Humanities

Alex Danchev on the brutish heart of empire

Charles Townshend is taken aback by a combative and oddly incurious survey of the enemies within

Christie Davies admires a playful look at the sly, carnal and punning humour of France

Geza Vermes, author of Jesus the Jew, is yet again turning his formidable forensic skills on his former Christian religion, this time in the shape of the Resurrection. Matthew Reisz meets him to discuss his Easter book

Roy Harris is bemused by a dense, ill-tempered screed on the English language as oppressor

David-Antoine Williams on a poet's restless mind

Critics of US foreign policy may live to regret finger-wagging from the sidelines, argues Paul Cornish

Are the institutes of advanced study being set up across the UK simply research hotels where academics can enjoy precious thinking time or evidence of a fundamental shift in cutting-edge research? Matthew Reisz finds out over a cross-disciplinary coffee

Ursula Tidd lauds a timely restating of Simone de Beauvoir's bold fusion of intellect and emotion

Academic salaries have increased by 12.6% in two years, but can the rises be sustained? Market differences are already beginning to show, with significant variations in pay between universities just miles apart. Hannah Fearn and Melanie Newman add up the figures (see related files on the right)

Neil Smith on Noam Chomsky's meticulous dissection of the rhetoric of the American empire

V.S. Naipaul's keen, ruthless eye confirms that great writers make stern critics, says Radhakrishnan Nayar

Ziad Elmarsafy acquaints himself with the many and varied faces of a prolific literary genius

Academics are using social bookmarking sites to share papers and to track research. Zoe Corbyn reports

Quality teaching, like quality research, requires funding input, say Russell Group chiefs Malcolm Grant and Wendy Piatt

Councils admit defeat in hunt for algorithm to show economic value of research, reports Zoe Corbyn

Helen Wilcox is transfixed by the rolling and rollicking life of a saucy Grub Street manipulator

Kamilla Elliott devours many slices of a pie that has fascinated collectors and academics alike