´óÏó´«Ã½ Four Winter/Spring 2007
Programmes S-Z
A Short History Of Racism (working title)
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Racism has undoubtedly been the main driving-force behind some of history's most atrocious crimes. This new and thought-provoking three-part series chronicles the impact of racism on global human history.
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A Short History Of Racism begins by examining how ideas of racial difference have evolved in response to historical events.
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Looking in detail at Europe's imperial conquests, transatlantic slavery and the process of colonisation, it also illustrates how the idea of "race" and the fact of racism have profoundly affected the development of science, politics and culture in countries all over the world.
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As well as tracking the development of racist ideas – from the Enlightenment thinkers of the 17th and 18th centuries, through to the race scientists and eugenicists of the past 200 years – the series charts the political ramifications of the notion of racial hierarchies and, in particular, how these ideas became instrumental in colonial genocides, systems of economic exploitation and the emergence of the modern world order.
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Featuring shocking archive footage and original films from Europe, Africa, North and South America and Australasia, the series confronts many of the difficult and uncomfortable issues that surround this most incendiary of issues, offering a new way of thinking about the history of racism.
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This programme is part of the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s season marking the 200th anniversary of the Act of Abolition of the Slave Trade.
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Soul Britannia
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This major new music series examines the dynamic impact of black American and Caribbean sounds on British music and society.
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Travelling from the straight-laced Fifties to the multicultural sounds of today, the three, hour-long films investigate vinyl obsessions, soul dancing, imitation, innovation and more.
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As it travels Britain, the series charts the rise of British R&B acts – from Van Morrison to Amy Winehouse and Northern Soul to Soul II Soul. It shows how they, and their accompanying fans and fashions, have transformed British culture for ever.
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Soul Britannia features rare archive and performances, as well as fresh interviews and insights from artists including Beverley Knight, Van Morrison, Pete Townshend, Amy Winehouse, Sir Elton John, Mica Paris, Sir Tom Jones, Jazzie B, Mick Hucknall, Paul Weller, Massive Attack, Boy George, Solomon Burke, Georgie Fame and Corinne Bailey Rae.
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The Women's Institute
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Having recently hit the headlines for two events – the release of their nude calendar and their "hand-bagging" of Prime Minister Tony Blair – the Women's Institute (WI), the largest women's organisation in Britain, has proved that it is about much more than simply making jam and singing Jerusalem.
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In this new, three-part observational documentary series, a great iconic British institution, and one of the last bastions of Middle England, allows viewers a look inside as it finds its way into the 21st century.
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A modern and feisty 38-year-old has opened a new branch of the WI on the Isle of Wight and is determined to add a bit of "stardust and glamour" to the organisation. Meanwhile, in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, a more traditional WI is planning to tackle an assault course to celebrate its 60th anniversary.
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The programme also heads to Oxfordshire to take a look at the jewel in the crown of the WI – its residential college – and follows a new chairwoman as she attempts to get her refurbishment plan past the committee.
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Set in an idyllic green and pleasant land, three warm and humorous films tell the stories of and shed light on the lives of a formidable group of women who are holding communities together across Britain.
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