Our research

Our research is changing lives. The high quality research that takes place across the Faculty explores what makes us human through the study of languages, cultures, histories and ideas.

Interdisciplinary research

person carrying empty plastic water bottles

The power of language in a plastic waste crisis

Only 9 per cent of plastic in the UK is successfully recycled. Research led by Professor Joanna Gavins, from the School of English, highlights how language can be used to shape positive behaviours and change our relationship with plastic.

A multidisciplinary project

Singer performing on stage

Transvocality: Voice banking and song making

Professor Nicola Dibben from the Department of Music, with colleagues from Computer Science, and collaborators Coda Nicolaeff, Ilā Kamalgharan and Trans Voices, share their project, Transvocality.

Discover the Transvocality project

Rice in a pan submerged in water with more water being poured onto it.

Reviving and growing extinct varieties of rice

Historians and plant scientists are growing a type of rice from India that had become extinct with the spread of higher-yielding types, as part of a project to revive recipes and flavours that have been lost.

The forgotten food project

Arts and Humanities research

Man Listening to music with headphones

How music can help people live well with dementia

Dr Jennifer MacRitchie from the Department of Music explores advanced musical technologies created specifically for people living with dementia.

How music can help with dementia

David Tobin Report

The “Xinjiang Papers”: How Xi Jinping commands policy in the People’s Republic of China

Dr David Tobin, Lecturer in East Asian Studies has published his report on The “Xinjiang Papers”: How Xi Jinping commands policy in the People’s Republic of China.

The “Xinjiang Papers”

Musician playing traditional Afghan instrument on stage
Image credit: James Berryman for Spitalfields Music Festival

Filling the silence: the powerful music of Afghanistan's exiled musicians

Dr Cayenna Ponchione-Bailey is working with Afghan musicians now living in exile to create new platforms to share their work.

The power of music

Eva Perón - First Lady of Argentina between 1946 and 1952, political leader and cultural icon. ©Billiken
Eva Perón - First Lady of Argentina between 1946 and 1952, political leader and cultural icon. ©Billiken

Tackling gender inequality in Latin America

Gender equality is a human right. But how do you shift societal views of women in one of the most unequal regions in the world? Professor Lauren Rea research is at the forefront of promoting gender equality in Latin American schools by celebrating women who helped shape the region.

Tackling gender equality

A sample of the graphic novel showing people being kidnapped and transported to the Caribbean

Hidden slavery story translated into English for first time

A graphic novel revealing a new insight into the lives of millions of Africans who fell victim to the slave trade has been brought to English speakers for the first time, thanks to modern languages students at the University of Sheffield.

Quaco; My Life in Slavery

man and woman sharing umbrella

Roots and Futures

Beginning in March 2020, a research project led by Dr Elizabeth Craig-Atkins from the Department of Archaeology, Roots and Futures started to explore four regions to the north of Sheffield city centre; Upperthorpe, Netherthorpe, Neepsend and Kelham Island. Its aim, to empower locals to discuss the heritage of their local areas and the personal stories that make these places meaningful to them.

Elevating underrepresented voices in Sheffield

A drawing of David Livingstone

The Spatial Poetics of Artefacts

Dr Kathryn Simpson from the Digital Humanities Institute explores how objects and texts used together can evidence the unarticulated narratives of African people who encountered the travel parties of traveller David Livingstone.

David Livingstone’s expeditionary collecting

pair of hands painted as the globe

Bridging cultures in mental health

1 in 4 people will experience struggles with their mental health in the course of a year. But cultural sensitivities and language differences put up barriers for many patients. Sheffield researchers have developed a training course to deepen the cultural understanding of healthcare professionals.

Improving intercultural communication

More about our research

piano

Faculty research pages

The vibrant research and innovation in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities plays a major role in making the University of Sheffield a world-class research institution.

Research and innovation

Department research pages

Explore more research on our department research pages: