BISA at 50: Reflections and perspectives - Hope, inspiration and crisis

As part of our 50th anniversary reflections and perspectives series, we asked some #BISA2025 delegates to share their reflections of the 50th anniversary conference which took place in Belfast. Here we share reflections from Charlotte Weatherill, a co-convener of the Environment and Climate Politics Working Group.

This conference was an exciting one for me, as it was the first year for the Environment and Climate Politics Working Group (ECPWG), which I co-convene. I therefore went all-in on panels and roundtables. Over the four days of conference, I attended 15 panels and roundtables, and three conference events. It was intense, and it was inspiring, and I enjoyed myself thoroughly. But for me, there were two highlights. 

The first was ECPWG’s event on Thursday night, where we invited conference attendees to join us for a site visit to Brink!, an artist-led social enterprise that connects Belfast’s culture and history with climate change, art and community building. The event went well, and I loved being out in the city and seeing how action is being taken locally. ECPWG wants to repeat this in Brighton, and is now searching for a group to team up with.

My second highlight was the final session of conference, a panel I co-convened and presented on: Researching in a world on fire: What are we doing? This panel was the graveyard slot, and yet it was well-attended; reflecting, I think, the powerhouse line up that included local legend John Barry, and Laura Horn all the way from Copenhagen. We spoke about research and teaching in the context of genocide, climate change, and a crumbling neoliberal academia. I got emotional at one point, listening to two inspiring senior academics tell their stories, while knowing that early career researchers who want to take on these 21st century challenges are being forced out by a broken job market.

In a sense then, BISA highlighted the contradiction of academia: there is so much hope and inspiration and light to be found amongst the academic community, but this is also a moment of crisis. I look forward to next year, but also dread the absences that will be felt, once again.

Top image: A photo taken at the ECP WG Brink! event, featuring Gawain Morrison and many of the attendees sat in the tree circle.