It’s time for the annual Being Human festival, now in its fifth year, when universities throughout the UK open their doors to share their innovative humanities research with the public. Run by the School of Advanced Study, University of London, in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Academy, the festival will take place from 15–24 November. Now embedded as the UK’s unique national celebration of the humanities, its reach is now global with related events in Melbourne, Singapore, Paris, Rome, and in Princeton, New Jersey, USA.

Did you know that in East London in 1954 you could barter a Christmas cake for a chicken for a Christmas dinner? Or that 35 years earlier a white cross painted by your door guaranteed you’d be woken up for work? Or that on 17th century maps, today’s Oxford Street was simply ‘the Road to Oxford’? Would you like to see a photo of London’s first housing estate? Have you got your own stories and memories you’d like to share?

Professor Philip Murphy from the School of Advanced Study ( SAS ), University of London, has been confirmed as the new interim director of the London Arts and Humanities Partnership ( LAHP ) for the 2018–19 academic year. He will undertake this role on a 0.5 basis while continuing to serve as director of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies ( ICWS ) at SAS.

The School of Advanced Study ( SAS ), University of London, has announced the promotion of three distinguished academics recognised for their work in law, Commonwealth studies, human rights and refugee protection.