Reading for Battle
Battle Readings is a regularly updated compilation of articles, essays, and opinion pieces relevant to the themes of the Battle of Ideas.
Choose a theme from the listing on the left to narrow your search, or view all readings.
Arts & Culture
Will this year's Turner Prize winner stand among the all-time greats?
Whichever the year, whoever the artists, the Turner Prize always brings us back to the same old, endlessly fascinating question: what makes great art?
Jason Walsh, Independent Voices, 2 October 2012
Whichever the year, whoever the artists, the Turner Prize always brings us back to the same old, endlessly fascinating question: what makes great art?
Jason Walsh, Independent Voices, 2 October 2012
Five Contributions of the Middle Ages
You can study a past civilization like an anthropologist observes the people of some South Sea Island, or you could simply relax and appreciate the way they did things, enjoy their art and architecture, literature and music, and peraps try to understand how their society worked and how they looked at the world.
Lynn Harry Nelson, Virtual Library
You can study a past civilization like an anthropologist observes the people of some South Sea Island, or you could simply relax and appreciate the way they did things, enjoy their art and architecture, literature and music, and peraps try to understand how their society worked and how they looked at the world.
Lynn Harry Nelson, Virtual Library
Looking back today
‘Everything Was Moving: Photography from the 60s and 70s’ at the Barbican Art Gallery
Pauline Haddaway, Future Cities Project, 27 September 2012
‘Everything Was Moving: Photography from the 60s and 70s’ at the Barbican Art Gallery
Pauline Haddaway, Future Cities Project, 27 September 2012
Music Tomorrow 1: Nonclassical
Classical music is changing. There are operas in bars, Baroque bands in pubs, circus acrobats in concert halls. Rock stars compose. Classical clubbing is de rigeur. What is going on? In this series of articles, Paul Kilbey talks to some of the key figures making changes in classical music, and tries to make some sense of it all.
Paul Kilbey, bachtrack, 14 September 2012
Classical music is changing. There are operas in bars, Baroque bands in pubs, circus acrobats in concert halls. Rock stars compose. Classical clubbing is de rigeur. What is going on? In this series of articles, Paul Kilbey talks to some of the key figures making changes in classical music, and tries to make some sense of it all.
Paul Kilbey, bachtrack, 14 September 2012
'He cites me, hard, forcing my footnotes apart...'
The Fifty Shades phenomenon has spawned academic debate, scholarly parodies and now an erotic trilogy starring a dark, brooding, sensual...lecturer
Matthew Reisz, Times Higher Education, 13 September 2012
The Fifty Shades phenomenon has spawned academic debate, scholarly parodies and now an erotic trilogy starring a dark, brooding, sensual...lecturer
Matthew Reisz, Times Higher Education, 13 September 2012
Musicians win copyright extension to 70 years
Artists including Sir Cliff Richard had argued they would lose royalties, but will now gain protection until at least 2033
Josh Halliday, Guardian, 12 September 2012
Artists including Sir Cliff Richard had argued they would lose royalties, but will now gain protection until at least 2033
Josh Halliday, Guardian, 12 September 2012
Dutch budget cuts leave high arts in very low spirits
Forced to meet EU budget targets, the Dutch government has made sharp spending cuts - an unpopular move ahead of next week's election. Arts and culture are among the biggest casualties.
Anna Holligan, BBC News, 6 September 2012
Forced to meet EU budget targets, the Dutch government has made sharp spending cuts - an unpopular move ahead of next week's election. Arts and culture are among the biggest casualties.
Anna Holligan, BBC News, 6 September 2012
European arts cuts: Dutch dance loses out as Netherlands slashes funding
Internationaal Danstheater says the government has made cuts too quickly, leaving organisations without alternative suppor
Siobhán Dowling, Guardian, 2 August 2012
Internationaal Danstheater says the government has made cuts too quickly, leaving organisations without alternative suppor
Siobhán Dowling, Guardian, 2 August 2012
Closing the Book on Celtic
Growing nationalism in the UK’s constituent countries threatens the study of Celtic languages and history
Elizabeth Boyle, History Today, 1 August 2012
Growing nationalism in the UK’s constituent countries threatens the study of Celtic languages and history
Elizabeth Boyle, History Today, 1 August 2012
The pernicious rise of “indie-classicalâ€
If you think classical music is snobbish, just take a look at indie culture.
En Liang Khong, New Statesman, 23 July 2012
If you think classical music is snobbish, just take a look at indie culture.
En Liang Khong, New Statesman, 23 July 2012
China: New Hope or Threat to the World?
"I travel far to participate in the BOI; it’s a unique festival of free speech and debate that consistently combines energy, fearlessness and provocation with thoughtful, informed consideration of contemporary politics and culture."
Wendy Kaminer, US-based writer on law, liberty, feminism, religion, and popular culture
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