Think Human Festival is proud to host this panel on Writing Working-Class Fiction.
Kerry Hudson, Kit de Waal and Alex Wheatle are celebrated contemporary British novelists who have all written working-class experience into their fiction. At this event, the novelists are hosted by writer and critic Boyd Tonkin.

They will read from their work, and then discuss the problems they have encountered in being working-class writers, the creative responses they have formulated in their writing of working-class experience, and the wider issues of publishing and literary culture in relation to working-class writing and authorship. The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Oxford Brookes has a rich tradition of research into working-class life and culture, across literature, history and the social sciences.

JOHN KAY, CBE, FBA, Fellow of St John’s College, is a former Financial Times columnist andauthor of several books including ‘Other People’s Money’.

John Kay explains why he fell in love with economics, what big banks and taxi drivers have in common, where modern finance has gone wrong, why economists should admit there are somethings you cannot predict, and previews the new book he is working on with his old colleague Mervyn King.

In this age of so-called ‘Fake News’, a concept promoted in Tweets from the White House, seized on by conspiracy theories, and threatening to undermine the democratic process, the trustworthiness of our journalists has never before been so important.

Alessandra Galloni is Reuters Global News Editor, based in London, appointed in January 2016. She joined Reuters in September 2013 as Editor of the Southern Europe bureau, after spending 13 years at The Wall Street Journal in various positions as correspondent, economics and business writer and editor in New York, London, Paris and Rome. She has won several awards, including an Overseas Press Club Award in the US and a UK Business Journalist of the Year Award for her coverage of the Parmalat corporate scandal. She is co-author of From the End of the Earth to Rome, an e-book on Pope Francis. An Italian national, Ms Galloni is a graduate of Harvard University (1991-1995) and has a Masters degree from the London School of Economics (2002).

UN concern to restore trust in news was expressed through a joint declaration from the Office of the High Commission on Human Rights last year, co-authored by the Freedom of Expression rapporteurs of the OHCHR, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Organisation of American States, and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The report is on-line at http://www.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/WopiFrame.aspx?sourcedoc=/Documents/Issues/Expression/JointDeclaration3March2017.doc&action=default&DefaultItemOpen=1

Ms Galloni’s talk is part of the series of lunchtime discussions held every term by the Oxford branch of the United Nations Association UK. This is a free event and members of the public are welcome to attend. Refreshments are available from 12.30pm.

The photo of Ms Galloni was taken by Mikhail Metzel for GettyImages.

Liberal Democrat candidates for the St. Margaret’s and North wards on 3 May 2018

Reuters Institute seminars “The business and practice of journalism”
The following seminars will be given at 2pm on Wednesdays, normally in the E.P. Abraham Lecture Theatre, Green Templeton College.
Convenor: Meera Selva

The emergence of Islamic liberalism in Southeast Asia over the last two decades has been characterized by its highly uneven reception across and within national contexts. In Malaysia, liberalism is a thoroughly negative category in political and religious discourse. In part the mobilization of anti-liberal reaction is the product of two important trends in Malaysian politics: the proliferation and growing power of Malaysia’s Islamic bureaucracy and the increased public activism of a broad array of Islamic NGO’s. These two trends reinforce each other in generating the controversies over Islamic practice or religious diversity that have punctuated Malaysia politics over the last ten years. In spite of these recurring controversies, Malaysia maintains an international reputation among North Atlantic governments as a “moderate Muslim” nation. Prime Minister Najib Razak’s efforts to craft a state Islamic ideology of moderation (wasatiyyah) is viewed by the Malaysian state, however, precisely as a bulwark against the further spread of liberalism within domestic politics. This seminar will examine such ideological inversions at work in Malaysian politics located in the concepts of Islamic liberalism and moderation.

