In this public seminar presentation, Professor Thomas W. Laqueur revisits his seminal book, Solitary Sex (2003).

In May 2022, Professor Thomas W. Laqueur joined the 'Pathologies of Solitude' project as Queen Mary's IHSS Distinguished Visiting Fellow. His public lecture explored the gaze of the dog in Western art.

As part of our 2021/22 seminar series, Michael Rowland from the University of Sussex gave a paper examining solitude and social life in 18th century ideals of masculinity.

Solitudes researcher, Akshi Singh, interviews psychoanalyst and writer, Josh Cohen about the moments of isolation and connection found between patient and therapist during the pandemic.

As part of our 'Conversations' series, researcher James Morland talks to award-winning illustrator and author Sophie Burrows about her 'Finding Solitude' exhibition.

Hannah Zeavin discusses the role of distance in the history of mediated therapies with Solitudes researcher, Charlie Williams.

Thomas Dixon and Tom Laqueur speak to Barbara Taylor about our relationships with animals and how they figure in our understanding of loneliness and solitude. This conversation was filmed during the second COVID-19 lockdown in England, with topics stretching from the meanings of empathy, to animal evolution, canine grief, and the difference between cats and dogs.

Sarah Garfinkel and Akshi Singh discuss loneliness and solitude through the lens of Sarah's work on interoception, the perception of sensations from inside the body. Their conversation, filmed during the second COVID-19 lockdown in England, covers emotional mirroring, empathy, and neurodivergent loneliness, and is followed by Akshi's suggestions for further reading and listening.

Rachel Long speaks to Akshi Singh about inspirational women writers, poetry collectives, and writing as a way of being alone, before reading from her Forward-prize nominated collection 'My Darling From the Lions'. This conversation was filmed during the second COVID-19 lockdown in England and is followed by Akshi's reflections on Rachel's poetry.

Susheila Nasta and Hetta Howes discuss Sam Selvon’s 1956 novel 'The Lonely Londoners' and its themes of loneliness, race and the city explored through the lives of Windrush migrants in 1950s Britain. The discussion took place as part of our 'Spaces of Solitude' podcast series and features in Episode Four, which explores classic ideas of loneliness and the many ways of being alone in a city.