The Festival of Debate is the largest annual politics festival in the UK, with a range of events taking place across South Yorkshire. In addition to collaborating with the University of Sheffield, they work with a huge range of partners such as grassroots campaign groups, community groups and think tanks, both locally and internationally. Their events programme reflects these communities in South Yorkshire and the broader movements for social change, with events such as Q&As, artistic responses, keynote speeches, performances and plays that explore politics, economics and society.
Academics from the department are taking part in two of the events in the Festival of Debate line up, which will see them share their research expertise.
Straight to the Facts: Can we save public debate? A dialogue with Will Moy
Saturday, 15 April 2023
17:00 - 18:30
Technology has had a huge impact on politics, and is often seen to have undermined public debate in ways that are harmful for democracy. Whether concerned about misinformation, deep fakes, fake news or polarization, there seems to be a need to rethink how we communicate online. In this event the panel will ask: Can we save public debate?
Professor Kate Dommett and Dr Junyan Zhu from the Department of Politics and International Relations, and Professor Tom Stafford from the Department of Psychology, will welcome Will Moy, Chief Executive of Full Fact, to Sheffield to reflect on his experiences of over a decade working at the leading fact checking organisation in the UK. Reflecting on what exactly the problem is, what can and might work as solutions, and what responsibilities citizens and leaders have online, this event rethinks how to promote good public debate. As part of the event Prof Kate Dommett, Dr Junyan Zhu and Prof Tom Stafford will be speaking about their Leverhulme research project 'Understanding Online Political Advertising’, which focuses on public attitudes towards and expectations of online speech.
This event provides a real opportunity to think about what’s happening, what we’re getting wrong, and what we can do about political speech online. Will Moy is the leading expert on Fact Checking and online speech in the UK and we can’t wait to hear about his experiences and share our latest research.
Professor Kate Dommett
Professor of Digital Politics
Can Migrant Women Speak in Sheffield?
Wednesday, 19 April 2023
18:00 - 19:30
We know that people who identify as women have a harder time when they decide to migrate due to different discrimination they face everyday. They have their voices not heard and their rights more easily violated than other groups including in the cities where they live. Dr Patricia Nabuco Martuscelli will be joining journalist and writer Livia Barreira to discuss the challenges and opportunities of how to empower migrant women in Sheffield.
While there is more research on gender and migration, we still need more reflections on how to listen and empower migrant women in their everyday lives. Livia Barreira’s book: 'Living in Sheffield: Our Journeys as Migrant Women' is a great example on how to recognise migrant's voices. I have been using feminist and postcolonial methodologies in my research to recognise migrants (especially women) as experts in their histories. Our event will be another opportunity to identify and reflect on how migrant women in Sheffield can speak.
Dr Patricia Nabuco Martuscelli
Lecturer in International Relations
To learn more about the Festival of Debate and see their full line up, go to their website: