Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s founding father and first Prime Minister, passed away on 23 March 2015 at the age of 91. A Cambridge-educated lawyer, Lee dominated the political stage in Singapore for more than 5 decades, and is often credited for turning Singapore from a Third World to a First World nation with a GDP per capita that is among the highest in the world.

Upon his passing, many lauded him on his achievement, hailing him as ‘the man who saw it all’ (TIME magazine), ‘a true giant of history who will be remembered for generations to come” (US President Barack Obama), ‘one of the modern world’s foremost statesmen’ (British PM David Cameron), and ‘a statesman [who was] widely respected by the international community’ (Chinese President Xi Jinping).

Lee’s critics, however, paint a different picture. To them, Lee was an authoritarian patriarch who built a Nanny State that has little tolerance for dissent. He was also a controversial figure who remained unapologetic for the numerous restrictions that were placed on individual civic liberties and other democratic norms which many modern Western societies deem sacrosanct. While recognising his legacy of unrivalled economic progress and development, Amnesty International asserts that there is ‘a dark side to what he leaves behind’, as ‘basic freedoms and human rights were [often] sacrificed’ in the pursuit of economic progress.

How do we reconcile these vastly contrasting opinions? And what implications, if any, will Lee’s passing bring for Singapore’s future? Join us for a panel discussion on the future of a post-Lee Kuan Yew Singapore. We have invited four panelists, each of whom will deliver some remarks for about 10 minutes, before we open up for a Q&A session. Entry is free for both members and non-members alike.

About the panelists: Dr Mark Frost is a historian at the University of Essex who has previously worked in the Singapore National Museum. Dr P J Thum is a historian and the coordinator of Project Southeast Asia at the University of Oxford. Professor John Quah is a Fellow of Economics at St Hugh’s College, University of Oxford. Jun Zubillaga-Pow is a co-editor of the book ‘Queer Singapore: Illiberal Citizenship and Mediated Cultures.’

This event is the brainchild of John Cheo, a graduate student at Exeter College who will also be moderating this panel.

Reuters Institute seminars “The business and practice of journalism”
The following seminars will be given at 2pm on Wednesdays, normally in the Barclay Room, Green Templeton College.
Convenors: James Painter, David Levy

Speaker: Anna Doble, assistant editor, Newsbeat, BBC Radio 1

Public meeting, with talk, Q&As, and discussion. Guest speaker: Dr Maidul Islam, Assistant Professor in Political Science at Presidency University, Kolkata.

Reuters Institute / Nuffield College Media & Politics seminars
The following seminars will be given at 5pm on Fridays, normally in the Butler Room, Nuffield College.
Convenors: Neil Fowler, James Painter, David Levy

Speaker: Sir Nicholas Macpherson, permanent secretary to the Treasury

Amy Hollywood (Harvard) delivers a series of lectures on “The real, the true, and the mystical” in Oxford. At 7pm will be a play on Derrida in Oxford by John Schad and Fred Dalmasso.

Tickets 8£/ 5£ reduced for students and Lecture attendants.

Reuters Institute seminars “The business and practice of journalism”
The following seminars will be given at 2pm on Wednesdays, normally in the Barclay Room, Green Templeton College.
Convenors: James Painter, David Levy

Speaker: Bronwen Maddox, editor, Prospect magazine

This is a joint event between the Oxford Martin School and The Oxford International Relations Society (IRSoC)

For more than a century, the United States has been the world′s most powerful state. Now some analysts predict that China will soon take its place. Does this mean that we are living in a post–American world? Will China′s rapid rise spark a new Cold War between the two titans?

Javier Cercas will be at St Anne’s College as Weidenfeld Visiting Professor in Comparative European Literature, and is one of Europe’s most distinguished contemporary writers. His works, which have been translated into more than twenty languages, include the acclaimed, Soldados de Salamina (Soldiers of Salamis, 2001), which was made into a film by David Trueba in 2003, La Velocidad de la Luz (The Speed of Light, 2005), Anatomia de un Instante (The Anatomy of a Moment, 2009) and Las Leyes de la Frontera (Outlaws, 2012). He has won numerous literary awards, including the Independent’s Foreign Fiction Prize, and Spain’s National Narrative award. He is currently a Professor of Spanish Literature at the University of Girona, and a columnist for El Pais. His work, which is highly politically engaged, troubles the borders of history and fiction, as it explores the Spanish civil war, or the legacies of fascism. Mr Tim Gardam, Principal of St Anne’s College, will chair a discussion between Javier Cercas, Professor Timothy Garton Ash and Professor Patrick McGuinness on European Literature, Politics and Historical Memory. A drinks reception will follow this discussion.