Harriet Harman was elected MP for Peckham in 1982. Elected Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 2007-2015, Shadow Deputy Prime Minister 2010-2015 and has twice served as Interim Labour Leader in 2010 and 2015. She has been in politics a prominent champion for women’s rights and as a minister in the Labour Government introduce the National Childcare Strategy and the Equality Act, changing the law on domestic violence and increasing female representation. She was the first woman Labour politician to answer Prime Minister’s Questions. In 2017 she became the longest serving woman MP.

Award-winning composer Jonathan Dove talks to broadcaster Kate Kennedy about music, war and commemoration. Their discussion will be illustrated with excerpts from his compositions.
Dove’s works include In Damascus, To An Unknown Soldier and the TV opera When She Died, a reflection on the death of Princess Diana.

Professor Li Ruru: The Cultural Revolution and Me
Tuesday, May 1, 5-7PM Lecture Theatre, China Centre, St Hugh’s College, Oxford

Open and free of charge for all

Supported by: Oxford Chinese Studies Society

2016 witnessed the 50th anniversary of the Great Proletariat Cultural Revolution. BBC Chinese invited Professor Li Ruru to write about her own life during that time. Having considered the invitation for a long time, Li finally wrote, from a point of view why she decided to teach a module at Leeds: ‘The Post-Cultural Revolution Literature.’ Based on the BBC article, the talk tells stories about her own experience and people’s lives around her. It also attempts to tease out what the Cultural Revolution meant to the young people at that time and what impact it has had on her generation, a large group of teenagers.

The English translation of the article is available at:
Why I teach ‘Post-Cultural Revolution Chinese Literature’ at a British university by Li Ruru, Translated by Thomas Markham

This event will be of interest to those of you who work on Chinese history, Chinese literature, politics, and education. Professor Li’s talk will last around 40 minutes and we will leave plenty of time for critical dialogues, Q & A and discussions.

About the speaker
Li Ruru is Professor of Chinese Theatre Studies in the School of Languages, Cultures and Societies, University of Leeds, UK. She has written extensively on Shakespeare performance in China (including a monograph Shashibiya: Staging Shakespeare in China (2003)) and on Chinese theatre (modern/traditional). Her recent work includes Staging China: New Theatres in the Twenty-First Century (ed. 2016), The Soul of Beijing Opera: Theatrical Creativity and Continuity in the Changing World (2010), Translucent Jade: Li Yuru on Stage and in Life ([in Chinese] 2nd edition 2015), and a photographic exhibition Cao Yu (1910-1996): Pioneer of Modern Chinese Drama (2011-16). Li runs traditional song-dance theatre workshops for both students and theatre professionals because she regards regular contact with the theatre as essential to her academic work.

https://www.facebook.com/events/367687450399248/?ti=icl

Reuters Institute seminars “The business and practice of journalism”
The following seminars will be given at 2pm on Wednesdays, normally in the E.P. Abraham Lecture Theatre, Green Templeton College.
Convenor: Meera Selva

The talk is part of seminar series, ‘India on the World Stage: International Relations of India Seminar Series’, organised by the Indian National Student Association (INSA), with support from the South Asian Studies Programme at the School of Interdisciplinary Area Studies, and from the Asian Studies Centre of St Antony’s College.

Kumar Iyer, visiting academic at Hertford College and partner with consultants Oliver Wyman, will present findings from a study examining the potential impacts of Brexit on business. The talks will be followed by a brief discussion. All are welcome: please pre-register using the Eventbrite link.
Please note that unfortunately there is no disabled access to the Baring Room.

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: Meera Selva, David Levy, Andrew Dilnot

The Oxford Guild and its Collegium Global Network in association with the Oxford PPE Society is delighted to welcome a very special guest – Tawakkol Karman, one of the most famous and most decorated Nobel Peace Prize Winners of all time (https://www.facebook.com/events/108829703317881/). 100% FREE AND OPEN TO ALL INCLUDING NON STUDENTS – Mrs Karman is keen to speak to members of the public as well! Mrs Karman will be speaking in a specially organised event at 6.30pm on Monday 7th May in prestigious and comfortable Bernard Sunley Lecture Theatre in St Catherine’s College. She will be discussing ‘Terrorism – The Problems & Solutions’, sharing her insights into how to tackle this global issue in 2018 and beyond and her experiences of the Arab Spring, the Yemeni Civil War and the political landscape in the Middle East. THIS IS A TRULY UNIQUE AND UNPRECEDENTED OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR FROM SUCH A HIGH PROFILE SPEAKER. THE EVENT IS FREE AND OPEN TO EVERYONE – this will undoubtedly be one of the biggest and most fascinating events of the year – do not miss out on your seat! SIGN UP FOR THE BALLOT HERE TO SECURE YOUR PLACE: https://tinyurl.com/TawakkolKarmanOxford You may ballot for up to two seats. Names will be chosen at random from the ballot and we have several daily releases before Monday 7th May – you will only be notified by email if you have been successful in the ballot.

The will be an opportunity for questions and if you would like to ballot for the chance to meet Mrs Karman and speak to her directly in a private reception please email president@theoxfordguild.com ASAP. THIS IS ONE OF THE GREATEST NOBEL PRIZES WINNERS AND MINDS AND WE HAVE SPENT A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME AND EFFORT SECURING MRS KARMAN AS A KEYNOTE GUEST.

Mrs Karman is a globally renowned Yemeni human rights activist, journalist and politician. She became the international public face of the 2011 Yemeni uprising that constituted part of the Arab Spring, and has been dubbed ‘Mother of the Revolution’, ‘Lady of the Arab Spring’ and ‘Iron Woman’. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 in recognition of her achievements in the non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work in Yemen. She became the first Yemeni, the first Arab woman, and the second Muslim woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize, as well as the youngest Nobel Peace Laureate at the time, at the age of 32 (she is now second youngest). She has been recognised by TIME Magazine as the Most Rebellions Woman in History, and been selected by Foreign Policy Magazine as one of the Top 100 Global Thinkers for many years.

A mother of three, Mrs Karman is the President and Founder of the NGO Women Journalists without Chains (WJWC), Founder of the Peaceful Youth Revolution Council and a board member of Nobel Women Initiative. Bold and outspoken, she has been imprisoned on numerous occasions for her pro-democracy and pro-human rights protests. She has vowed with other Laureates and global leaders to end child slavery. She has been widely recognised by many other awards and accolades around the world including the Courage Award granted by the US Embassy in Sana’a in 2008, the Galileo Galilei Award in Florence, Italy and was a Winner of the Freedom Award granted by the US National Civil Rights Museum. Inspired by non-violent leaders Martin Luther King, and Mahatma Gandhi, Mrs Karman is one of the pioneers promoting peaceful protest in the Middle East as a means for change.

WHEN: 6.30pm, Monday 7th May 2018
WHERE: Bernard Sunley Lecture Theatre, St Catherine’s College
SIGN UP FOR THE BALLOT TO SECURE YOUR PLACE: https://tinyurl.com/TawakkolKarmanOxford
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/108829703317881/

We highly recommend you all attend this historic and invaluable occasion which will be one of the most interesting, topical, high profile and exciting events of the year from our truly fascinating and inspiring guest. SIGN UP FOR THE BALLOT HERE TO SECURE YOUR PLACE: https://tinyurl.com/TawakkolKarmanOxford

As part of our Every Woman series, Blackwell’s presents an evening with Lyndall Gordon, who will be exploring her book ‘Outsiders’, an exciting and provocative look at the women who wrote the novels that changed the literary world.

Outsiders tells the stories of five novelists – Mary Shelley, Emily Brontë, George Eliot, Olive Schreiner, Virginia Woolf – and their famous novels. We have long known their individual greatness but in linking their creativity to their lives as outsiders, this group biography throws new light on the genius they share. ‘Outsider’, ‘outlaw’, ‘outcast’: a woman’s reputation was her security and each of these five lost it. As writers, they made these identities their own, taking advantage of their separation from the dominant order to write their novels.

