Wednesday, 01 September 2021
A Professor of French and Critical Theory at the University of Nottingham has been elected to a prestigious leading role at the British Academy.
Emeritus Professor Judith Still will take over as Vice-President (Humanities) of the British Academy, which champions the study of the humanities and social sciences in the UK. She will succeed Professor Aditi Lahiri from Oxford University in July 2022.
Emeritus Professor Judith Still
Professor Still has retired from teaching but is still active as a member of the Modern Languages and Linguistics panel in the current national research assessment exercise (REF). She continues to research in French Studies in the university’s School of Languages, Cultures and Area Studies. She works in the fields of 18th century as well as 20th and 21st century French thought, including the work of Rousseau, French feminism and the poststructuralist philosopher Jacques Derrida, and has authored books on Derrida and Hospitality and Enlightenment Hospitality. Her most recent monograph was Derrida and Other Animals: the Boundaries of the Human. She is currently working on the Franco-American farmer and philosopher J. Hector St John de Crèvecoeur (see her recent podcast 10-Minute Talks: Crèvecœur: what is an American? | The British Academy).
Judith was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in July 2018, joining a community of more than 1,400 leading minds including Dame Mary Beard and Sir Simon Schama.
I was delighted to be offered this opportunity to get more involved in the Academy at a time which is both exciting, as I believe there is a renewed commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion at the Academy, and very challenging because of the threat to the arts and humanities nationally.
She added: "At a moment when our attention is drawn to the extreme fragility of women’s rights (indeed human rights) globally, I feel deeply privileged to have had a mother and grandmothers who were able to support my education in spite of the precariousness of their own situations. I hope my biological and intellectual children will be proud of me and above all achieve their own potential."
The British Academy, a community of more than 1,400 leading minds.
Head of the university’s School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies, Professor Nicola McLelland, added: “It’s wonderful to see this recognition of Judith’s standing in the arts and humanities. I know Judith will bring outstanding energy and vision to this key leadership role in the British Academy, at a crucial time for the arts and humanities, the British Academy, and the academic community that it represents.”
Pro-Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Arts, Professor Jeremy Gregory, said: “Congratulations to Judith on this very prestigious appointment. This is testimony both to her exceptional academic standing and to her outstanding record of leadership in the arts and humanities nationally and internationally.”
The British Academy is a funding body for research, nationally and internationally, and a forum for debate and engagement.
— Ends —
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
More news…