Samuel Jones
Researcher
Samuel Jones is a researcher at Demos. His research interests include culture and the arts, museums and galleries, creativity and the communication of ideas and knowledge through the cultural sector. In particular, he is interested in cross-cultural communications and the role of culture in international relations. In other work, he has focused on Global English and conversations. Recently, he has undertaken research in both the US and China.
- Anita Roddick We were very sorry to hear of the passing away of Anita Roddick earlier this week. When Demos was founded, back in 1993, she was kind enough to sit on the first Advisory Council.Before and since, she led the way in ethical enterprise, promoting and championing causes in which she believed. The 1980s was a period of burgeoning business in which fortune could easily take precedence to principle: amidst this, the Body Shop was a reminder that enterprise and a commitment to... continue reading on 13th September 2007
- Rise of the Cultural Dragon - The PM woke him up Today sees the opening of the First Emperor exhibition at the British Museum. As the newspapers and television reports imply, it features a selection of the terracotta warriors buried alongside China's first Emperor, Qin Shihuangdi in the famous complex at Xi'an. It's also the largest number to have made the trip overseas - there are about 20 at the BM, 15 or so made a trip to Rome's Scuderie del Quirinale last year. Even though they might soon have their own diplomatic bags... continue reading on 13th September 2007 in Cultural Diplomacy Comments (2)
- Grills on Film and Cultural Dialogue In the latest Pixar film, Ratatouille, a rat called Remy discovers in the process of his everyday scavenging that he has culinary gifts. The film tells the story of his bid to succeed as a chef, a rodent in a decidely anti-rodent world.According to the Washington Post, Remy also has a different story to tell. In an article the other day, Remy is taken to represent a defence against perceptions in the US of French distaste for their cuisine which feeds off a wider rejection of... continue reading on 15th August 2007 in Cultural Diplomacy
- Many to the Many One of the themes of Cultural Diplomacy is the shift of focus in how nations and groups relate to each other. First, governments spoke behind closed doors - the few to the few. Then they came to realise the importance of speaking to wider publics - the few to the many. Now, it is imperative that we understand and accommodate the reality that global relations are dominated and by the communication of the many to the many.In this light, it is nice to see that discussion of... continue reading on 10th August 2007 in Cultural Diplomacy
- English and 'the radiator test' This article in the Jamaica Gleaner makes some interesting points about the relationship between learning English, national identity and professional development.In relation to national identity, the author makes the point that authors like Chinua Achebe in Africa and Jamaican authors have been able to use the English language to tell African and Jamaican stories to wider audiences, giving them a glimpse of African heritage and life. The author also uses what he calls a 'radiator test'... continue reading on 6th August 2007 Comments (1)
- Food for thought There's a fascinating article in the Guardian today about Fish and Chips. It charts the progress of 'cheap and simple' dish to its new-found status as a gourmet dish. Plenty is bound up in the story of the fish and its relationship to the chip. As the article points out, the dish's changing status tells us a lot about changing consumption habits in the UK today. It can also tell us a good deal about the aesthetics of gentrification, a world in which 'scraps', formerly... continue reading on 20th July 2007 Comments (1)
- Building Cultural Literacy Last month, I spoke at a conference at Fudan University in Shanghai. The paper I gave was about the role of cultural providers like museums and the role that they have in building the skills in reading and interpreting cultures. You can download the paper here. continue reading on 17th July 2007
- Recognising Good Work At an event in Sunderland tomorrow, we'll be talking about the different values associated with young people's creative production. More than that, though, there will be a chance to see some of the work itself, and also to hear from its creators about how they see their work. continue reading on 11th July 2007 in Making Good Work
- If Caravaggio were around today, chances are he'd be in prison This strikes me as well worth seeing. continue reading on 11th July 2007
- Talk Us Into It at the Festival of Ideas Last year, we published Talk Us Into It, which examined the role of conversation in the public realm. I'll be talking about it at the Sedbergh Festival of Ideas at the end of this month continue reading on 6th July 2007 in Talk us into it