Global Innovation Chair Prompts Conversation on the History of Violence at Newcastle Writers Festival
The University of Newcastle has welcomed a world-renowned scholar, Professor Joanna Bourke, into the role of Global Innovation Chair at the Centre for the History of Violence based within the School of Humanities and Social Science and the Centre for the History of Violence.
Professor Bourke is a Professor of History in the School of History, Classics and Archaeology at Birkbeck, University of London, and a Fellow of the British Academy including her role as the Chair of Modern History.
In her role as Global Innovation Chair, Professor Bourke plays a key role driving collaboration and maximising the translation and societal impact of the Centre for the History of Violence’s research.
Head of the School of Humanities and Social Science, Professor Catharine Coleborne said Professor Bourke is already playing a significant role in developing and maintaining UON’s research leadership in the area of Violence Studies by facilitating greater engagement with international partners.
"We feel very privileged to welcome Professor Bourke to the University and can see that the ‘Global Innovation Chairs’ initiative is already building collaboration across disciplines, and strengthening national and international relationships between the University and other world-class institutions,” Professor Coleborne said.
Above: Professors Joanna Bourke and Philip Dwyer
Professor Bourke will join with Professor Philip Dwyer of the Centre for the History of Violence on stage in conversation at the Newcastle Writers Festival on Saturday April 8 at 2.45pm. Their presentation will cover the history of violence and will touch on topics as broad as warfare, killing and mass killing, sexual abuse and rape.
“Professor Bourke is one of the leading cultural historians of our age, so it is a privilege and an honour to have her in Newcastle”.
“With live in a world where violence is a constant, yet it’s something we don’t truly understand. What is it that makes people commit violence? By looking into the history of violence we are beginning to dissect this complicated phenomenon and how it has impacted society over the years,” Professor Dwyer said.
Professor Bourke’s work has ranged from the social and economic history of Ireland in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, to social histories of the British working classes between 1860 and 1960s, to cultural histories of military conflict between the Anglo-Boer war and the present.
In recent years, Professor Bourke has been researching the history of the emotions, particularly fear and hatred, and has also been exploring the history of sexual violence. Professor Bourke is the prize-winning author of more than ten books.
Professor Dwyer has also published 11 books; several focused on the French Emperor, Napoleon as well as studies of the role of massacre as a military strategy of colonial expansion.
Read more about UON involvement in the 2017 Newcastle Writers Festival.
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