In the Great Depression, producers of food and raw materials complained that they received low prices and paid high prices for industrial imports. Latin America adopted ‘import substituting industrialisation’ to encourage production behind tariff barriers. This approach continued after the war as more countries gained independence. Did this policy result in inefficient industries and state regulation without delivering improved welfare? By the 1980s, the policy was in retreat with a turn to market liberalisation and export-led growth. This lecture was recorded by Martin Daunton on 9th April 2 ..read more

Evidence that childhood lead exposure caused stunted intelligence and behavioural problems motivated efforts to ban lead in petrol, with the world finally eradicating leaded fuel in 2021. This is a public health success story, but it took a long time to force industry to take action. The lead released from historic emissions persists within the environment and there is emerging evidence of continuing health effects. The legacy of lead remains and will be explored in this lecture. This lecture was recorded by Dr Ian Mudway on 25th March 2024 at Barnard's Inn Hall, London The transcript and do ..read more

The Black Welsh singer started out recording cover versions of American songbook classics but rose to international fame after her performance of the title song of Goldfinger. Movie songs, successful albums and popular television specials followed, but so too did personal tragedy and a highly critical (and gendered) reputation of her professional behaviour in the media. The word ‘diva’ has been applied both admiringly and misogynistically to her life and work, typifying her experience as a Black British woman. This lecture was recorded by Dominic Broomfield-McHugh on 21st March 2024 at Barnar ..read more

We often think of evolution as ‘something that happened’ in the past. But of course, evolution is a constant, powerful process and one that is often unleashed by human behaviours. Often this is deliberate, we’ll look at how artificial selection has shaped our crops, livestock and domestic pets, and we’ll find out how modern science is uncovering the genetic changes that lie beneath. But sometimes human behaviours unleash powerful and altogether less welcome evolutionary forces…join us as we uncover them together! This lecture was recorded by Robin May on 20th March 2024 at Barnard's Inn Hall ..read more

Governments increasingly use detention as a central component of immigration and asylum policy. The lecture addresses several important questions. What does immigration detention look like? How is it a reflection of those societies that tolerate its use and the policies that support and endorse its expansion? What place does it have in the journeys of those migrating across borders today? Using photography and testimony, this lecture visually translates several immigration detention systems and shares first-hand stories. This lecture was recorded by Dr Greg Constantine on 18th March 2024 at B ..read more

Demokratia is the power (kratos) of the people (demos). But what kind of power, and who constitutes the people? Although ancient democracy is often stylized as “direct democracy” and so positioned as very different from modern “representative democracy,” in fact, issues of accountability are central to both. Ancient Greek models of holding leaders to account are still relevant. Furthermore, the ancient Greek use of election for some offices and lottery selection for others also offers instructive possibilities for modern challenges. This lecture was recorded by Melissa Lane on 14th March 2024 ..read more

In partnership with Novartis   Treatments and research in cancer are moving very fast, giving new hope to many. This event will bring together speakers in the series to delve further into new treatments and research in cancer, including immunotherapy, genomics and AI imaging.  This lecture was recorded by Parker Moss, Dr Richard Sidebottom, Sanjay Popat and James Larkin on 12th March 2024 at Barnard's Inn Hall, London The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/cancer-hope Gresham Colle ..read more

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a combination of hyperactivity, impulsiveness and inattention which significantly impacts those living with the condition. The medical approach to the ADHD pattern of behaviour has been very successful in childhood but the results have been somewhat less impressive in adulthood. This has led to a reappraisal of both causes and treatment in both age groups. Should the conventional, neurotypical world accommodate people with ADHD as different, rather than disabled? This lecture was recorded by Peter Hill on 11th March 2024 at Barnard's Inn Hall ..read more

The Nobel Laureate economist Amartya Sen has posed the question, ‘equality of what?’ The value of equality depends on what standard is chosen. As ancient Greek thinkers recognized, equality can be deployed to exclude as well as to liberate, and its relationship to law and freedom needs to be interrogated. If equal social freedom is a product of isonomia—the equal application of laws to all—those laws need to be free of systematic bias and command public respect. This lecture was recorded by Melissa Lane on 7th March 2024 at Barnard's Inn Hall, London The transcript and downloadable versions ..read more

This lecture looks at the role played by nudity in European religion and magic from ancient times to the present, with some reference to a global context. It reveals the unexpected pattern and explains why it has been marginal to religion, except in initiation ceremonies, but very important in magical practices. This lecture was recorded by Ronald Hutton on 6th March 2024 at Barnard's Inn Hall, London The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/ritual-nudity Gresham College has offered free publi ..read more