Conference: Inequalities in Historical Perspective

Through working with the Public Engagement Policy of the University of Manchester and working closely with Susan Brown, I was called to do a presentation in University of Manchester on ‘Rethinking Inequality in Historical Perspective’. Pedro Ramos Pinto and Patrick Joyce were the key organizers and invited me to make a contribution by virtue of the Ragged project, as it is both an inclusive project and one borrowed from history.
This was an amazing opportunity which illustrates how academia is trying to break down the barriers and open up the ivory towers to other communities. This I am keen to see mature as a dialogue and line of thought, as there is a great deal of talent outside of the academic world which deserves to be included in conversations and contribute to knowledge as an open endeavour. Read more…

Inclusive Education and the Dialogue of Learning

I have been thinking about the nature of education and having been familiar with the noble aspects of this tenet of human society, I have not thought much about the negatives which it can manifest as. Francis Bacon is often attributed with having said ‘Knowledge is Power’. Regardless of who first said this, what is obvious is that it has become common currency as a phrase.

There are various ways in which this can be interpreted but one I like, which is not so commonly encountered is ‘Knowledge is only power when it is shared’. It was Francis Benton who told me this when she kindly consulted on the Ragged project at its inception.