Professor James Williams has been honoured with a Fellowship to the British Academy in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the humanities and social sciences.
James has been at the heart of the University academic community of Humanities scholars for 22 years and is a renowned researcher and prize-winning writer.
His interests include francophone postcolonial studies, particularly West and Central African cinema; post-war French and European film; modern and contemporary French literature; gender and sexuality; migration and diasporic cultures; Holocaust cinema; the archives.
Most recently the department has benefited from James’s leadership as both Research and Postgraduate Lead for LLC, as well as his Directorship of the flagship Centre for Visual Cultures since its inception.
The University’s interdisciplinary research culture has flourished thanks to James, bringing together established colleagues, early career fellows and postgraduate students and nurturing collaborations with heritage and cultural institutions in the UK and internationally.
In student-facing roles, James has made an immeasurable difference to generations of students.
From supporting undergraduates on their Year Abroad, to supervising PhDs; he is renowned for his care and compassion.
His rich teaching spans language, literature, visual arts and film, with modules populated by students of Modern Languages, Comparative Literature and Culture and Liberal Arts and his work in International Film has attracted students from Media Arts and beyond.
Professor Williams said: "I am deeply honoured to be elected a Fellow of the British Academy.
"It will be hugely exciting to contribute to the British Academy’s mission to invest in research and influence policy in the arts and humanities at this crucial time in the sector."
The new Fellows of the British Academy represent a broad spectrum of expertise from macroeconomics and art history to ancient Greek philosophy and environmental archaeology.
They join a community of more than 1,800 scholars who share a commitment to advancing the humanities and social sciences.
Professor Giuliana Pieri, Faculty Dean for the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures at the University, added: "I am proud to congratulate Professor James Williams on his election to the British Academy.
"James is an outstanding scholar whose research bridges disciplines, languages and cultures, demonstrating how literary, cinematic and cultural analysis can illuminate wider social and historical questions.
“His election is a testament to the originality, breadth and international significance of his work, and it is a source of great pride for Royal Holloway and the Faculty.”
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.”
There were 92 distinguished scholars given the accolade this year across the UK and abroad.
