http://commonwealth.sas.ac.uk/events/videos-and-podcasts/decriminalising-homosexuality-in-the-caribbean/
The link above provides access to the Caribbean Studies Seminar held on 3rd February 2012 with speaker, Lord Goldsmith QC of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, replacing the originally intended Godfrey Smith, who unexpectedly had to return to Belize. The packed event was held late on a Friday afternoon and is now made available to anyone who was unable to attend in person.
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Tuesday, 28 February 2012
Seminar: Politics and Media in post 9/11 Pakistan
Politics and Media in post 9/11 Pakistan
Wednesday 7 March 2012, 17:30 -18:30
Speaker: Kiran Hassan (Institute of Commonwealth Studies)
Chair: Professor James Manor (Institute of Commonwealth Studies)
Venue: ST274 (Stewart House, second floor), Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU
Convenors: Dr Shihan de Silva (Institute of Commonwealth Studies) & Dr Susan Williams (Institute of Commonwealth Studies)
Contact: chloe.pieters@sas.ac.uk
forthcoming events in the Commonwealth Research Seminar Series include:
13 March The Commonwealth Secretary-General - from Smith to Sharma
Speaker: Stuart Mole (Institute of Commonwealth Studies / Commonwealth Advisory Bureau)
17:30 Room 261 (Senate House, 2nd floor)
28 March Reporting on The Truth & Justice Commission of Mauritius
Speakers: Dr Vijaya Teelock (University of Mauritius)
17:30 The Court Room (Senate House, First Floor)
24 April Rebuilding Sierra Leone's Evidence Base in the Post Conflict Period
Speaker: Anne Thurston (Institute of Commonwealth Studies)
17:30 Room 261 (Senate House, 2nd floor)
22 May What happened to 'garibi hatao'? India's Congress Party and the politics of poverty
Speaker: James Chiriyankandath (Institute of Commonwealth Studies)
17:30 Room 265 (Senate House, 2nd floor)
Wednesday 7 March 2012, 17:30 -18:30
Speaker: Kiran Hassan (Institute of Commonwealth Studies)
Chair: Professor James Manor (Institute of Commonwealth Studies)
Venue: ST274 (Stewart House, second floor), Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU
Convenors: Dr Shihan de Silva (Institute of Commonwealth Studies) & Dr Susan Williams (Institute of Commonwealth Studies)
Contact: chloe.pieters@sas.ac.uk
forthcoming events in the Commonwealth Research Seminar Series include:
13 March The Commonwealth Secretary-General - from Smith to Sharma
Speaker: Stuart Mole (Institute of Commonwealth Studies / Commonwealth Advisory Bureau)
17:30 Room 261 (Senate House, 2nd floor)
28 March Reporting on The Truth & Justice Commission of Mauritius
Speakers: Dr Vijaya Teelock (University of Mauritius)
17:30 The Court Room (Senate House, First Floor)
24 April Rebuilding Sierra Leone's Evidence Base in the Post Conflict Period
Speaker: Anne Thurston (Institute of Commonwealth Studies)
17:30 Room 261 (Senate House, 2nd floor)
22 May What happened to 'garibi hatao'? India's Congress Party and the politics of poverty
Speaker: James Chiriyankandath (Institute of Commonwealth Studies)
17:30 Room 265 (Senate House, 2nd floor)
Monday, 27 February 2012
Panel: Small Territories, Global Issues: Governance and Corruption in the Caribbean
You are warmly invited to the following panel on Governance and Corruption in the Caribbean jointly hosted by the Institute for the Study of the Americas and the Institute of Commonwealth Studies on Weds 29th February:
Time: 5.30pm
Venue: Room 261, Senate House, Malet St, London, WC1E 7HU
Panel: Small Territories, Global Issues: Governance and Corruption in the Caribbean
Speakers:
Peter Clegg, UWE: The Turks and Caicos Islands: Can the cloud be banished?
Dylan Vernon, ISA: Our Turn to Feed: Big Implications of Rampant Political Clientelism in Small State Belize
Peter Clegg, UWE: The Turks and Caicos Islands: Can the cloud be banished?
The Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) is one of 14 Overseas Territories (OTs) still overseen by the United Kingdom (UK). Underpinned by tourism, property development and financial services, its economy experienced growth amongst the highest in the world during the early to mid-2000s. However, it now appears that this economic success was built on a political, economic and social system that was seriously compromised, and which created ‘a national emergency’ that potentially threatened the very future of the territory. The paper considers the report of the 2009 UK government-appointed Commission of Inquiry into alleged corruption in the TCI, and draws comparisons with a similar Commission of Inquiry undertaken in 1986. Indeed the title of the article derives from a quotation from the first inquiry overseen by Louis Blom-Cooper which said ‘… I am driven to the conclusion that the time has come to disperse the cloud that hangs like a brooding omnipresence in a Grand Turkan Sky’. It is clear that this did not happen, and the paper investigates why. The paper considers the UK government’s system of oversight and the characteristics of the TCI, and whether these help to explain recent events and those in the mid-1980s. A final assessment is then made as to whether the TCI is particularly prone to breakdowns in good governance, what is being done to repair the territory’s reputation, and whether the cloud hanging over the TCI can be banished.
Dr Peter Clegg is a Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of the West of England in Bristol, and in 2009/2010 he was a Visiting Research Fellow at the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies (SALISES) at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica. He has published widely on the Caribbean, and teaches a range of courses on Latin American and Caribbean Politics.
Dylan Vernon, ISA: Our Turn to Feed: Big Implications of Rampant Political Clientelism in Small State Belize
The disproportionate expansion and prevalence of political clientelism in Belize since independence in 1981 have worrying implications for its democratic governance and development. From the ‘cultural normalcy’ of open vote-buying in local constituencies, to blatant patronage in the public service, to the backroom high finance deals for the ‘big boys’, the trading of political favour for political support is no longer just election addenda but a permanent state of affairs in daily political relationships of exchange and influence. Although intense party competition and high rates of poverty have jointly fuelled this political phenomenon, small state scale, highly personalised politics, and demographic shifts have also contributed significantly in the Belize context. The paper focuses on the ‘big’ governance challenges that pervasive political clientelism present for small Commonwealth Caribbean states such as Belize in terms of its relationship to political corruption, the disincentive effect on policy reform, the undermining of welfare delivery, and the creation of a mutually damaging dependency between people and their political leaders. Is this path of entrenched political clientelism inevitable for these small states?
Dylan Vernon is a United Kingdom Commonwealth Scholarship Fellow currently in his third year of completing a PhD in Caribbean Politics at the Institute for the Study of the Americas at the School of Advanced Studies, University of London. The presentation is based on his thesis (in progress) on the nature and implications of rampant political clientelism in Belize. Prior to ISA, his career included directing the Society for the Promotion of Education and Research in Belize (1994-1998), chairing the Belize Political Reform Commission (1999-2000), managing the United Nations Development Programme in Belize (2000-2005), chairing the Advisory Council on the Guatemalan Claim (2005-2009), lecturing at the University of Belize, and private consulting in the development sector.
Time: 5.30pm
Venue: Room 261, Senate House, Malet St, London, WC1E 7HU
Panel: Small Territories, Global Issues: Governance and Corruption in the Caribbean
Speakers:
Peter Clegg, UWE: The Turks and Caicos Islands: Can the cloud be banished?
Dylan Vernon, ISA: Our Turn to Feed: Big Implications of Rampant Political Clientelism in Small State Belize
Peter Clegg, UWE: The Turks and Caicos Islands: Can the cloud be banished?
The Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) is one of 14 Overseas Territories (OTs) still overseen by the United Kingdom (UK). Underpinned by tourism, property development and financial services, its economy experienced growth amongst the highest in the world during the early to mid-2000s. However, it now appears that this economic success was built on a political, economic and social system that was seriously compromised, and which created ‘a national emergency’ that potentially threatened the very future of the territory. The paper considers the report of the 2009 UK government-appointed Commission of Inquiry into alleged corruption in the TCI, and draws comparisons with a similar Commission of Inquiry undertaken in 1986. Indeed the title of the article derives from a quotation from the first inquiry overseen by Louis Blom-Cooper which said ‘… I am driven to the conclusion that the time has come to disperse the cloud that hangs like a brooding omnipresence in a Grand Turkan Sky’. It is clear that this did not happen, and the paper investigates why. The paper considers the UK government’s system of oversight and the characteristics of the TCI, and whether these help to explain recent events and those in the mid-1980s. A final assessment is then made as to whether the TCI is particularly prone to breakdowns in good governance, what is being done to repair the territory’s reputation, and whether the cloud hanging over the TCI can be banished.
Dr Peter Clegg is a Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of the West of England in Bristol, and in 2009/2010 he was a Visiting Research Fellow at the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies (SALISES) at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica. He has published widely on the Caribbean, and teaches a range of courses on Latin American and Caribbean Politics.
Dylan Vernon, ISA: Our Turn to Feed: Big Implications of Rampant Political Clientelism in Small State Belize
The disproportionate expansion and prevalence of political clientelism in Belize since independence in 1981 have worrying implications for its democratic governance and development. From the ‘cultural normalcy’ of open vote-buying in local constituencies, to blatant patronage in the public service, to the backroom high finance deals for the ‘big boys’, the trading of political favour for political support is no longer just election addenda but a permanent state of affairs in daily political relationships of exchange and influence. Although intense party competition and high rates of poverty have jointly fuelled this political phenomenon, small state scale, highly personalised politics, and demographic shifts have also contributed significantly in the Belize context. The paper focuses on the ‘big’ governance challenges that pervasive political clientelism present for small Commonwealth Caribbean states such as Belize in terms of its relationship to political corruption, the disincentive effect on policy reform, the undermining of welfare delivery, and the creation of a mutually damaging dependency between people and their political leaders. Is this path of entrenched political clientelism inevitable for these small states?
Dylan Vernon is a United Kingdom Commonwealth Scholarship Fellow currently in his third year of completing a PhD in Caribbean Politics at the Institute for the Study of the Americas at the School of Advanced Studies, University of London. The presentation is based on his thesis (in progress) on the nature and implications of rampant political clientelism in Belize. Prior to ISA, his career included directing the Society for the Promotion of Education and Research in Belize (1994-1998), chairing the Belize Political Reform Commission (1999-2000), managing the United Nations Development Programme in Belize (2000-2005), chairing the Advisory Council on the Guatemalan Claim (2005-2009), lecturing at the University of Belize, and private consulting in the development sector.
Saturday, 25 February 2012
Service and Sacrifice: Colonial Troops and the First World War
Service and Sacrifice: Colonial Troops and the First World War
Speaker: Sonya O. Rose (BIH Visiting Fellow)
Wednesday 14th March 12.30 - 2.30 Room G16 Birkbeck Main Building
This event is free - register here
This seminar will explore what historical scholarship suggests about how the meanings of the key wartime concepts of service and sacrifice resonated across Britain’s colonial empire. It will consider what it meant under different circumstances to ‘volunteer’ and will assess how colonial participation in the war effort was secured and with what consequences. The issues of gender, race and national consciousness will be central to the discussion.
If interested in this event do check out the Institute of Commonwealth Studies Library catalogue for books published on African, Asian, Caribbean, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand contributions to both world wars, as well as archive collections which include Australian and New Zealand, Caribbean and African contributions.
Speaker: Sonya O. Rose (BIH Visiting Fellow)
Wednesday 14th March 12.30 - 2.30 Room G16 Birkbeck Main Building
This event is free - register here
This seminar will explore what historical scholarship suggests about how the meanings of the key wartime concepts of service and sacrifice resonated across Britain’s colonial empire. It will consider what it meant under different circumstances to ‘volunteer’ and will assess how colonial participation in the war effort was secured and with what consequences. The issues of gender, race and national consciousness will be central to the discussion.
If interested in this event do check out the Institute of Commonwealth Studies Library catalogue for books published on African, Asian, Caribbean, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand contributions to both world wars, as well as archive collections which include Australian and New Zealand, Caribbean and African contributions.