Twenty minute talk, one hour discussion. You’re welcome to come along just to listen, or to take an active part in the discussion. Free entry, no need to book.

Reuters Institute / Nuffield College Media & Politics seminars
The following seminars will be given at 5pm on Fridays, normally in the Butler Room, Nuffield College.
Convenors: Neil Fowler, James Painter, David Levy

Speaker: Michael Crick, political editor, Channel 4 News

Enter a lost world of music and poetry as more than 300 years of Mughal rule approached its end at the hands of the British in 1857. William Dalrymple, award-winning historian, in performance with the celebrated North Indian vocalist Vidya Shah, takes us back to the bygone era of matchless splendour, bringing to life a world of emperors, courtesans, politics, bayonets, intrigue and love, through words and music. Doors open at 17.45. Food and drinks in the Pitt Rivers Museum till 9p.m. after the lecture. Signed copies of ‘The Last Mughul’ and ‘Return of the King’ available after the lecture.

Reuters Institute seminars “The business and practice of journalism”
The following seminars will be given at 2pm on Wednesdays, normally in the Barclay Room, Green Templeton College.
Convenors: James Painter, David Levy

Speaker: Brigitte Alfter, journalist, lecturer and author of handbook on cross-border journalism

Refugee Studies Centre 2015 Annual Elizabeth Colson Lecture

Speaker:

Professor Miriam Ticktin (The New School for Social Research)

With the grounding assumption that innocence plays a central role in the politics of forced migration and asylum, this lecture will delve into the idea of innocence, trying to understand it and render its workings more legible, and arguing that it is a political – not simply a religious or moral – concept. By examining the figure of the child, the trafficked victim, the migrant, asylum seeker, the enemy combatant and the animal, Professor Ticktin will suggest that innocence sets up hierarchies of humanity, all the while feeding an expanding politics of humanitarianism. Ultimately, she will ask if innocence is a concept we want to protect.

About the speaker:

Miriam Ticktin is Associate Professor of Anthropology at The New School for Social Research and co-director of the Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility. She received her PhD in Anthropology at Stanford University, in co-tutelle with the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris, France, and an MA in English Literature from Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. Before coming to the New School, Miriam was an Assistant Professor in Women’s Studies and Anthropology at the University of Michigan, and also held a postdoctoral position in the Society of Fellows at Columbia University.

Professor Ticktin’s research has focused in the broadest sense on what it means to make political claims in the name of a universal humanity. She has been interested in what these claims tell us about universalisms and difference, about who can be a political subject, on what basis people are included and excluded from communities, and how inequalities get instituted or perpetuated in this process. She is the author of Casualties of Care: Immigration and the Politics of Humanitarianism in France (University of California Press, 2011; co-winner of the 2012 William A. Douglass Prize in Europeanist Anthropology) and co-editor (with Ilana Feldman) of In the Name of Humanity: the Government of Threat and Care (Duke University Press, 2010), along with many other articles and book chapters. She is a founding editor of the journal Humanity: An International Journal of Human Rights, Humanitarianism and Development. Next year she will be a fellow at Princeton’s Institute for Advanced Study.

Reuters Institute seminars “The business and practice of journalism”
The following seminars will be given at 2pm on Wednesdays, normally in the Barclay Room, Green Templeton College.
Convenors: James Painter, David Levy

Speaker: Dr Halla Diyab, writer and director of Liberty Media Productions

Six members of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), including comedian and journalist Mark Thomas are taking legal action against the Metropolitan Police’s monitoring and keeping of their information on a database that deals with extremists. An illustrated talk by four of those in the case discuss how journalists documenting protest are coming under surveillance. The panel includes photojournalist and campaign photographer Jess Hurd, Video Journalist Jason N Parkinson and Photographer David Hoffman, chaired by curator of OVADA’s current Resistance is Fertile exhibition, Adrian Arbib.

