Being Human Festival 2020
Explore new worlds with The University of Sheffield as part of this national festival of the humanities, starting on 15 November.
Every November up and down the country, there’s a pulsing celebration of the humanities. In fact, Being Human is the UK’s only national festival dedicated to the sometimes-poked-fun-at (as anyone with a literature degree will know), wildly diverse, wonderful subject.
In more usual times, the border-crossing event is hosted across theatres, libraries, pubs, universities and out in the streets. This year, as has become the norm, everything will be available free and online, which on the bright side means the festival is arguably more accessible than ever before.
The aim of Being Human is to bring cutting-edge research from across the humanities - everything from archaeology, art history and history to languages, literature and philosophy - to the general public in an “accessible, engaging and fun” way.
Created by the School of Advanced Study at the University of London, once again The University of Sheffield has been chosen as a festival hub, hosting, among other events, The People’s Palace of Possibility by Sheffield-based theatre company The Bare Project, which asks of the local community: What kind of world is possible?
The theme of this year’s festival, New Worlds, should hit home for most as it stops to reflect on the year so far, from Brexit and Black Lives Matter to the US election and the ongoing pandemic. It’s been quite the year, but perhaps Being Human is one way to process some of it.
If Being Human sounds like your bag, you can also catch the tail end of The University of Sheffield’s free, week-long Understanding Society Festival, which runs online until 15 November. Their online and interactive House of Tracking event is worth a look.
