The British Academy THE NATIONAL ACADEMY FOR THE HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES REVIEW Issue 7 The British Academy 10 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AH Telephone: 020 7969 5200 Fax: 020 7969 5300 Email: [email protected] Web site: www.britac.ac.uk © The British Academy 2003 Cover illustration – US forces patrolling in Mogadishu, 1993. Photo: DoD. See page 38 for article on Military Operations in Cities. iii Foreword This issue of the Review includes events and activities that took place during the first half of 2003 (January to July). The normal programme of Academy business has continued with lectures, conferences, publications, international co-operation, and the awarding of grants to support individual scholars.The diversity of intellectual activity sponsored by the Academy is illustrated by reports and articles in this issue. Over the last 10 years, the Academy has contributed towards the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, an immense collaborative project to replace and extend the original Victorian endeavour.The collection of articles has been completed, and in the Spring the Academy hosted an event to introduce the on-line version which will be published with the print edition in 2004. On pages 13–15 the editor of the Dictionary,Professor Brian Harrison, compares and contrasts the modern experience with that of his predecessors. Besides contributing to such major works of fundamental scholarship, the Academy is proud of the part it plays in fostering the careers of outstanding young researchers. Through its flagship Postdoctoral Fellowships scheme, it offers 30 or more scholars annually the opportunity to spend three years pursuing independent research projects, and developing skills and experience in teaching and administration in the university environment.This year’s competition was completed in July and the successful candidates are announced in this issue, together with a short description of the research they will be undertaking. A scholar who has recently completed her Postdoctoral Fellowship, Dr Sriya Iyer, describes her research in South India on pages 33–35.As with the great majority of those who are awarded a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Academy, Dr Iyer has now progressed to a further academic appointment. A special edition of the Review recording the Academy’s Centenary year in 2002 is in preparation and will appear at a later date. v Contents About the British Academy 1 AGM 2003 Presidential Address 3 Medals, Prizes and Honours 4 The Fellowship 5 Elections Deaths External Relations Report on recent events and activities 9 Does Philosophy Matter? 10 Lectures and Conferences Report 12 Academy Research Projects The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: New Technology, Enhanced Scholarship 13 Professor Brian Harrison Publications Report 17 Divine Intoxication? Jesuit Georgic Poetry on Exotic Beverages 19 Dr Yasmin Haskell International International Relations 22 Overseas Institutes and Sponsored Societies 24 Research Awards Postdoctoral Fellows 2003 27 PDF Symposium 32 Faith, Fertility and the Field Economist 33 Dr Sriya Iyer ‘Thank-Offering to Britain’ Fund 36 Military Operations in Cities 38 Dr Alice Hills vi Contents continued Research Grants 41 Marriage Symbolism and the Papal Penitentiary 43 Professor David d’Avray Neolithic Beginnings in Western Asia and Beyond 45 Professor Steven Mithen Examining Recent Civil Society Initiatives of the World Trade Organisation 50 Dr Michael Mason Policy Studies 53 Programmes for Advanced Research 2003–2004 54 Financial Summary 55 Diary of events 56 Staff Contacts at the British Academy 57 From the Archive 58 THE BRITISH ACADEMY 1 About the British Academy The British Academy, established by Royal Charter in 1902, is the United Kingdom’s national academy for the promotion of the humanities and the social sciences. It is a working Academy that represents the humanities and social sciences nationally and internationally; it organises wide-ranging programmes to sustain and disseminate advanced research; and it acts as a grant-giving agency. The British Academy is a self-governing body of Fellows elected in recognition of their distinction as scholars in some branch of the humanities and the social sciences. It is an independent learned society,the counterpart to the Royal Society which exists to serve the physical and biological sciences. With the help of Government grant-in-aid the Academy also acts as a grant-giving body,sponsoring its own research projects and facilitating the work of others, principally through supporting research appointments and making small research grants. The mission of the Academy is to serve as the national academy for the humanities and social sciences, promoting sustaining and representing advanced research. 