Monday 09:00-09:45
Rpt: Mon 21:30-22:00
Setting the week's cultural agenda.
09 January 2006
Since he first appeared on Radio 4's On the Hour Alan Partridge has starred in numerous television shows, including Knowing Me, Knowing You , and become a household name. Since then, his creator STEVE COOGAN has been trying to break out of the Partridge mould. He talks about his latest project - a film of the notoriously unfilmable novel The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman . So why did he do it? Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story opens on 20 January.
A Fabian New Year Conference kicks off a national conversation on Britishness. Who do we think we are? What does it mean to be British in 2006? In such a diverse society what hope is there of shaping a shared identity? HALEH AFSHAR , Professor of Middle Eastern Politics at the University of York, is one of the speakers and will be talking about whether foreign policy divides our nation. The Fabian Society's conference, Who Do We Want To Be? The Future of Britishness , takes place on 14 January.
Never in history has it been more important for us to understand the Muslim culture and the Middle East, but at a time when we are searching for a better understanding of the Muslim world, how accurate is the information we have about this complex religion and culture? ROBERT IRWIN's new book, For Lust of Knowing , is a response to Edward Said's famous, best-selling book Orientalism which argued that Orientalists were active accomplices in imperialism, Zionism and racism. Robert Irwin claims that Orientalism is essentially a benign academic discipline and that in order to reach a better understanding of the history of Islamic society and culture, it is time to rescue Orientalism from its tainted past. For Lust of Knowing: The Orientalists and Their Enemies is published by Allen Lane.
From the Balkans to Iraq. A renowned war correspondent who has covered every major global conflict for over 15 years. Her work gives voice to those who can't speak for themselves. It attempts to show the human cost of war. JANINE DI GIOVANNI talks about her latest book The Place at the End of the World , published by Bloomsbury, and explains why she never knew real fear before becoming a mother.
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