2019 marks 100 years of the Spanish degree at the University of Edinburgh, and an exhibition and series of events are taking place to mark the occasion, under the ‘Conectando’ banner.This year also marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Spanish Civil War, a conflict that saw the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people and led to Spain being ruled by a Fascist dictatorship until 1975. In this edition of the Big Idea podcast, Ranald Leask is joined by two experts on the conflict, from the University’s School of History, Classics, and Archaeology. Dr Julius Ruiz and Dr Fraser Raeburn have written extensively on the conflict, a period in Spain’s history that continues to divide opinion in the country to this day.This podcast looks, in particular, at the contribution of the International Brigades, those foreign volunteers who travelled to Spain to defend the elected Republican government against General Franco’s forces, which sought to topple it. Scotland produced a disproportionately high number of volunteers for the Brigades, many of whom were killed. In this podcast we hear from those volunteers who left Scotland for Spain, and ask what their legacy is.

2019 marks 100 years of the Spanish degree at the University of Edinburgh, and an exhibition and series of events are taking place to mark the occasion, under the ‘Conectando’ banner.<br>This year also marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Spanish Civil War, a conflict that saw the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people and led to Spain being ruled by a Fascist dictatorship until 1975. In this edition of the Big Idea podcast, Ranald Leask is joined by two experts on the conflict, from the University’s School of History, Classics, and Archaeology. Dr Julius Ruiz and Dr Fraser Raeburn have written extensively on the conflict, a period in Spain’s history that continues to divide opinion in the country to this day.<br>This podcast looks, in particular, at the contribution of the International Brigades, those foreign volunteers who travelled to Spain to defend the elected Republican government against General Franco’s forces, which sought to topple it. Scotland produced a disproportionately high number of volunteers for the Brigades, many of whom were killed. In this podcast we hear from those volunteers who left Scotland for Spain, and ask what their legacy is.

The Spanish Civil War: Why did hundreds of Scots volunteer to fight Fascism in Spain?

November 2018 marks the 100th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that brought the First World War to an end. More than 15 million people died in the conflict, which ushered in a horrifying new type of industrial slaughter; high explosive shells, poison gas, aircraft, machine guns, and tanks mechanised killing to a brutal new level. Now, a century on, how do we remember those who perished? What does remembrance mean and how has it changed? How different is the British act of remembrance from those countries where conflict continued for many years after 1918, and for the defeated nations? In this special edition of the Big Idea podcast, Ranald Leask is joined by three University experts with a keen interest in these questions. Professor Ewen Cameron and Dr David Kaufman, both from the School of History, Classics and Archaeology, along with Jolyon Mitchell, professor of Communications, Arts and Religion in the School of Divinity examine the impact and legacy of ‘the War to end all wars’.

November 2018 marks the 100th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that brought the First World War to an end. More than 15 million people died in the conflict, which ushered in a horrifying new type of industrial slaughter; high explosive shells, poison gas, aircraft, machine guns, and tanks mechanised killing to a brutal new level. Now, a century on, how do we remember those who perished? What does remembrance mean and how has it changed? How different is the British act of remembrance from those countries where conflict continued for many years after 1918, and for the defeated nations?<br> <br>In this special edition of the Big Idea podcast, Ranald Leask is joined by three University experts with a keen interest in these questions. Professor Ewen Cameron and Dr David Kaufman, both from the School of History, Classics and Archaeology, along with Jolyon Mitchell, professor of Communications, Arts and Religion in the School of Divinity examine the impact and legacy of ‘the War to end all wars’.

The Great War: The impact and legacy of ‘the War to end all wars’

We all love a good conspiracy theory: 9/11 was an inside job; the moon landings were faked; Princess Diana was assassinated. There is a thrill in joining the dots between seemingly random events and discovering hidden patterns. As the University hosts Edinburgh Spy Week, the annual event that examines espionage fiction and film and the ways in which secrecy runs through culture, the organisers ask why such theories have such a pull on the imagination, and what happens when they are elevated to the status of historical truth. They discuss the surprising origins of President Trump's post-truth world and the layers of nostalgia within John le Carre's masterpiece of spy fiction, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Secrets and Spies: Why do people believe conspiracy theories?

James Tait

A discussion with this year’s winners of Britain’s oldest literary awards: James Shapiro, winner of the biography prize for  1606: Shakespeare and the Year of Lear, which delves into one of the most politically turbulent and most creative years of the Bard’s life; and Benjamin Markovits, winner of the fiction prize for his novel You Don’t Have to Live Like This, a tale of urban frontiers-people attempting to set up a new way of life in a decaying Detroit. Recorded live at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

The James Tait Black Prizes 2015

The world-changing ideas of James Hutton, a product of the university and Edinburgh, are the inspiration behind the 2016 Edinburgh International Festival’s Standard Life Opening Event: Deep Time. Experts will explain the history and theories behind what one of the most spectacular visual arts events ever in Scotland. How did Hutton’s theories revolutionise how we viewed the earth and our place on it, what exactly is deep time, and what geological period are we living in now?

