Latest research reveals the extent to which conspiracy theories have become “mainstream rather than marginal beliefs” across much of Europe and the US.
The Reformation is famously traced to an event that took place in Germany 500 years ago and reverberated across Europe. An online exhibition paints a vivid portrait of a society undergoing profound change – and free events this weekend commemorate an episode of corpse burning in Cambridge.
A study of one of the most important medieval texts devoted to women’s medicine has opened a window into the many rituals associated with conception and childbirth. Research into the shifting communication of knowledge contributes to a wider project looking at the history of reproduction from ‘magical’ practices right through to IVF.
With church attendance dwindling, it’s easy to ignore the pockets of radical Protestantism that continue to flourish in many small communities. Research by Cambridge social anthropologist Dr Joe Webster seeks to understand how these groups navigate an increasingly secular world.
The relationship between science and religion has had its rocky moments. But Dr Robert Asher, author of the newly published book 'Evolution and Belief: Confessions of a Religious Paleontologist', argues that the two sides can find common ground.
Hundreds of millions of people in Europe alone are “non-religious”, but non-religion remains an understudied field. To mark the launch of a new journal on the subject, associate editor Lois Lee discusses its significance and its role in defining the identities of the “silent majority” in Europe.
The process of giving and receiving (and being in debt) is an inescapable part of human experience. From sub-prime lending and student loans to organ donations and gift-giving in ancient cultures, a conference at Cambridge this week will explore how debt is a central feature of the way in which societies think about and organise themselves.
Despite our best efforts, social mobility in the UK does not seem to be improving. Diane Reay, Professor of Education at the University of Cambridge, will be speaking at Hay about the hereditary curse of the English education system and her developing vision for a “socially just” replacement.
Professor Paul Fletcher believes that exploring how the brain makes predictions about the world will help us to understand mental illness.
Why do some people with mental illnesses entertain bizarre and seemingly irrational beliefs that make their lives a misery?
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