Editorial, British Academy Review, Summer 2016

Published in British Academy Review, No. 28 (Summer 2016).

The British Academy and the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) have launched a £3.6 million initiative to support leading international research teams to investigate and identify the most successful ways of addressing corruption in developing countries. Professor Paul Heywood – leader of the British Academy / DFID Anti-Corruption Evidence Programme – explains how this initiative seeks to improve on past attempts to reduce corruption and address its negative impact on people’s lives.

First and foremost, the British Academy is a Fellowship of scholars, elected for outstanding academic achievement in one or more of the disciplines of the humanities and social sciences. This issue contains interviews with three Fellows of the British Academy – all women – who have had very different careers. These stories of leading academics at work provide an intriguing picture of modern scholarship, and help us appreciate why the study of their subjects enriches our lives.

The British Academy operates a number of ‘early career’ schemes for supporting outstanding scholars at the other end of the academic ladder. There are articles by five Academy-supported individuals from this new generation in the ‘Emerging perspectives’ section of this issue. Each brings a quite different approach to subjects ranging in date from early medieval times to the present day.

Other articles reflect the Academy’s contribution to matters of public policy, and its longstanding interest in promoting the study of languages.

2016 is a year full of centenaries. Some are of international cultural significance, harking back to 1516 or 1616. Others are particular to the early history of the British Academy itself. Various of these milestones are touched on at different points in this issue.