Skip to main content
Institute of Medieval and Early Modern Studies
Illuminated manuscript in Bishop Cosin's Library, Palace Green

Inventing Futures

The Institute’s new flagship programme of research, Inventing Futures (IFs), emphasizes future-oriented consequences of the Institute’s past-oriented study. Each of its constituent research projects addresses a particular global challenge related to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG). It uses the rich array of medieval and early modern resources at Durham – and beyond – to yield new responses to that challenge. Led by senior Durham academics, working with colleagues from other institutions, this new wave of future-oriented research will offer a crucial yet frequently overlooked historical and cultural set of perspectives and tools. It will also provide funded opportunities for PhD students and early career researchers to work alongside academic leaders. 

The first three projects in the IFs programme, generously supported by Joanna and Graham Barker, are ‘Forging Social Solidarities during Religious Wars’ (led by Dr Tom Hamilton, IMEMS and History); ‘Daphne and her Sisters: Framing Gendered Violence’ (Professor Ita Mac Carthy, IMEMS and Italian Studies, MLAC); and ‘Imagining Alternatives: Utopia in the World’ (Professor Richard Scholar, IMEMS and French Studies, MLAC).   

University student
“At IMEMS, we are driven by the conviction that a greater understanding and appreciation of our past equips us for tackling the present world with all its perils and pleasures.”
Professor Ita Mac Carthy
Director, Institute of Medieval and Early Modern Studies
University student
“The generous support of Joanna and Graham Barker will help IMEMS to build a sustainable future for medieval and early modern studies at Durham by investing in the research we do and by training the professors of tomorrow.”
Professor Richard Scholar
Director, Institute of Medieval and Early Modern Studies