Guest speaker: Dr Mike Macnair, Associate Professor in Law, University of Oxford

Talk, Q&As, and discussion. You’re welcome to come along just to listen, or to take part actively in the discussion. Free entry, no need to book.

The award-winning video journalist and campaign filmmaker, Zoe Broughton, has spent more than 20 years putting herself on the frontline – going undercover at an animal-testing lab, being chased by police while filming on a high-speed motor boat and dodging landmines in Burma! Zoe presents an illustrated talk about her work at OVADA as part of their current Resistance is Fertile exhibition.

Join us for an after-hours exclusive guided tour of the Museum, where you will be taken around by one of our expert guides and then browse the galleries at your leisure away from the busy daily crowds.
Explore remarkable collections of hand-made objects from every continent and throughout human history.

The Mask You Live In follows boys and young men as they struggle to stay true to themselves while negotiating America’s narrow definition of masculinity.
The documentary presents the personal narratives of young boys and men and features experts in neuroscience, psychology, sociology, sports, education, and media, further exploring how gender stereotypes are interconnected with race, class, and circumstance. The Mask You Live In ultimately illustrates how we, as a society, can raise a healthier generation of boys and young men. Written, produced and directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the film premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2015.
After the screening there will be a panel discussion with the film producer.
Jennifer Siebel Newsom is making a stop in Oxford on her way back to California from Cannes after being awarded the Glass Lion Award at the Cannes Lion Film Festival 2015. https://www.canneslions.com/cannes_lions/press/press_releases/1058/cannes_li
She will be talking about her experience in film making and campaigning. With more than 4 million views on YouTube for The Mask You Live In trailer it is promising to be an event not to miss. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc45-ptHMxo

This creative workshop will explore ideas of citizenship in the Magna Carta, led by Penny Boxall of the University Church.

‘TRADE IN UK-AFRICA RELATIONS’: Event taking place on July 1st at Oxford Brookes University.

This is part of an ESRC seminar series on British Policy after Labour: Coalition, Austerity, Continuity and Change.

This seminar, the fifth in a series of seven and the first since the Conservative election victory in May, will focus on Trade in UK-African Relations and will feature a number of prominent speakers from the worlds of academia, policy and civil society.

It starts with coffees at 1030 and ends at 1630 (a buffet lunch will be provided).

Places are limited so if you are interested in attending could you please confirm by sending an email to me (shurt@brookes.ac.uk) as early as possible.

If you would like to read more about the ESRC series and previous/upcoming seminars then please take a look at our website – http://www.open.ac.uk/socialsciences/bisa-africa/uk-africa-policy/ – or follow us on Twitter @UKAfricaSeminar.

I have also written summaries of the main themes of the four seminars on my blog – http://internationalpoliticsfromthemargin.net/

Challenges and Opportunities for the Left in Britain and Europe.

Speakers:

Stathis Kouvelakis (Reader in Political Theory at King’s College, London, and a member of Syriza’s central committee)

Susanna Pressel (Labour Oxford City and County Councillor and Lord Mayor of Oxford, 2008-9)

Adam Ramsay (author of ’42 Reasons to Support Scottish Independence’, Bright Green contributor, and co-editor of OurKingdom on Open Democracy)

Arturo Zoffmann Rodriguez (founder of Podemos Oxford Circle and President of the Oxford Marxist Society)

A drinks reception will follow. The event is free and open to all.

Heather Richardson, Head of Conservation at the Pitt Rivers Museum, will talk about a temporary exhibition on the Museum’s lower gallery, showcasing original repairs found on objects in the Pitt Rivers collections. Part of a conservator’s role is to determine at what stage a repair to an object has been made and it is something they strive to preserve. Finding examples of repairs from originating communities can give the object a deeper resonance while also raising various questions. Why was this object repaired by its original owners rather than replaced? Is it a fine example of craftsmanship or is it a sacred object?

What the World is Losing, a talk with Dr Paul Collins, Dr Robert Bewley & Dr Emma Cunliffe

A special talk with Dr Paul Collins, Curator of the Ancient Near East Collections at the Ashmolean Museum, as well as Dr Robert Bewley and Dr Emma Cunliffe from the University of Oxford School of Archaeology

Saturday 25 July, 10.30am‒12pm
Ashmolean Museum Lecture Theatre

FREE entry. No booking required.