Deep Time

How can technology be used to help reduce inequality around the world? What are developed nations getting wrong and right in how it uses medicine, aid, mobile phones and computers to foster progress in the developing world? Recorded live in conjunction with the international development charity Practical Action, experts debate the obstacles and opportunities in the quest to achieve technology justice.

Technology Justice

After Islamic State’s attacks in Paris, which left 130 dead, how should  the West respond? What is IS’s endgame and what role does Islam play in their motives? Will the UK bombing IS in Syria help bring about IS’s demise or play into its hands? Experts from the University of Edinburgh discuss the most pressing issues in the University of Edinburgh’s latest Big Idea Podcast.

After Paris and Islamic State

The mass displacement of people from the Middle East and Africa has dominated headlines for several months. The movement of migrants and refugees across Europe has delivered challenging stories from Mediterranean shores to the port of Calais. On this month's Big Idea, academics from the University of Edinburgh look one of the main causes of the crisis, the civil war in Syria. The podcast also looks at how the situation could change the politics of the European Union, and asks what can be done?

The Refugee Crisis

Recorded live at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, this month's pod speaks to Zia Haider Rahman and Richard Benson, the winners of The James Tait Black Prizes. The University of Edinburgh has awarded the prizes annually since 1919, making them the UK's oldest literary awards. Rahman is the winner of the fiction category for his expansive debut novel, In The Light of What We Know. Benson is the winner of the biography prize for The Valley, which traces a hundred tumultuous years in the life of his family. Also on the pod are two of the judges, Professor Randal Stevenson and Dr Jonathan Wild.

The James Tait Black Prizes 2014

John Knox

Knox and Picasso, on the face of it, couldn't be more different. Yet in their own way both proved to be world changers. One ushered the Reformation into 16th century Scotland, transforming the nation; the other refashioned art's age old rules in his own image and utterly changed how the 20th century looked. To mark the publication of a new biography of Knox and the recent £115 million record breaking sale of Picasso's The Women of Algiers, Professor Jane Dawson and Professor Elizabeth Cowling discuss how these two firebrands changed the world.

World Changers: John Knox and Pablo Picasso

From 18-23 May the University is hosting Spy Week, a series of events exploring the dangerous and fascinating world of spy fiction. To celebrate, its organiser explains how spy novels reflect the anxieties of their times, we hear how real espionage is coping after Edward Snowden's revelations, and we'll discover how artists created work behind the Iron Curtain under the watchful eye of the secret police.

Going undercover with Spy Week

The 2015 General Election will be one of the most exciting and unpredictable in decades. All the polls suggest no single party will have a majority, leaving Westminster with a hung parliament and politicians tasked with assembling a coalition government. With the rise of the SNP and UKIP in Westminster are the days of a red or blue, two-party system over? What issues actually win votes? Who will be in, who will be out? Several of the University's top political scientists share their thoughts on this gripping contest.

The General Election 2015

This year's Edinburgh International Science Festival has turned the city into a self-declared Ideas Factory. University academics are in the thick of it, popping up in more than 60 events. Two of them join the podcast to talk about how we are able to think outside our brains, and challenge the idea that we should always trust scientists.

Edinburgh International Science Festival Special: The Ideas Factory

With the rate of global urbanisation showing no sign of slowing, experts from the University discuss what makes cities tick. They discuss the rise and fall and potential rise again of residential tower blocks, how the dirtiest cities might actually be the best at disposing of waste, and consider what the city of the future looks like.

The Evolution of Cities

On Thursday 18 September 2014, voters will decide whether Scotland should be an independent country. As the polling booths come into view, we've gathered a panel of experts to reflect upon this momentous period of Scottish history - who has had a good campaign, who has stumbled - and to try and answer some of the more knotty questions the debate has thrown.

Scottish Independence Referendum Special

Experts from the University look ahead to the 2014 Commonwealth Games. They ask what impact major games can have on a country's bank balance and waistline, examine the games' political and historical roots, and provide an insight into elite athlete's mental process.

Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games

We look at one of the great fault lines of world history - the First World War. We look at its origins, how it is remembered, and how we still live in its shadow.

The Great War

This episode features participants from the recent Edinburgh International Science Festival. On the show we'll look at whether new technology like smartphones can make us smarter; we'll examine the influence the media has on science; and we'll discover why the scientist and the artist are cosier bedfellows than you think.

Science At The Heart of Everything

This podcast tackles varied and shifting terrain. Experts from the University look at Russian nationalism, softly expressed at the Winter Olympics, but revealing a harder edge in the Crimea. We examine the mind-bending concept of false memories and ask what economics can do with the paradox of why wealth and health are not synonymous.

The Rise and Rise of Russian Nationalism

In this episode, we'll be asking one of those evergreen questions: are the kids alright? How society views its younger members can reveal a lot about society itself. The podcast looks at why teenagers are the main focus of police stop and searches in Scotland, ask why young people are a recurring theme in moral panics, and mark the 10th anniversary of Facebook, a social media platform that teenagers appear to be leaving in droves.

Are the Kids Alright

The Big Idea

The Best Multi-Part Documentaries, with documentaries on Obama, Federer vs Nadal, the making of Star Wars, Netflix vs Blockbuster and more. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!

Best Multi-Part Documentaries

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