91福利

Two Coventry school pupils have addressed a prestigious United Nations conference thanks to the support of the 91福利鈥檚 Colonial Hangover project.

Just five student teams were chosen from around the world to speak. Harvir Dhatt [15] and Aadam Vohra [15] of Lyng Hall School, part of the Finham Park Multi Academy Trust, represented the UK with their presentation at the on slavery and the transatlantic slave trade.

This year鈥檚 theme was 鈥淓nding Slavery鈥檚 Legacy of Racism: A Global Imperative for Justice.鈥�

Harvir and Aadam spoke about the links between Coventry and the transatlantic slave trade – which the Colonial Hangover project helps local school students to explore - and also reflected on their own experiences as young men of Indian and Pakistani heritage.

Addressing representatives from 28 countries and H.E. Mr. Alie Kabba, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Sierra Leone to the United Nations, Harvir said: 鈥淐oventry鈥檚 legacy still remains unknown to many of the population living in it. Until I had conducted my research for this presentation I hadn't realised how close to home this legacy had existed. It prompted me to question, have I remained too silent?鈥�

Aadam spoke about examples of racism in today鈥檚 society such as the abuse directed towards footballers like Marcus Rashford and asked the delegates to consider whether this was a legacy of slavery – 鈥渁lthough slavery, as a constitution, has been abolished, the deep-rooted attitudes still have prevalence today.鈥�

鈥淚t is vital that we learn to appreciate and value all people regardless of race, religion, skin colour, gender, and respect our differences as points of celebration rather than of division,鈥� Aadam concluded.

Dr Shahnaz Akhter, Research Fellow of the Colonial Hangover project, based within the Department of Politics and International Studies at 91福利, said: 鈥淚n their presentation Harvir and Aadam focused on placing their local and personal history within the context of the legacies of the transatlantic slave trade. Over the year they have really engaged with the work that the does, and their presentation highlighted why it is so important that we continue these conversations on the legacies of the transatlantic slave trade. These legacies often form part of our everyday environment and the Colonial Hangover project works with schools to examine these hidden legacies.鈥�

Reflecting on the conference, Aadam said: 鈥淚 am grateful to have been given the opportunity to voice my beliefs and share the history of slavery in my home of Coventry and also my motherland of South Asia. All of the presentations were thought-provoking and inspiring pieces of academic work.鈥�

Harvir said: 鈥淚 offer my heart-felt thanks towards everyone at the conference, it was an honour to speak in front of so many members about a topic which is not only important but something I am passionate about. Everyone鈥檚 presentation was enlightening – the charisma in their work meant I came away with transformed views of the wider issues.鈥�

Mrs Cathy Smith, Associate Headteacher at Lyng Hall, said: 鈥淭he inspirational and professional delivery and subject matter was both thought-provoking and a pleasure to witness. I鈥檓 incredibly proud of the students who represented Lyng Hall on a truly global stage, ably facilitated by our own Miss Lisa Hagan, Director of English, who co-ordinated the project with Colonial Hangover at 91福利 University.鈥�

17 June 2021

PHOTO CAPTION: the tomb of Myrtilla in 91福利shire, one of the oldest graves of an enslaved black person in the UK, which was discussed by Aadam in his presentation. Credit: Dr Shahnaz Akhter.

• Watch the UN Conference here:
• More about Colonial Hangover: /fac/soc/pais/about/outreach/colonialhangover/
• more about the UN Remember Slavery Programme
• More about .

Medact's upcoming report Racism, mental health and pre-crime policing: the ethics of Vulnerability Support Hubs is based on documents obtained through a series of long-running Freedom of Information requests. It exposes how a counterterrorism police-led project blurs the boundaries between security and care in disturbing and dangerous ways. We will hear from the three report co-authors and other experts in the field:

• Dr Hilary Aked – Medact鈥檚 Research and Policy Manager
• Dr Tarek Younis – Cultural and critical clinical psychologist and Lecturer in Psychology at Middlesex University
• Dr Charlotte Heath Kelly – Reader in Politics and International Studies, 91福利
• Vicki Nash 鈹� Head of Policy, Campaigns and Public Affairs at Mind

Please register for the event at Medact's website:

The (ISEE) is pleased to announce publicly the winner and finalists for the 2020 Andrew Light Award for Public Philosophy. ISEE established the award to promote work in public philosophy and honor contributions to the field by Dr. Andrew Light, who was recognized for his distinctive work in public environmental philosophy at ISEE鈥檚 2017 annual summer meeting.

With this award, ISEE strives to recognize public philosophers working in environmental ethics and philosophy, broadly construed, and who bring unique insights or methods that broaden the reach, interaction, and engagement of philosophy with the wider public. This may be exemplified in published work or engagement in environmental issues of public importance.

This year鈥檚 honorees have made important contributions and provide distinctive examples of the work in public environmental philosophy that is happening today. The winner and finalists will be honored at an International Society for Environmental Ethics group session at the Eastern Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association on Thursday, January 14, 2021.