*** Spaces limited. Please arrive early to secure your seat. ***

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Middle Eastern cultural heritage is under threat as never before. These talks highlight what the world is losing in Iraq and Syria, as well as talking about Oxford University’s ‘Endangered Archaeology of the Middle East and North Africa’ project.

Dr Paul Collins spoke in April this year about the recent destruction of museums, libraries, archaeological sites, mosques, churches and shrines across northern Iraq to highlight the unique heritage that is being lost.

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This is a free Festival of Archaeology Talk. See the full programme of events at: http://www.ashmolean.org/events/Festival/

A film screening followed by a panel discussion with Nicola Leveringhaus and Peter Burt. They will be exploring the question of whether Britain needs its own nuclear weapons arsenal.

A chilling war game between a group of government officials exposes the fragility of our everyday life and those who govern it.

Written by Jack Thorne, directed by Tom Harper and starring Adeel Akhtar, Nicholas Burns, Ben Chaplin, Shaun Evans, Kerry Fox, Phoebe Fox, Sophie Okonedo, Antony Sher and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, WAR BOOK takes place over three days as nine civil servants gather to take part in a policy shaping scenario. They are there to take decisions on Britain’s reaction to an international nuclear attack. Only two participants know the truth – that the country is secretly facing a real nuclear threat, and that their theoretical responses may become reality sooner than they can know.

At first the participants are casual, playing out the scenario against a backdrop of their own petty squabbles and personal ambitions, but as the scenario escalates and the group begins to address the breakdown of civil order, the reality that they are deciding our futures dawns. When personal politics crash irrevocably into the room, each is forced to look closely at what they really believe, and how much their decisions are actually worth.

Click here to view the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_vr6KALYrY

Tickets are £10.00 for adults, £9.00 for students/concessions and £8.00 for Picturehouse members.

Speaker information:

Nicola Leveringhaus commenced a three-year British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship based at ELAC. Her research project is titled ‘China and Nuclear.

Peter Burt is the Research Manager for Nuclear Information Service, a not-for-profit independent information service, which works to promote public awareness and foster debate on nuclear disarmament and related safety and environmental issues.

More information can also be found on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/events/469532636540500/

Actress, performer and researcher, Dr Naomi Paxton explores the importance of theatre, performance and propaganda in the campaign for Votes for Women.

In 1908, the Actresses’ Franchise League was founded to support the suffrage movement. It staged suffrage events and readings, and its members wrote and produced plays in support of the cause. Eminent members included Cicely Hamilton, Ellen Terry, Elizabeth Robins, Edith Craig and Sybil Thorndike. By 1914 membership numbered over a thousand and the League was working nationally and internationally in support of the suffrage cause.

Dr Naomi Paxton has shared her passion for the work of the Actresses’ Franchise League at many events, including the National Theatre, Hay Festival and Latitude Festival and was one of the AHRC/BBC Radio 3 New Generation Thinkers for 2014-15. She is the editor of The Methuen Drama Book of Suffrage Plays (2013).

Katherine Pogson is a London-based designer-maker and Visiting Maker in Leatherwork at Pitt Rivers Museum. Katherine will present the process and outcomes of her residency, during which she has focussed on leather vessels in the Museum’s collection. These include African powder horns and water bottles from Sudan, India and Europe, documented as being ‘of peculiar construction’. Katherine has been studying the decorative and structural join devices, layering, texture and general form of these objects to influence her practice and develop new work.

In conjunction with The Angus Library and Archive’s exhibition, ‘Navigating the Congo’, Bandi Mbubi, will be joining us to speak about conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo and his work in demanding the development of fairtrade technology which uses conflict-free minerals.

Bandi Mbubi is a founder and director of Congo Calling, an organisation who are working to bring the world’s attention to the atrocities being committed in the Congo and for a peaceful resolution to the ongoing war. Bandi writes and speaks nationally and internationally to create a mass movement of consumers who demand the development of fair trade technology which uses ethically-sourced, conflict-free minerals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The exhibition will be open to visitors before the talk from 1pm-5.30pm on 22nd September.

My European citizenship rights…and why I don’t want to lose them.

We warmly invite you to a public meeting, followed by a reception to launch New Europeans in Oxford.

For details and speakers, please visit the event page on the New Europeans website.

Centre for Global Politics, Economics and Society seminar series