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The programme that explains the present by exploring the past

The programme that explains the present by exploring the past.

The Forum: 13/08/2011 GMT

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13/08/2011 GMT

BBC World Service - The Forum, 13/08/2011 GMT

Walls and partitions, not just between countries and people but also animal species

It's 50 years since the Berlin Wall went up: what kinds of walls separate the inner workings of science, history, and graffiti art?

As we mark 50 years since the Berlin Wall went up, we consider barriers around the world and across disciplines. 

Can 'guerrilla photo-art' help bring down some of the most politically charged divisions in the Middle East?  

In genetics, what is the nature of the biological barriers that keep species separate? 

And what can history tell us about the different uses of ancient city walls? 

This week's Forum guests are historian of France and the Ottoman Empire Philip Mansel, Professor of Genomics Chris Ponting, and award winning French artist and "photograffeur" JR.

Illustration by Charlotte Kingston: "In this same interlude it doth befall, That I, one Snout by name, present a wall… Hang on, I'm not the only one confronting boundaries."

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13/08/2011 GMT

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