Friday, 24 February 2012
Colonial Film: Moving Images of the British Empire
Colonial Film: Moving Images of the British Empire is a website holding detailed information on over 6000 films showing images of life in the British colonies. Over 150 of these films are available for viewing online.
You can search or browse for films by country, date, topic, or keyword.
Topics include: Administration, Development, Education, Health, Independence, Industry, Leisure, Religion, Travel, War, Empire in Revolt, and Empire on Display
Films were produced by a range of organisations including: Bekefilm, British Armed Forces Film Units, British Instructional Films, Central African Film Unit, Colonial Film Unit, Empire Marketing Board, Gaumont British Instructional, Gold Coast Film Unit, Indian News Parade, Information Films of India, Jamaica Film Unit, Malayan Film Unit , Ministry of Information /Central Office of Information, Missionary Societies, and the Nigerian Film Unit.
Over 350 of the most important films in the catalogue are presented with extensive critical notes written by the projects academic research team.
The Colonial Film project was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and united universities (Birkbeck and University College London) and archives (British Film Institute, Imperial War Museum and the British Empire and Commonwealth Museum) to create a new catalogue of films relating to the British Empire with an ambition "to allow both colonizers and colonized to understand better the truths of Empire".
You can search or browse for films by country, date, topic, or keyword.
Topics include: Administration, Development, Education, Health, Independence, Industry, Leisure, Religion, Travel, War, Empire in Revolt, and Empire on Display
Films were produced by a range of organisations including: Bekefilm, British Armed Forces Film Units, British Instructional Films, Central African Film Unit, Colonial Film Unit, Empire Marketing Board, Gaumont British Instructional, Gold Coast Film Unit, Indian News Parade, Information Films of India, Jamaica Film Unit, Malayan Film Unit , Ministry of Information /Central Office of Information, Missionary Societies, and the Nigerian Film Unit.
Over 350 of the most important films in the catalogue are presented with extensive critical notes written by the projects academic research team.
The Colonial Film project was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and united universities (Birkbeck and University College London) and archives (British Film Institute, Imperial War Museum and the British Empire and Commonwealth Museum) to create a new catalogue of films relating to the British Empire with an ambition "to allow both colonizers and colonized to understand better the truths of Empire".
Thursday, 23 February 2012
Refugee Law Initiative Hub
The Refugee Law Initiative Hub is the new online network for the Refugee Law Initiative, at the Human Rights Consortium of the School of Advanced Study, University of London.
The Refugee Law Initiative Hub will support sharing, collaboration and dissemination of information by academics and non-academics, refugee law scholars and practitioners.
Refugee Law Initiative affiliates and workshop members are invited to
The Refugee Law Initiative is the only academic centre in the UK to concentrate specifically on international refugee law. The Refugee Law Initiative hosts seminars, workshops, short courses and other events to promote and facilitate cutting-edge research on the protection of refugees and other displaced persons. It leads and manages high-impact research, policy and training projects, and carries out consultancy work on refugee law and protection.
- create an account on the Hub
- join interest groups
- participate in discussion forums
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
2012/13 Australian Bicentennial Scholarship & Fellowship
Applications for the 2012/13 Australian Bicentennial Scholarship & Fellowship awards are now open.
The Australian Bicentennial Scholarships and Fellowships is a one-off award of up to £4,000 to enable UK postgraduate students or academic staff to undertake research/study in Australia for a minimum of 3 months. Also open to Australian postgraduate students/academic staff wishing to come to the UK.
For full details, and to apply, please visit the Menzies Centre website: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/ahri/centres/menzies/scholarships/absf/index.aspx
The Australian Bicentennial Scholarships and Fellowships is a one-off award of up to £4,000 to enable UK postgraduate students or academic staff to undertake research/study in Australia for a minimum of 3 months. Also open to Australian postgraduate students/academic staff wishing to come to the UK.
For full details, and to apply, please visit the Menzies Centre website: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/ahri/centres/menzies/scholarships/absf/index.aspx
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