April 17th Showcase

April 17th AHSS Showcase Event

(Left to Right) Professor Kieran McEvoy, Professor Sean Connolly, Professor Joanne Hughes, Professor Pedro Rebelo

On 17th April, as part of Queen’s ‘Local Talent, Global Impact’ events series, the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) hosted, in conjunction with the Research and Enterprise Directorate, its first Research Impact Showcase Day.

Under the umbrella theme of ‘Thinking Forward Through the Past’, the AHSS Showcase Day demonstrated how some of the world-leading research projects carried out by researchers in the Faculty (including English, Education, Sociology, Sonic Arts, Law, Languages, Anthropology, History and Politics) are having a significant impact on people’s lives and helping society in Northern Ireland to learn from past experience and help shape a better future.

Following the launch event in the Grand Opera House in the morning, other sessions took place throughout the day at venues across Belfast, including Crumlin Road Gaol, the Spires, the Linenhall Library, the Farset Conference Centre in West Belfast and Queen’s. An evening debate on politics also took place in the Great Hall, facilitated by BBC presenter William Crawley. Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Professor Shane O'Neill introduced the panel consisting of Professor Richard Wilford, Professor Ruth Leitch, Professor Sally Wheeler, Dr Graham Brownlow, Professor Micheal O'Mainnin and Professor Chris McCrudden.

Other researchers taking part in the day’s events included:

• Professor Mike Tomlinson, School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work, an authoritative voice on economic and social marginalisation, presented his talk ‘Poverty and Social Exclusion: The State of Play’, from The Spires.

• Leading poet, Professor Ciaran Carson, Director of the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry, who delivered a public reading of his work in the Linen Hall Library.

• Recently appointed Chair of Film Studies, Professor Cahal McLaughlin, who spoke about the Prisons Memory Archive, an interactive digital archive he created which has impacted upon policymakers on dealing with politically sensitive issues.

• Professor Joanne Hughes, Professor of Education and Director of the Centre for Shared Education, gave a talk ‘Shared Education: A Model for Divided Societies’.

• Professor Sean Connolly, Professor of Irish History and editor of Belfast 400, presented ‘Belfast: Recovering a Lost History’, at the morning event in the Grand Opera House.

• Professor Kieran McEvoy, School of Law, gave a presentation entitled ‘Prosecutions, Amnesties and Dealing with the Past’ in the Grand Opera House.

• Professor Pedro Rebelo, School of Creative Arts, presented his work in the area of Sonic Arts with his talk, 'The Local and the Distributed: Community Engaged Sonic Arts'.

• Ms Lesley Emerson, School of Education, led a talk and discussion, ‘Prosecutions, Amnesties and Dealing with the Past’.

• John D'Arcy, singer-songwriter and PhD student in School of Creative Arts, presented ‘Laganside: A Sonic Art and Mobile Poetry Experience in Belfast’, from the Big Fish Sculpture.

• Professor Peter Gray, School of History and Anthropology, led a presentation and discussion ‘Queen’s Historians go to Gaol: Prison, Poorhouse and Philanthropy in the Lives of Belfast’s Poor, 1800-1939’ from Crumlin Road Gaol.

• Dr Dominique Jeannerod, School of Modern Languages, led a talk and discussion with Irish Crime writer Gerard Brennan ‘Irish Crimes as export industry... Promoting Irish Crime Fiction in Europe’.

Photo Galleries

Click on the links below to view photos of some of the day's events.