This Global Cultures Institute Fellowship will strengthen my collaborations with East African university partners and creative intermediaries – I am excited about the possibility of working with colleagues from a range of disciplines to put East African visual artists and local institutions on the map and establish a better understanding of how to support future developments for the benefit of the sector.
Professor Roberta Comunian, Professor of Creative Economies
05 August 2026
Global Cultures Institute Fellowships announced for 2026-27
Two academics from the Faculty of Arts & Humanities have received Global Cultures Institute Fellowships for the 2026-27 academic year.
These Fellowships give academics the opportunity to develop initial projects into larger grant applications to further their research.
Professor Roberta Comunian, Professor of Creative Economies in the Department of Culture, Media and Creative Industries, will explore how the visual art ecosystem in East Africa has evolved in the past ten years, and which institutions, networks and intermediaries will facilitate artists’ careers over the next decade.
While representation of African artists, curators and institutions is increasing, it remains limited; this can be related to lack of infrastructure, investment and support, as well as global power relations. With focus on Kenya as a pilot project, Dr Comunian will investigate the opportunities and challenges that can facilitate or hinder the sector’s sustainable development. She will use diverse and fragmented data sources – including news articles, local cultural institutions, online event listings and social media – to develop the first map of the East African contemporary art ecosystem.
Dr David Brydan, Senior Lecturer in the History of Modern International Relations in the Department of History, will develop a new project on the history of international education in the 20th century, aiming to discover how children were educated to think, act and understand themselves.
He plans to offer a radically expanded and diversified understanding of the history of international education, and the role of schools and teachers within the history of internationalism.
Global and international education is a massive part of the modern education system, whether in the form of international schools, global citizenship and human rights education, or globalised universities training students to work across cultures. Understanding the history of international education has the potential to offer vital new insights for teachers, schools and universities today. Working with other members of the Global Cultures Institute will be particularly valuable in developing interdisciplinary perspectives on the history of international education.
Dr David Brydan, Senior Lecturer in the History of Modern International Relations
About the Global Cultures Institute
The Global Cultures Institute fosters interdisciplinary conversations to probe and articulate the limits and boundaries that divide us on the rounds of language, culture, community and identity. By building a critical understanding of their origins and development, the Institute shares its work through research, education and public engagement, finding ways to talk beyond boundaries.
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Senior Lecturer in the History of Modern International Relations
Professor of Creative Economies