Lyndall Gordon is the prize-winning author of seven biographies, including ‘The Imperfect Life of T. S. Eliot’; ‘Virginia Woolf: A Writer’s Life’; ‘Vindication: A Life of Mary Wollstonecraft’; and ‘Lives Like Loaded Guns: Emily Dickinson and Her Family’s Feuds’ and her memoir ‘Divided Lives: Dreams of a Mother and Daughter’. She is a Fellow of St Hilda’s College, Oxford and the Royal Society of Literature.

The Blackwell’s Every Woman Series

From February 2018, Blackwell’s Broad Street will launch a year-long series of events in conjunction with the Centenary of Women’s Suffrage in the UK.

The 1918 Representation of the People Act gave women of property over the age of 30 the right to vote – not all women, therefore, could vote. It was a step, but it was not the whole journey. And many would argue that we are still a long way from stepping the journey’s full distance towards gender equality in this country and worldwide. Blackwell’s Centenary events programme will focus around the following questions:

1) How much does the vote mean today?

2) How far are we still from achieving gender equality?

3) How can we recognise intersectional privilege and oppression, and platform those demographics of people who weren’t acknowledged by this achievement 100 years ago, and are still under-represented and undervalued today?

For all enquiries please email events.oxford@blackwell.co.uk

Reuters Institute seminars “The business and practice of journalism”
The following seminars will be given at 2pm on Wednesdays, normally in the E.P. Abraham Lecture Theatre, Green Templeton College.
Convenor: Meera Selva

The talk is part of seminar series, ‘India on the World Stage: International Relations of India Seminar Series’, organised by the Indian National Student Association (INSA), with support from the South Asian Studies Programme at the School of Interdisciplinary Area Studies, and from the Asian Studies Centre of St Antony’s College.

Professor Glen O’Hara will examine why governments get things so wrong, so often. He will ask how history can be used to improve public policy making.

Britain’s exit from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism in 1992 and the Second Iraq War in 2003 are two infamous examples of disastrous policy, but governments blunder all the time – whatever party is in power. Infrastructure projects overrun. The aims and techniques of different departments clash. Scandals erupt among officials and politicians. Controversies stymie attempts at agreement and consensus. But why exactly do these failures happen? Are they more or less widespread than in the private sector? And can studying British governments’ decision-making across the twentieth century improve it in the future?

Glen will recommend a slow, deliberative, transparent, democratic and above all humble and sensitive approach in order to avoid another Black Wednesday or ruinous war.

Johan Eliasch, Swedish Billionaire CEO and Chairman of Head N.V (a global sporting goods group) since 1995, a global philanthropist and former special representative to the UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown on clean energy and deforestation, will be speaking to the Oxford Guild and Oxford PPE Society on Thursday 10th May (3rd week) from 4.30pm in the comfortable surroundings of Exeter College’s Saskatchewan Lecture Theatre (https://www.facebook.com/events/2074612062774409/). The will undoubtedly be one of the most exciting, fascinating and topical events of the year and a truly unique opportunity to hear from such a high profile speaker who will be sharing his vast range of experiences and insights and talking about ‘Brexit and Climate Change’. The event is 100% FREE AND OPEN TO ALL and is NOT TO BE MISSED! PLEASE REGISTER YOUR INTEREST HERE: https://tinyurl.com/JohanEliaschTalk

A keen advocate of environmental causes, he created the Rainforest Trust in 2005 and purchased for preservation purposes a 400,000-acre rainforest area in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. Johan Eliasch co-founded Cool Earth in 2006, a charity he co-chairs, which sponsors local NGO’s to conserve endangered rainforest and has over 120,000 registered members. In 2007 he was commissioned by UK Government and Prime Minister Gordon Brown to undertake an independent review on the role of international finance mechanisms to preserve the global forests in tacking climate change, ‘The Eliasch Review’ , which was launched by the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street in October 2008. The Eliasch Review has served as a guideline for REDD (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) as part of the international climate change convention.

