In the latest round of research grants awarded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), the University of Glasgow has received significantly more funding than any other higher education institution in the UK.

With five applications submitted to the AHRC accepted, the University will receive over £2million of funding for arts and humanities research.

Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Professor Elizabeth Moignard, said: "'The funding from the AHRC is an acknowledgement of the world-class research that is undertaken at Glasgow University. The four very different projects are an important indicator of the great strength and diversity of the knowledge which underpins them, which we aim to enhance and disseminate. We are delighted by our applicants' success, which builds on our existing research strategies, and gives us confidence to plan for the future.'

The five successful projects are:

• 'The paradox of medieval Scotland: social relationships and identities before the wars of independence' (Dr Dauvit Broun - History): this three-year project, collaborating with experts in the Celtic department and in King's College, London, will investigate how a recognisably modern Scottish identity was formed during the period 1093-1286. Through a comprehensive study of individuals, their social identities and relationships using the charters of this period, the project will seek to explain how the political and legal manifestations of Scotland as a single country and people emerged.
  
• 'Criminalization' (Professor Lindsay Farmer - Law): this joint project with the universities of Stirling and Warwick will develop a normative theory of criminalization: an account of the principles and values that should guide legislators in deciding what should be criminalized, and of the principles and values that should guide the officials whose responsibility it is to enforce and administer the law.

• 'An Ethical and Legal Critique of Alcohol Policies in the United Kingdom' (Professor Sheila McLean and Dr Laura Williamson - Law): this project will investigate the difficulties of utilising a choice-based ethic, such as 'drink sensibly', to respond to the needs of the alcohol dependent. The study will involve an examination of the nature of addiction and competency, an assessment of different types of alcohol control policy and a consideration of how contemporary thinking in medical law and ethics might influence the treatment of the dependent and the development of public alcohol policies.

• 'Pantomime in Scotland' (Professor Adrienne Scullion - Theatre, Film and Television Studies): this three-year research project seeks to: chart the emergence, history and development of professional and non-professional pantomime in Scotland from the mid-nineteenth century to today; analyse the appeal of Scottish pantomime for theatre makers, audiences and other cultural producers; analyse the representations and forms of Scottish pantomime; and, celebrate the cultural impact of pantomime in Scotland.

• 'Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951' (Professor Alison Yarrington and Ann Compton - History of Art): in collaboration with the V&A and the Henry Moore Institute, this is the first comprehensive study of sculptors, related businesses and trades investigated in the context of creative collaborations, art infrastructures, professional networks and cultural geographies. By presenting the results of the research through an online database, published articles and an exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum, the project will broaden the way the medium is seen and understood and contribute new methods of approaching art practice.

  Kate Richardson (K.Richardson@admin.gla.ac.uk)

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For more information please contact Kate Richardson in the University of Glasgow's Media Relations Office on 0141 330 3683 or email K.Richardson@admin.gla.ac.uk

First published: 21 June 2007