: who will win, who will lose, and who has the power to decide?
2020-12-03 13:00 - 14:00
Human Geography Research Seminar
Dr David Rose, Elizabeth Creak Associate Professor of Agricultural Innovation and Extension, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development.
Presentation, followed by commentary and Q& A with discussant, Professor Mike Goodman
Thursday 3 December
1-2 pm MS Teams

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Annual Percy Ure Lecture: Pompeii of the Syrian Desert: Rethinking Dura-Europos for the 'decolonial' era
2020-12-04 16:00 - 17:00
Annual Percy Ure Lecture: Pompeii of the Syrian Desert: Rethinking Dura-Europos for the ‘decolonial’ era, Professor Simon James, University of Leicester
All are welcome to join University of Reading’s Classics Department online for the 10th Annual Percy Ure Lecture, to be delivered by Simon James, Professor of Archaeology at University of Leicester and President of the Ermine Street Guard. In this lecture, which honours the legacy of our founding Professor, Percy N. Ure, Professor James will consider the civil aspects of the Roman garrison at Dura-Europos, its nature and origins.
Admission free. Booking essential.
To book your place visit
https://tinyurl.com/UreLecture2020
For more information, please contact Professor Amy C. Smith at a.c.smith@reading.ac.uk

Illness and Recovery in the Early Modern World
2020-12-07 12:30 - 14:00
Early Modern Research Centre seminar series: ‘Illness and Recovery in the Early Modern World’
Hannah Newton, University of Reading
Mondays at 1pm via Zoom. To join, please email emrc@reading.ac.uk.

Why Language and Migration?
2020-12-07 15:00 - 16:30
An event organised by the Centre for Literacy and Multilingualism
Polarisation over migration continues to divide the world. Currently, the 27 countries of the EU are fiercely contesting a new pact on asylum and migration where biases around race, religion and ethnicity are at the heart of debates about values, identity and language.
Join Tony Capstick, author of Language and Migration, in conversation with five international scholars as they each respond to the question why language and migration?
This event will take place as a Zoom webinar. Please register via form below and you will receive an email with joining instructions closer to the event date.
Register here: https://bit.ly/34ZISlp
SPEAKERS
Anna De Fina, Professor of Italian Language and Linguistics, Italian Department, Georgetown University
Tony Capstick, Lecturer in Applied Linguistics, University of Reading
Ruth Wodak, Emerita Distinguished Professor of Discourse Studies, Lancaster University
Xiao Lan Curdt-Christiansen, Professor in Applied Linguistics, Department of Education, University of Bath
James Simpson, Senior Lecturer, School of Education, University of Leeds
CHAIR: Ludovica Serratrice, University of Reading
DATE: Monday 7 December 2020 – 3pm (UK)
