EMPIRE AND ME: PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS OF IMPERIALISM IN REALITY AND IMAGINATION
16-18 JUNE 2010
This colloquium provided a rare opportunity for writers, journalists, critics and academics from around the Commonwealth to reflect on what the British Empire means to them personally. Speakers shared their life stories, gave us readings from their works, and offered reflections on the nature of empire and post-imperialism. More than 60 years after the end of the British Empire, its influence on individuals can still be profound, with many speakers saying it shapes and drives their creativity as writers today. Click here to read more>>
SURVEILLANCE AND THE LIMITS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT
23-25 APRIL 2010
70 members of the police, the judiciary, civil rights groups, charity workers, academics and students gathered at Cumberland Lodge to discuss surveillance and privacy. It was made evident in the course of the conference that there has been an explosion in the availability of powerful technologies with which to intrude into people’s lives. Non-technological surveillance techniques, such as the police use of Section 44 powers to stop and search, were also considered. There were significant doubts raised, however, as to whether the level of ethical debate over the appropriate use of these technologies and techniques had kept pace with their increasingly widespread use. The conference sought to redress this imbalance, while offering delegates an analysis of the current use of surveillance techniques by law enforcement agencies. Click here to read more>>
DRUGS AND HARM: A NEW AGENDA FOR A NEW GOVERNMENT? 27-29 JANUARY 2010
50 people gathered at Cumberland Lodge to discuss the UK’s drug control system and how it could be improved. The conference uniquely brought together cross-sector participation from scientists, charity-workers, policy-makers, journalists, academics, as well as members of the judiciary to talk through one of the most pressing issues in social policy at the moment. Consensus was difficult to achieve, but there was wide agreement that the current drugs policy does not fulfil its objective to reduce the use of illegal drugs. Click here to read more>>
HOPE IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
18-20 NOVEMBER 2009
How is the built environment implicated in the major social concerns of the day particularly wellbeing, sustainability and the economic downturn?
This conference brought together over sixty participants. A range of built environment professions and specialisms were represented: architects, builders, developers, academics and civil servants. Some of the themes under discussion proved highly controversial.
Click here to read more>> RELIGION AND THE NEWS
11-13 OCTOBER 2009
70 people gathered at Cumberland Lodge to discuss the interaction between religion and the news. Over the past twenty years the coverage of religious news in the media has radically changed: religion is no longer a "soft" story. Religious issues pervade the reporting of domestic politics and foreign affairs, and even if a religious story seems self-contained, its ramifications often generate comment from unrelated parts of the secular press. Click here to read more>>
