Skip to main content

Thought Leadership

How archaeology is shining a light on our understanding of the emergence of identity in England

Earlier this year Professor Sarah Semple, Head of our Department of Archaeology, was a guest on the BBC Radio 4 series 'This Union: The Ghost Kingdoms of England', which explores four great Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms of England and traces of their legacy today. Here, Sarah tells us how she got involved in the programme, how it links to the work of the Archaeology department and what Archaeology can tell us about the history of the North East of England.
Image showing site of archaeological dig

Sarah Everard, police culture and the ‘masculinised’ workplaces we can all help change

Professor Nicole Westmarland, Dr Stephen Burrell and Honorary Fellow Sandy Ruxton, from our Department of Sociology, address misogyny in our society and the role of organisations in preventing men’s violence against women.
Male police officer standing in quiet street

Why Shari'a law might be better suited for state-building in Somalia than external ideas

Professor Justin Willis, from our Department of History, comments on Shari'a law in Somalia and, in particular, Shari’a, Insha’allah which was recently published by Professor Mark Fathi Massoud from the University of California.
Aerial view to Hargeisa, biggest city of Somaliland, Somalia

James McCune Smith: new discovery reveals how first African American doctor fought for women’s rights in Glasgow

Professor Matthew Daniel Eddy, from our Department of Philosophy, has found new evidence of the first known research paper to be published in a British medical journal by an African American doctor.
A portrait of Dr James McCune Smith

Boris Johnson wants to pay Stem teachers a £3,000 premium – research shows incentives don’t work

Professor Stephen Gorard and Professor Beng Huat See, from our School of Education, ask if the idea of paying £3,000 to attract maths and science teachers to poorer schools and areas will work?
Children in a Science Class

Sats – why bringing back tests for 14-year-olds could help disadvantaged students

Professor Stephen Gorard and Dr Nadia Siddiqui, from the School of Education, consider if bringing back SATs for 14 year olds will help disadvantaged students.
Empty classroom with desks & chairs

If we’re serious about ending violence against women, we need to talk about culture

Dr Fiona Vera-Gray, from our Department of Sociology, addresses the way women are depicted onscreen and the real-life consequences.
A woman holding a protest sign saying silence is violence

Japan’s love affair with the fax machine – a strange relic of technological fantasies

Dr Hansun Hsiung, from our School of Modern Languages and Cultures, discusses Japan's previously high-tech image and their current position in the global race to digitise.
Fax machine isolated on white background with clipping path

How the British navy hid the heroic voyage of crippled second world war submarine HMS Triumph

Professor Tim Luckhurst, Principal of South College, looks back on how the British media covered the Second World War.
HMSM Triumph Underway after reconstruction between 1939-1945

The Arctic Council at 25 – regional governance in changing times

Our Durham Arctic Research Centre for Training and Interdisciplinary Collaboration (DurhamARCTIC) and the Embassy of Iceland are celebrating 25 years of the signing of the Ottawa Declaration that led to the creation of the Arctic Council. Here Romain Chuffart, a PhD student in Durham Law School and chair of an event to mark the milestone anniversary, tells us more about the important work of the Arctic Council in changing times for the region.
Polar bear roaring on ice cap

Susanne Braun, Professor in Leadership, discusses narcissistic leadership in a post-pandemic world:

COVID-19 has put our working lives under the microscope: Does my job make a difference? Does it bring me joy?
King piece glowing on a chess board

The little-known story of how slavery infiltrated California and the American west

Dr Kevin Waite, from our Department of History, comments on how the original narrative of American slavery misses a huge swath of the North American map and a crucial chapter in US history.
Black & white photo of african american miner 1800s