School of Social & Political Science Edinburgh

What do horses have to do with politics? My new American Ethnologist article explores how Colombia's gaited horse culture helps shape everyday right-wing political identities and analyses the intertwining of uribismo with embodied human-animal relations. anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/am…

Campaign for Social Science appoints Professor Christina Boswell as Chair Professor Christina Boswell has become the new Chair of the Campaign for Social Science, a leading role in promoting the importance of the social sciences. edin.ac/3SGemK7

New report recommends how Scottish and UK governments can ensure AI use creates trust and deliver real benefits, including setting up a citizens’ assembly. Recommendations are based on an event led by our School's @OliverEscobar & Morgan Currie edin.ac/3RZM4tF

The Workers’ Observatory, a charity co-founded by SPS’s Dr Karen Gregory, has secured long-term funding to continue its work, bringing researchers and workers together to campaign for better conditions in the gig economy. workersobservatory.org edin.ac/445sq1T

We will now be joined on 11 June by Niall Kerr: Senior Analyst for Energy and Environment at the Scottish Parliament Information Centre Net Zero: Governance Through Goal Setting and Competing Knowledge Claims Register: edin.ac/49Db14a

AI Futures Seminar Series Keynote Lecture Tues, June 16 • 2 PM - 5 PM Prof. Nick Couldry AI as Order of Capture: How and Where Do We Resist and Rebuild? Prof. Paola Ricaurte Quijano Building Feminist Decolonial AI in Latin America Info and booking: edin.ac/4ohabju

Dr Lukas Lehner - highly commended in the international Wiley Research Heroes Prize, recognising the societal impact of his work. Lukas was honoured in the Impact Beyond Academia category for research on job guarantees. edin.ac/48W9Uft

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh are calling for urgent reforms to better protect and support children affected by parental domestic homicide, following a major new study examining the long-term impact on young people across the UK and Ireland. edin.ac/4nGCDv2

As the rise of artificial intelligence forces mathematicians to rethink what makes their field reliable and valuable, an international group of researchers has warned that AI is putting fundamental values of the discipline under threat. edin.ac/4uGMRhs

University of Edinburgh experts strengthen pandemic preparedness Researchers will help the world prepare more effectively for future pandemics by addressing one of the major lessons of COVID-19 - pandemics affect far more than healthcare systems alone. edin.ac/3S1Dz0Z

Fully-funded PhD Scholarship | University of Edinburgh One scholarship remains on Professor Andrew Hoskins' UKRI-funded WARSHARE project - "The New War Front: Digital Participation in War" starting September 2026. Find out more: edin.ac/4ecjNIR

“This Supposed Conflict of Interest”: Analysis of Industry Framings of Partnership and Conflict of Interest in WHO Public Consultations on Alcohol Policy (new in @JSADjournal 87/3) by Emma Thompson et al @spidermaani @uoessps @SPECTRUMRes @UK_PRP @LSHTM jsad.com/doi/full/10.15…

@theasainfo @Baxstrom

Starting tomorrow - Friday 29 May People Fest (29-31 May) is the UK Association of Social Anthropologists’ festival of public anthropology. It is in Edinburgh this year to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Social Anthropology at the University. Info: edin.ac/43A468c

British Academy Lecture 2026 Living and writing anthropology: experiments in anthropological non-fiction Thursday 14 May • 5 PM - 7 PM Professor Emma Tarlo: 'Living and writing anthropology: experiments in anthropological non-fiction Registation: edin.ac/3PdlYCo

Join us on 15 May at 2:30pm when Dr Rhea Rahman presents and discusses her new book, ‘Racializing the Ummah: Muslim Humanitarians Beyond Black, Brown, and White’ with our Deputy Director Dr Kholoud Al-Ajarma. Register here: edin.ac/49hxaog @uoessps

The decline and fall of Welsh Labour 2026 Scottish Election Study Annual Lecture Usha Kasera Lecture Theatre Monday, May 25 • 6 PM - 7:30 PM Join Professor Richard Wyn Jones for an insight into the future of Welsh politics. Book your place: edin.ac/4epNbfk

Economic insecurity linked with frailty in later life, study finds Older people who experience unstable finances, poor housing and fuel poverty are at increased risk of more rapid physical and mental decline as they age, a study suggests. edin.ac/4tRpL7z

AI fails to make inroads with cybercriminals, study finds Cybercriminals have been struggling to adopt AI in their work, reports a first-of-its-kind study that analysed a dataset of 100 million posts from underground cybercrime communities. edin.ac/4doFyET

Dr Kirsten Jenkins joins RSE’s new Research Leadership Scheme to support Scotland’s green future Kirsten – a Senior Lecturer in Energy, Environment and Society – will receive support under the scheme as part of the next generation of research leaders. edin.ac/4cydK0v