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Paul Bou-Habib
Last year, the British Academy celebrated the tenth anniversary of the Brian Barry Prize. This paper reflects on how the essays that have won the Prize and contemporary political philosophy more generally, compare to works in political philosophy immediately before and during Brian Barry’s career. The Prize-winning essays, and the discipline more generally, continue to produce a prescriptive and engaged form of political philosophy that Barry and others in his generation (in particular, John Rawls) were so instrumental in reviving. I celebrate this but also express the worry that the discipline is sliding too far towards applied political philosophy. Political philosophers must not lose sight of foundational principles that should govern a just society.
30 May 2025
Lu Sipei, Huang Cenyan
The 20th century witnessed rich narratives of left-wing cultural practitioners in Indonesia and China, navigating complex ethnic, national, and anti-colonial landscapes. Yet, understanding the experiences of art practitioners with cross-border mobility remains a challenge. Such individuals often find themselves marginalised or misunderstood amidst migration, social upheaval, and ideological interpretations. This paper delves into the life journey of Wen Peor, an ethnic Chinese artist born in Indonesia, who traversed multiple locales, including Padang, Jakarta, Guangzhou, the Farm for Returned Overseas Chinese in Huizhou, and Hong Kong. Through an exploration of Wen’s life and his illustrious body of work, this study seeks to shed light on his art and philosophies of social practice. It reflects on the experiences of an individual grappling with cultural identity amidst shifting times, who tirelessly sought connections to the notion of home. Wen’s story embodies a humanitarian spirit that transcends geography, lineage, and time.
30 May 2025
Ievgeniia Kopytsia, Natalia Slobodian
This article examines the role of female leadership in environmental peacebuilding, focusing on the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine. It explores how women have been disproportionately affected by war, yet have emerged as key figures in addressing environmentally related challenges and promoting sustainable peace. Drawing on recent data and case studies, it argues that women’s increased participation is reshaping approaches to post-conflict recovery and sustainable reconstruction. The study highlights how women-led efforts in renewable energy innovation, energy transition, environmental restoration, green recovery, policy advocacy, and industrial sector participation contribute to both immediate recovery and long-term ecological resilience. By analysing these contributions, the commentary demonstrates the critical importance of integrating gender equality perspectives into environmental peacebuilding strategies and offers insights for policymakers engaged in post-conflict reconstruction efforts globally.
30 May 2025
Lu Sipei, Huang Cenyan
The 20th century witnessed rich narratives of left-wing cultural practitioners in Indonesia and China, navigating complex ethnic, national, and anti-colonial landscapes. Yet, understanding the experiences of art practitioners with cross-border mobility remains a challenge. Such individuals often find themselves marginalised or misunderstood amidst migration, social upheaval, and ideological interpretations. This paper delves into the life journey of Wen Peor, an ethnic Chinese artist born in Indonesia, who traversed multiple locales, including Padang, Jakarta, Guangzhou, the Farm for Returned Overseas Chinese in Huizhou, and Hong Kong. Through an exploration of Wen’s life and his illustrious body of work, this study seeks to shed light on his art and philosophies of social practice. It reflects on the experiences of an individual grappling with cultural identity amidst shifting times, who tirelessly sought connections to the notion of home. Wen’s story embodies a humanitarian spirit that transcends geography, lineage, and time.
30 May 2025
Ievgeniia Kopytsia, Natalia Slobodian
This article examines the role of female leadership in environmental peacebuilding, focusing on the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine. It explores how women have been disproportionately affected by war, yet have emerged as key figures in addressing environmentally related challenges and promoting sustainable peace. Drawing on recent data and case studies, it argues that women’s increased participation is reshaping approaches to post-conflict recovery and sustainable reconstruction. The study highlights how women-led efforts in renewable energy innovation, energy transition, environmental restoration, green recovery, policy advocacy, and industrial sector participation contribute to both immediate recovery and long-term ecological resilience. By analysing these contributions, the commentary demonstrates the critical importance of integrating gender equality perspectives into environmental peacebuilding strategies and offers insights for policymakers engaged in post-conflict reconstruction efforts globally.
30 May 2025
Connor Smith
Governance lies at the heart of overcoming the Climate Emergency, where political barriers often impede the implementation of technical and administrative solutions. This paper examines subnational investment in the UK as a critical governance challenge, arguing that its competitive and economically driven frameworks exacerbate inequalities between local authorities. Drawing on SHAPE (Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts for People and the Economy) research and a case study of Aberdeen City Council’s hydrogen transport initiatives, the paper derives guiding principles for transforming subnational investment, advocating for an approach that prioritises collaboration over competition, strives for an equitable distribution of roles and responsibilities, and ultimately empowers local leadership. This reassessment is a critical step forward, acknowledging that business-as-usual governance is failing to accelerate progress towards Net Zero. By rethinking our foundational principles, we open the door to transformative change, ensuring that subnational investment aligns with the strengths of local authorities and the urgency and scale of the challenges we face. This article is published in the thematic collection ‘The critical role of governance for decarbonisation at pace: learning the lessons from SHAPE research’, edited by Sarah Birch, Hilary Graham, Andrew Jordan, Tim O’Riordan, Henry Richards.
20 March 2025
Riyoko Shibe, Ewan Gibbs
In November 2023, Petroineos announced the closure of Scotland’s only oil refinery at Grangemouth by 2025. Grangemouth is widely perceived as a ‘litmus test’ for the Scottish Government’s commitment to a ‘just transition’ for workers in the oil and gas industry to steer them on an orderly movement towards suitable employment in green energy production. The announcement came as a shock and disrupted just transition planning developed in Scotland since the late 2010s. Power imbalances between Petroineos and the Scottish Government and the workforce and trade unions demonstrate the difficulties of organising transition in a sector dominated by large multinationals subject to minimal accountability or transparency. This paper demonstrates the value of historically, economically and politically grounded policy analysis for achieving net zero. It assesses the Grangemouth closure announcement, focusing on governance mechanisms, UK, Scottish and local policy coordination, transparency and long-term planning challenges, particularly for net zero, energy policy, renewables and deindustrialisation. This article is published in the thematic collection ‘The critical role of governance for decarbonisation at pace: learning the lessons from SHAPE research’, edited by Sarah Birch, Hilary Graham, Andrew Jordan, Tim O’Riordan, Henry Richards.
20 March 2025
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Suggestions for a thematic collection of articles are welcome from those who have been supported through any of the British Academy's programmes and activities and from Fellows of the British Academy. See Information for Guest Editors for more information.