2 THE BRITISH ACADEMY Officers and Council President Lord Runciman of the Academy Vice-Presidents Professor W.E.Davies 2003–2004 Professor H.G. Genn (appointed at the Annual General Treasurer Professor R.J.P.Kain Meeting in July 2003) Foreign Secretary Professor C.N.J. Mann Publications Secretary Dr D.J. McKitterick Chairman of the Research Committee Professor R.J. Bennett Ordinary Members: Professor R.D.Ashton, Dr J.N. Butterfield, Professor I. Clark, Professor W.E.Davies, Professor R.H. Finnegan, Professor M.G. Fulford, Professor D.I.D. Gallie, Professor H.G. Genn, Professor I. Marková, Professor J.A. Moss, Professor T.J. Samson, Professor C. Shackle, Lord Sutherland, Dr D.J.Thompson, Professor K.F.Wallis Secretary Mr P.W.H. Brown Sections and The Academy is organised into 18 disciplinary Sections. On election, each Fellow is assigned to Chairmen membership of a Section and may, on invitation, serve on more than one Section.The Sections and their Chairmen for 2003–2004 are as follows: Section Chairman Humanities H1 Classical Antiquity Professor P.J. Rhodes Group H2 Theology and Religious Studies The Revd Professor M.D. Goodman H3 African and Oriental Studies Professor G. Dudbridge H4 Linguistics and Philology1 Professor R.M. Hogg H5 Early Modern Languages and Literature Professor D.J. McKitterick H6 Modern Languages, Literatures and Other Media Professor M.W.Swales H7 Archaeology Professor M.G. Fulford H8 Medieval Studies: History and Literature Professor N.F.Palmer H9 Early Modern History to c.1800 Professor R.J.W.Evans H10 Modern History from c.1800 Professor R.J. Evans H11 History of Art and Music Professor C.K. Green H12 Philosophy Professor D.H. Mellor Social Sciences Group S1 Law Professor W.R. Cornish S2 Economics and Economic History Professor C.J.E. Bliss S3 Social Anthropology and Geography Sir Alan Wilson S4 Sociology, Demography and Social Statistics Professor P.K.Edwards S5 Political Studies: Political Theory, Government Professor C.C. Hood and International Relations S6 Psychology Professor R.I.M. Dunbar 1 The Linguistics and Philology Section also belongs to the Social Sciences Group. 9 Presidential Address Delivered by Lord Runciman PBA to the 101st Annual General Meeting of the Academy on 3 July 2003 have five matters on which I would like to say something The third is the Centenary Project. As you will all know, it was before leaving it to the Secretary to report more formally on originally announced that a maximum of two awards for I the events of the last 12 months. Centenary Projects would be made. It was not a competition to decide the two best contestants, but an offer to fund two major First of all, you will remember that at last year’s AGM the two long-term research programmes if, but only if, they came up to issues which came up for discussion were the need to try and the exacting standards which had been set and the proposers involve more Fellows in the affairs of the Academy and the could make the case that the research in question could not or question of how proactive or otherwise we ought to be in our would not be funded from elsewhere. It was, perhaps, a relations with government. On the first, it turned out – I suppose disappointment that we did not receive more proposals which unsurprisingly – that everyone agrees that it would be a good the Research Committee thought up to the standard which had thing to involve more of the Fellowship but nobody has any idea been set. But in the event, there was only one which the how to do so. New Fellows are told that the Academy is a working Research Committee and Council unanimously agreed to be academy and that Fellowship should not be regarded as purely what we were looking for. That was the project From Lucy to honorific. But as Section Chairmen know only too well they have Language, which will bring together a world-class team of no weapon in their armoury beyond moral persuasion, and I can psychologists and archaeologists to address the fundamental and add nothing more than to say that the discussions which I have fascinating question of how it came about that we – human had on this topic have made me more grateful than ever to those beings, that is – have minds of the kind unique to ourselves. Fellows who do commit substantial amounts of time and effort to the affairs of the Academy without any recompense beyond the Fourth is the review of the Academy’s strategy, which Council refund of rail tickets. And in this connection, I would like initiated with a view to establishing priorities for the allocation particularly to thank the retiring chairmen of the Humanities and of uncommitted income in the year 2004/05 and thereafter, but Social Sciences Groups, Professor Margaret McGowan and which has widened to cover a review of our current procedures Professor Roger Hood, for what in both cases have been for the allocation of funds and to develop the case for a exceptionally valuable contributions, and to thank Professor Paul significant increase in our grant-in-aid over and above the rate of Slack and Professor Ken Wallis for agreeing to succeed them.