Congratulations to Professor Nandini Das who has been elected a Fellow of the British Academy. Professor Das is one of 92 scholars elected to the Fellowship in 2026 in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the humanities and social sciences.
Professor Das commented:
I am delighted and honoured to have been elected a Fellow of the British Academy. It's a real privilege. I am also conscious, however, that it comes at a sobering moment for our sector in general. UK higher education, and the humanities in particular, face an existential crisis. Without sustained investment in these disciplines, and in the next generation of scholars, we risk impoverishing our intellectual and cultural life for decades to come. The humanities matter because they help us understand ourselves, our past, and the challenges we face together. I therefore see this Fellowship not only as a personal honour, but also as a reminder of the importance of making the case for these disciplines, at a time when that case needs to be made with renewed clarity and conviction.
Professor Susan J. Smith PBA, President of the British Academy, said:
I am delighted to welcome our newest Fellows to the British Academy. Each has made an outstanding contribution to their field, and together they reflect the remarkable breadth and depth of scholarship across our disciplines.
At a time when society is grappling with radical uncertainty in the face of technological, economic and environmental change, the humanities and social sciences have never been more important. Insights from economics, geography and political studies help us navigate geopolitical tensions, while literature, history and philosophy – to name a few of the disciplines the Academy represents – fuel our creative industries and help people to better understand themselves and each other.
See the full list of new Fellows on the British Academy website.
