Friday 13 December 2024, 3:30–5:30 pm

The South Wales coalfields and its industrial landscapes are epitome of Britain's industrial ups-and-downs from the 19th century to the present. In the early 20th century,the port in Barry was the busiest coal exportation port in the world. During the 19th century, the copperworks in Swansea was producing 90% of all the world's copper at its peak. However, over a few decades between 1940s to 1980s, bookended by the World War I and the 1984-85 Miners Strike, the industries in South Wales went through a steep decline. More than 90% of the collieries were closed by 1990s. Also went with the industries were people's livelihoods, the tight-knit communities that thrived alongside the industries. This lecture introduces the emergence and evolution of industrial landscapes in South Wales. It will provide an overview of the industrial landscapes formation in South Wales within the historical context of the industrial revolution in the United Kingdom, but also the settlements and social infrastructures that emerged across the landscape. We will look more closely at a small village Onllwyn, that was once a thriving industrial settlement and the heart of the struggle for the mining communities' welfare and future. We will also reflect on the question of what we should do with these industrial remnants as heritage.

Friday, 20 December 2024, 1:30–3:05 pm

This talk will provide an overview of the funding trend of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (part of the UK Research and Innovation) from 2015-2024, and academic publishing in the relevant subject fields. It will draw on data published by AHRC of its funded projects, my experience of applying for funding as an Early Career Researcher from a non-UK background, and my experience as the Editor for Asia for the Planning Perspectives journal (Taylor & Francis) and peer-reviewers for various journals and funding applications or awards. AHRC is the largest funder in the UK on Arts and Humanities subjects, which broadly includes architectural humanities and heritage related topics. On the other hand, the UKRI has been promoting interdisciplinary collaboration across its research councils. In recent years, decolonisation, interdisciplinarity, sustainability is among the priorities of funders. The UKRI have also made a significant effort to improve the equity and inclusivity of its funding process, and to promote ethical and responsible research by embedding it into the funding application and assessment process. Another shift in research lies in how output and impact are assessed in UK's Academia, represented by more and more universities adopting DORA (The Declaration on Research Assessment). This also has an impact on how academic journals are assessing submissions. Finally, the talk will discuss key issues for attention when submitting to academic journals.