He was a member of the Mayor of London’s (Boris Johnson) International Business Advisory Council 2008-2016 and is a member of the Mayors of Jerusalem and Rome’s International Business Advisory Councils. He is Chairman of the Boards of Equity Partners, Aman Resorts and London Films and sits on the board of the Foundation for Renewable Energy and Environment and Longleat. He is a non-executive director of CV Starr Underwriting Agents and Acasta Enterprises. He has been a non-executive chairman of Investcorp Europe and is an advisory board member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Polar Regions, Brasilinvest, Societe du Louvre, Stockholm Resilience Centre, Capstar, Centre for Social Justice and the British Olympic Association. He is the first President of the Global Strategy Forum, a trustee of the Kew Foundation and a patron of the Stockholm University. He chaired the Food, Energy and Water security program at RUSI and has also served on the boards of IMG (2006-13) and the British Paralympics Association, the sports advisory board of Shimon Peres Peace Centre, the advisory board of the World Peace Foundation. He was non-executive chairman and a non-executive director of Starr Managing Agents 2008-2015. He served in different roles for the Conservative Party between 1999 and 2007, as Party Deputy Treasurer (2003–07), Special Advisor to the Leaders of the opposition (William Hague and Iain Duncan Smith) and shadow Foreign Secretaries (Michael Howard, Francis Maude and Michael Ancram) (1999–2006). He covered Shadow Foreign Relations (2003–2006) as part of the Shadow Foreign Office team. He was a member of the Austrian President’s delegation of State for Trade and Industry 1996-2006.

If you would like to ballot for the chance to meet Mr Eliasch and speak to him directly and take photos in a private reception please email president@theoxfordguild.com ASAP! DO NOT MISS OUT ON THE UNIQUE CHANCE TO HEAR FROM SUCH AN ACCOMPLISHED AND INFLUENTIAL GLOBAL BUSINESSMAN, PHILANTHROPIST AND ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST IN WHAT SHOULD BE ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING AND TOPICAL TALKS OF THE YEAR!

WHEN: 4.30pm, Thursday 10th May (3rd wk)
WHERE: Exeter College’s Saskatchewan Lecture Theatre
REGISTER YOUR INTEREST HERE: https://tinyurl.com/JohanEliaschTalk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/2074612062774409/

In today’s fast changing, highly interconnected, culturally diverse world our current approaches to policy need to become more responsive to change. Currently the dominant mode of policy making is still based on what we might term ‘intelligent choice’. This retains the premise that problems can be resolved through ‘best practice’ evidence-based approaches using empirical methods. We need to move however to ‘next practice’ a method which seeks to create entirely new propositions and then testing them in context so that we may learn, adapt and actively shape our understanding of the problem-solution space itself.

New methods are at the heart of some of that Lab’s latest projects, including a unique collaboration with the Government’s Office for Science, applying Speculative Design and advanced visualisation in the run up to the Industrial Strategy Ageing Grand Challenge.

American Cool Modernism Series: ‘State of the Nation’ with Bonnie Greer and Sarah Churchwell

What does America stand for in the twenty-first century? What is the true story behind the ‘American dream’? What does ‘America First’ really mean? What are the implications of the recent US political upheavals, not only for the USA but for the rest of the world as well? Bonnie Greer and Sarah Churchwell will discuss these and other crucial questions about the ‘world’s only remaining superpower’.

For all enquiries please email events.oxford@blackwell.co.uk or call our Customer Service Department on 01865 333623.

Talk followed by questions and discussion

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: Meera Selva, David Levy, Andrew Dilnot

Bill Browder, CEO and Founder of Hermitage Capital Management, Head of Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign and author of “Red Notice, How I Became Putin’s Number One Enemy”

True to our name, we bring opera anywhere! Our latest new Puccini production goes into the woods at Wytham!

