The arts and humanities, as explorations and expressions of the human condition, are fundamental to how we understand the world around us. I’ve been fascinated by literature and the arts for just about as long as I can remember, but it was history that eventually absorbed most of my curiosity, providing – as it seemed to me – compelling explanations for how the contemporary world had emerged. History also reminds us that we once lived differently, and so it can help us to develop a more expansive sense of future possibilities.

Dr Murray Frame is Reader in History, School of Humanities, Social Sciences & Law, University of Dundee.  Murray is a historian of modern Russia, with a broad interest in the relationship between culture and power. His early research focused on the history of Russian theatre in the context of the evolution of civil society. While continuing to work on aspects of this theme, Murray also developed a project on the history of civilian policing during the Russian Revolution and Civil War, which is nearing completion.