http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/8601 ^ Moving to College of Arts, Law and Social Sciences 2026-05-03T06:15:47Z http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/32815 Title: UK Live Comedy Sector Survey Report 2025 Authors: Lockyer, S; Weaver, S; Rowe, G Abstract: This report details the main findings of the UK Live Comedy Sector Survey 2025 run by the Centre for Comedy Studies Research (CCSR), the Live Comedy Association (LCA) and British Comedy Guide (BCG). This is a follow-up to the first Live Comedy Sector Survey, conducted in 2024, and examines the economic, social and cultural impact of the UK live comedy sector. It also provides a progress update on the series of recommendations made in the 2024 report. The 2025 survey was completed by 272 people working in UK live comedy. 63% of respondents were comedians and 37% were people working as either comedy promoters, producers, venue managers, festival organisers, agents, technicians, publishers, journalists or comedy critics. Survey findings and their related recommendations are clustered around 4 key themes: The economics of the live comedy sector; The spaces and places of live comedy; The social impact of live comedy; and inequalities and inequities of live comedy. Description: The UK Live Comedy Sector Survey 2025 was jointly conducted by the Centre for Comedy Studies Research at Brunel University, the Live Comedy Association, and British Comedy Guide. The UK Live Comedy Sector Survey was administered by Brunel University of London and ethical approval to conduct the survey was received from the College of Arts, Law and Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee at Brunel University of London.; At head of title page: comedysurvey.co.uk .; The survey was open from 15th July to 18th August 2025 and from 13th October to 24th October 2025. The survey was distributed through industry press and several further industry distribution lists and networks. Survey data was analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. 2026-02-04T00:00:00Z http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/32813 Title: Brexit and the Death of Centrist Liberalism Authors: Wilkin, P Abstract: This paper makes the argument that Brexit is one of a series of challenges to centrist liberalism taking place across the core nation-states of the modern world-system. Offering a world-systems analysis on Brexit it draws upon two key themes from it to analyse the meaning of Brexit for the geocultural ideology which has dominated the modern world-system since the French revolution, what Wallerstein called centrist liberalism. First it situates Brexit in the longue durée regarding the manufacture of the United Kingdom and the development of its unifying national culture. The colonial and imperialist history of the United Kingdom are foundational to its national culture and have generated an uneven and increasingly contested support for popular imperialism. Brexit is, therefore, presented as a reaction to the abandonment of the social compact that underpinned British national culture over the course of the late C19 and C20, driven by the transformation of British political economy through powerful neoliberal policies. Second, whilst acknowledging the unique nature of Brexit, the paper situates the UK as a part of the core of the modern world-system to argue that the meaning of Brexit has to be situated in the context of the ongoing transformation of the political economy of the core since 1979–80, and the political responses that this has generated. 2026-02-14T00:00:00Z http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/32787 Title: Maps and Diaspora: Affect, Agency and Epistolary Praxis Authors: Rai, R; Singh, I Abstract: Following discussions, interactions and reflections during the 2024 Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) conference ‘Map Room Conversations’ sessions, this paper examines archival maps in relation to diaspora through an affective lens. Using an auto-ethnographic epistolary praxis of letter-writing and the therapeutic prompt ‘What came up for you?’, it aims to bring out marginalised narratives and enable diasporic subjects to reclaim agency over their histories and identities. As a medium for the performativity of memory, letter-writing enables affective engagement with maps of ‘Hindustan’ and ‘Himalaya’, facilitating access to suppressed emotions and genealogical narratives, shifting away from viewing maps as merely colonial artefacts and repositioning them as ‘mediators’ of diasporic affect and agency, thus animating them as sites of remembering, reconnecting and healing. Description: Data Availability Statement: The data that support the findings of this study that include historical maps are available from the Royal Geographical Society—with the Institute of British Geographers. Restrictions may apply to the availability of these data, which may be under licence. Data are used by the authors with the permission of the Royal Geographical Society—with the Institute of British Geographers.; This article also appears in: Map Room Conversations (https://rgs-ibg.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/toc/10.1111/(ISSN)1475-4762.map-room-conv). 2026-02-03T00:00:00Z http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/32725 Title: Win-win food system approach to improve children’s nutrition: A pilot study in São Paulo, Brazil Authors: Sadalla Collese, T; Savani, MM; Lalli, GS; Martinez, E; Lavelle, F; Moura Affonso, EC; Marchioni, DML Abstract: Purpose: To describe the development of a healthy eating habits intervention in a school and to evaluate parents’ acceptability of this initiative. Design/methodology/approach: This exploratory study was conducted between February and March 2022 in a public school serving children aged 1–4 years in São Paulo, Brazil. The school acted as an educational distribution channel. Interviews with school staff helped co-design four educational videos with seasonal recipes. These were matched with boxes of local vegetables (that would otherwise have been wasted by a local vegetable grower) and delivered to parents (matching ingredients to recipes). Qualitative analysis was conducted to evaluate parental acceptability of the intervention. Findings: The intervention was well-received. All parents liked the videos, 74% used most of the fruits and vegetables provided and 83% tried the recipes. However, 30% suggested reducing the amount of leafy greens, as their children tended to avoid them. Originality/value: This pilot intervention was feasible and appreciated by parents, indicating potential for adaptation in similar educational contexts. It contributes to the literature by testing a co-designed, school-based food education strategy in a low-income setting and emphasises the importance of integrating school and home environments to foster healthier eating habits. Further research is needed to assess long-term impacts and scalability. Description: Supplementary data are available online at: https://www.emerald.com/he/article-supplement/1344672/docx/he-10-2024-0124_suppl1/ . 2026-03-03T00:00:00Z