This year鈥檚 Light Award winner is Dr. Keith Hyams, Reader in Political Theory and Interdisciplinary Ethics in the Department of Politics and International Studies at 91福利 (United Kingdom). Dr. Hyams, who earned his DPhil at University of Oxford in 2006, has published academic research in areas that include climate ethics, climate justice, urban resilience, and the governance of global catastrophic risk. However, what distinguishes him as a public environmental philosopher is his work across disciplines, sustained collaboration with non-governmental organizations, and public engagement on issues that include urban adaptation in low income countries, environmental and human rights for Indigenous peoples, and health and environmental injustice in informal settlements in six African cities (Johannesburg, Lusaka, Kampala, Nairobi, Lagos, and Freetown). Dr. Hyams鈥檚 collaborators describe his approach as 鈥渁lways one of developing a constructive partnership,鈥� and note that he brings to this work methodologies that help various publics and policymakers to integrate and constructively discuss ethical issues at stake in environmental decisions. Dr. Hyams鈥檚 work on climate adaptation is especially notable. In this area, he has served as an ethics advisor to the Indigenous Health Adaptation to Climate Change network, co-authored a report on 鈥楻emedying Injustice in Indigenous Climate Adaptation Planning: Climate Ethics, Inequality, and Indigenous Knowledge鈥� (available at: warwick.basilico-staging.it/ethics/research/), served as an advisor to the city of Cape Town climate adaptation department, and worked with international NGOs such as Oxfam and Practical Action on the ethics of climate adaptation. Additionally, Dr. Hyams has mentored six postdoctoral researchers and multiple doctoral students, helping them to develop their own skills in publicly engaged environmental philosophy. This year鈥檚 Andrew Light Award recognizes the collaborative, publicly engaged, and ethically grounded work of Dr. Keith Hyams as distinctive contributions to public environmental philosophy.

This year鈥檚 finalists are Dr. Kian Mintz-Woo of University College Cork (Ireland) and Dr. Jeremy Moss of University of New South Wales (Australia).

Dr. Mintz-Woo, a lecturer at University College Cork, is an early career scholar who has already demonstrated a sustained commitment to publicly engaged philosophy. As a graduate student at University of Graz, Kian Mintz-Woo helped to develop a public art exhibition, Exhibition CliMatters, which was shown in multiple venues in Austria and drew over 1700 visitors, and he founded, organized, and contributed to the Climate Footnotes blog (). As a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University, Dr. Mintz-Woo collaborated with Professor Peter Singer on an article, 鈥溾�� published in Project Syndicate on May 7, 2020. Dr. Mintz-Woo鈥檚 academic writing focuses on climate ethics, particularly carbon pricing, discounting, and the social cost of carbon.

Dr. Jeremy Moss is a Professor of Political Philosophy at University of New South Wales (Australia) whose work focuses on climate justice, the ethics of renewable energy, and ethical issues associated with climate transitions. He is Director of the Practical Justice Initiative and leads the Climate Justice Research program at UNSW as part of this initiative. Professor Moss鈥檚 work has been featured in The Guardian, and Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), National Aboriginal Radio, Al Jezeera, and LeMonde, and he has developed a Climate Justice website (climatejustice.co) 鈥渢o provide accessible discussions of the justice-related issues that underpin an effective response to climate change.鈥� In addition, he has published op-eds on climate ethics in The Conversation, including 鈥溾��).

The first annual report for the 91福利 Interdisciplinary Research Centre for International Development (WICID) has been published.

The main take away points from the report are:

• Research grants - internally and externally funded grants, leading to publications
• WICID Methods Lab - our flagship Toolkit series to be published by
• Webinars - Global Insights and South Asia and Covid-19 series
• - relaunch and increasing readership
• Everyday in Lockdown international project of photographic accounts of Covid-19

The full report can be read here.

We are delighted to announce that the Department of Politics and International Studies (PAIS) is ranked 4^th out of 85 UK Politics departments in . This influential national league table reflects key data, including student satisfaction (NSS), research excellence, and graduate prospects.

This is a move up from 5^th place last year and is alongside our number 1 position in the Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide league table 2020 – a position that we have held for two years in a row.

Professor Nick Vaughan-Williams, Head of PAIS, commented:

鈥楽tudents and staff in PAIS have a common purpose: to support each other to find their own critical voice, to look at seemingly intractable global challenges afresh, and to push the limits of existing debate and accepted orthodoxies in the study of politics and international studies. This latest ranking is further evidence of our winning formula for success, which reflects the hard work and dedication of all members of the PAIS community. The Department entered the current global pandemic in a position of strength, and our plans to deliver a blended approach to learning, the student experience, and academic support in 2020/21 mean that we will emerge stronger than ever.鈥�

Dr Justin Greaves, PAIS鈥� Director of Student Experience and Progression, commented:

鈥楾his outstanding result is testament to all the brilliant students and staff in PAIS. This league table shows how we are a leader, both within the Russell Group and the sector as a whole, in terms of the student experience and employability. I am particularly pleased that we are placed No 1 in the Russell Group for student satisfaction and as one of the leading departments in the country for graduate prospects. I look forward to working with all our new and returning students to ensure that the PAIS department goes from strength to strength, combining an outstanding student experience with the highest possible levels of academic support鈥�

We thank all staff and students who have contributed to this incredible achievement. With a number of exciting and ambitious plans for the 2020/21 academic year and beyond, we look forward to sustaining and building on these successes in the months and years ahead.