Puccini’s Heroines at Wytham Woods! – 12th May

Puccini’s Heroines – 1.30pm to 3.30pm – FREE ENTRY as part of Oxfordshire Art Weeks
Opera Anywhere present performances of some of the greatest Puccini operatic arias by female roles. Performed around the Wytham Studio at Wytham Woods between 1.30pm and 3.30pm – during Oxfordshire Art Weeks. Free of charge to attend and not ticket required.

Sister Angelica – 7pm at the Wytham Woods Chalet – Tickets £15/£10: online or call the box office on 0333 666 3366.
Bar and Refreshments available from 5.30pm at Wytham Woods Chalet, so why not arrive early, park in the usual car park and walk up through the woods – how about bringing a picnic?

Its a chance to visit, walk through and enjoy the woods without requiring the normal Walking Permit.
The staged performance of one of Puccini’s most moving operas, Sister Angelica, will take place in the woods opposite the Wytham Woods Chalet or if wet in the barn adjacent to the Chalet.

https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/date/493969

Speaker(s):
Monika Bickert (Head of Product Policy, Facebook)
Yvette Cooper (Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee)
Louise Richardson (Vice-Chancellor, University of Oxford)
Convenor:
Timothy Garton Ash (St Antony’s College)

Reuters Institute seminars “The business and practice of journalism”
The following seminars will be given at 2pm on Wednesdays, normally in the E.P. Abraham Lecture Theatre, Green Templeton College.
Convenor: Meera Selva

The talk is part of seminar series, ‘India on the World Stage: International Relations of India Seminar Series’, organised by the Indian National Student Association (INSA), with support from the South Asian Studies Programme at the School of Interdisciplinary Area Studies, and from the Asian Studies Centre of St Antony’s College.

As part of Think Human Festival, this one-off pop-up event is a unique opportunity for visitors of all ages to interact with leading academics from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Oxford Brookes University. The academics will act as ‘human books’ from a range of perspectives; historic, literary, political, legal and educational for 15 minutes per ‘book loan’ against the back drop of revolution. ‘RESIST! REMAIN!’ will provide the chance to engage with and access humanities and social science disciplines in a fun, original and inspiring way, and aims to create a lasting impression of how these subjects can help to understand what it is to be human.

Please note that this event is free, open to all ages and there is no need to book ahead. Please come to Bonn Square and start a interesting conversation around revolution!

Emre Eren Korkmaz is a post-doctoral researcher at Oxford’s Department of International Development and a British Academy Newton International Fellow.

He is a political scientist and his current work focuses on the participation of Turkey-origin migrants in the public sphere via trade unions and explores this in a comparative perspective, drawing on the German, Dutch and UK cases. The research synthesises Habermasian public sphere theory with the theory of transnational social space. Its core contribution to contemporary debates about the public sphere is its novel evaluation of migrant networks.

In addition to his research profile, Eren has extensive work experience in the field on the labour-market integration of Syrian refugees in Turkey. He was a migrant-refugee specialist at Ethical Trading Initiative’s Turkey Program between August 2016 and April 2017 working with corporations sourcing from Turkey, Turkish suppliers, trade unions, NGOs and authorities to propose policies to support decent and legal work for refugees. He also worked as a consultant for the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC) between July 2017 and October 2017. He is the co-author of a BHRRC report, “What’s changed for Syrian refugees in Turkish garment supply chains?” that examines policies of transnational corporations towards Syrian refugees in Turkey. He was the co-organiser of the workshop “Company action to address exploitation of refugee garment workers” at St Edmund Hall in October 2017 to discuss the initial findings of the research.

Eren completed his PhD in International Relations at Istanbul University, Faculty of Political Science. He submitted his MA in Turkish Studies at Sabancı University, Istanbul, which compared three transnational solidarity campaigns of trade unions from Turkey.