🎥 Public Humanities in Action | Ahead of our 2026 conference (The Public Humanities in the 21st Century) on 📅 17 June, revisit short recordings from last year’s OpenARC Festival (May 2025).
🎬 fass.open.ac.uk/research/cen...
⏰ Upcoming conference details:
🔗 fass.open.ac.uk/events/confe...
Four people standing in a classroom.
Had a great time chairing the panel Transforming Tragedy: Queer and Gender Politics in Contemporary Adaptations of Greek Drama at #CA26! Great discussions of recent productions and their varied representations of queer and gendered characters. Thanks @openarc.bsky.social for the funding to attend.
🎓 OU PhD Student Lecture Series | 30 Apr–21 May 2026
Join a series of online talks from Open University PhD students.
Everyone is welcome—come learn something new and support our postgraduate researchers!
🖇️ fass.open.ac.uk/events/next-...
@shaftowheed.bsky.social @ou-ld-social.bsky.social
Save the date! 📢 Upcoming Conference | The Public Humanities in the 21st Century 🗓 17 June 2026
What is the role of the public humanities today—and how can they respond to the challenges of our time?
More details soon...Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/openarc-research-centre
🔭 Explore what’s coming up at OpenARC - The Open University Arts & Humanities Research Centre!
We host research groups, facilitate disciplinary and interdisciplinary research, events & funding support.
🔗 Discover all upcoming activities and news here:
1️⃣7️⃣ The Centre for War and Peace in the Twentieth Century brings together scholars researching the causes, nature and effects of war and peace, building on the OU’s long-standing strengths in twentieth-century history.
Directors: Luc-André Brunet & Vincent Trott
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1️⃣6️⃣ Postcolonial and Global Literatures Research Group explores Anglophone literatures from South Asia, Africa and the Caribbean, alongside colonial and neo-colonial experiences in literature.
Director: Alex Tickell
🔗 university.open.ac.uk/arts/researc...
Image Copyright: Wikipedia
Taking place at the MK Literary Festival, this online event is scheduled for 23 March 👇
1️⃣5️⃣ Open Ecologies explores environmental change and ecological thinking across history, the present and the future.
The group connects research reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of today’s environmental challenges.
Convenors: Maria Nita & George Revill
🔗 fass.open.ac.uk/research/gro...
1️⃣4️⃣ The Objects, Collections and Museums Research Group brings together researchers engaging with material things, the curatorial practices that define them, and the museums and collections that house them.
Convenors: Dr Amy Jane Barnes & Dr Amanda Sciampacone.
🔗 fass.open.ac.uk/research/gro...
We are delighted to be partnering @mklitfest.bsky.social for a third year offering free online events with distinguished writers on Monday evenings throughout March 2026. This year’s theme is Borders in Literature.
All these events are free to attend.
Book your tickets at www.mklitfest.org/borders
📢 Happening soon | OpenARC Spring Festival of the Arts & Humanities
OU colleagues will gather on 18 March to celebrate research, broadcast, knowledge exchange and impact across the School of Arts & Humanities.
🔗 fass.open.ac.uk/events/sprin...
#ArtsAndHumanities #ResearchCulture
📚 How much can we really know about Jane Austen?
In a podcast for The Conversation, @emmaclairesweeney.bsky.social explores this question alongside fellow Austen scholars...
🔗 Listen to the podcast: theconversation.com/how-much-can...
#JaneAusten #Literature #TheConversation
1️⃣3️⃣ The Medieval & Early Modern Research group explores the rich and complex worlds of the medieval and early modern periods, bringing together expertise in Art History, Classical Studies, English, History and Music.
🔗 university.open.ac.uk/arts/researc...
1️⃣2️⃣ The Literature & Music Research Group explores the dynamic relationships between words and music across genres, media and historical contexts, fostering a research community within and beyond the university.
🔗 university.open.ac.uk/arts/researc...
📷️ Bayerische Statsgemäldesammlungen
1️⃣1️⃣ The Language, Literature and Politics research group investigates the relationship between language, literature (both literary criticism & creative writing) and politics in a wide range of contexts.
🔗 fass.open.ac.uk/research/gro...
Directors: Philip Seargeant, Dan Taylor, Dónall Mac Cathmhaoill
🔟 The History of Books & Reading (HOBAR) group explores the historical & cultural life of books and reading — from manuscript and print to digital cultures.
Including scholars & PGRs, HOBAR fosters interdisciplinary exchange through seminars & collaboration.
🔗 university.open.ac.uk/arts/researc...
9️⃣ The Health & Arts Research Group brings together researchers exploring the intersections of health, wellbeing, arts & creativity... Spanning literature, psychology, music, computing, nursing, visual history, business & more.
🔗 fass.open.ac.uk/research/gro...
Founded by Rosemary Golding.
8️⃣ Gender and Otherness in the Humanities (GOTH) is a research group exploring how gender and otherness shape culture across time and the Arts & Humanities.
Bringing together scholars in literature, history, music, theatre, art history, classical studies & more.
👉️ fass.open.ac.uk/research/cen...
OpenARC is the hub for Arts & Humanities research at The Open University, exploring what it means to be human and contributing to a more informed and culturally literate society. Follow for research insights & events:
🔗 www.linkedin.com/company/openarc-research-centre
🔗 bsky.app/profile/open...
🚨 New blog post! 🚨
Karen O'Brien-Kop and Suzanne Newcombe discuss how their new book Religion, Spirituality and Public Health explores entanglements of Truth, Public Healthy and #COVID19 in 'culture wars' between 'medicine' and 'alternatives'
www.open.ac.uk/blogs/religi...
@OU_FASS @RelMedCentre
7️⃣ The Film & Media Research Group brings together interdisciplinary scholars exploring audiovisual media - from film, sound and music to digital media, history, gender & cultural studies. Sharing ideas, research & industry insights across screen and media cultures.
🔗 fass.open.ac.uk/research/gro...
6️⃣The Ferguson Centre for Empire and Postcolonial Studies promotes interdisciplinary research into empire, postcolonial conditions and the histories, cultures and global diasporas of Africa, Asia, the Americas and Oceania.
🔗 university.open.ac.uk/arts/researc...
Photo: Karl Hack
5️⃣Digital Humanities brings together scholars exploring the dynamic intersection of technology and the humanities. From digital archives & text analysis to virtual exhibitions, it investigates how digital methods can deepen our understanding of human culture.
🔗 university.open.ac.uk/arts/researc...
4️⃣ Creative Interactions Research Group explores the intersection of academic research & creative practice — connecting academics and creative practitioners across arts, humanities, social sciences & STEM.
🔗 fass.open.ac.uk/research/gro...
Image credit: Steve Johnson/Pexels
3️⃣ Contemporary Cultures of Writing (CCW) explores writing practices, their cultural contexts & impact — bringing together novelists, poets & life writers with scholars in Literature, Linguistics, English Language & Translation. Directors: Jennie Owen & Wanda O’Connor tinyurl.com/3929psa5
2️⃣ Centre for the History of Crime, Policing & Justice (History) explores criminal justice history in a global context — connecting historians, academics, policy-makers & practitioners.
Co-Directors: Rosalind Crone & Paul Lawrence
🔗 university.open.ac.uk/arts/researc...
5️⃣ The Digital Humanities research group explores the dynamic intersection of technology & the humanities, from digital archives & text analysis to virtual exhibitions & cultural heritage. The group shows how digital methods deepen & expand humanities research.
🔗 university.open.ac.uk/arts/researc...
We'll post about our research groups over the next days, starting with...
1️⃣ Baron Thyssen Centre for the Study of Ancient Material Religion (Classical Studies) — exploring the material, visual & sensory worlds of Greek, Etruscan & Roman religions.
Director/Deputy: Jessica Hughes/Emma-Jayne Graham
