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Far-Left and Far-Right Politics: The New Threat to Liberalism

Haydar Zaki is outreach officer for the Quilliam Foundation and works extensively on projects that aim to promote values integral to Quilliam’s ethos, such as universal human rights.

His outreach work primarily involves working with universities and university societies. This includes establishing Quilliam university societies with students dedicated to upholding values of human rights and freedom of speech, through pro-freedom of speech campaigns such as #Right2Debate campaign. All university outreach is conducted with the intended aim of both keeping freedom of speech in universities intact, and challenging extremist narratives through an empowered student community.

He has participated in many outreach events at universities and schools with his main area of expertise being the role ideology plays in influencing the psychological outlook of an individual and their environment. He is also an avid campaigner for global democracy, social justice, secular democracy in Iraq and ending intra-Muslim discrimination.

This talk will discuss the role of identity politics and some of the dangers it poses.

Artist Talks at OVADA

A free afternoon of artist talks.

3-5pm at OVADA Warehouse, Osney Lane.

Our guest speakers will be independent publishing house Hurst Street Press and fine artist Tommy Watkins.

This event is part of the exhibition ‘Blue Fades into the Invisible’ by Klick Oxford-Leiden.

Lisa Monchalin – The Colonial Problem: An Indigenous Perspective on Crime and Injustice in Canada

Prof Lisa Monchalin will discuss her new book, “The Colonial Problem: An Indigenous Perspective on Crime and Injustice in Canada”. All are very welcome. Indigenous peoples are vastly overrepresented in the Canadian criminal justice system. This development is not new. It has been well documented for decades. The Canadian government has framed this disproportionate victimization and criminalization as being an “Indian problem.” It is argued that crimes and injustices affecting Indigenous peoples must be understood within the context of Canada’s shameful history, and the unchanged colonial goals of original forefathers—those which attempt to silence voices, histories, and cultures of Indigenous peoples—and continue and uphold racism, and patriarchy. These ideas and misrepresentations have permeated institutions, infused today’s value systems, and have become embedded in western media and culture. The consequences of assimilation policies, dishonoured treaty agreements, manipulative legislation, the sexualization of Indigenous women, and systematic racism are analyzed, arguing that the overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in the Canadian criminal justice system is not an Indian problem but a colonial one.

7 Days in Syria: An Evening with Janine di Giovanni

The Tim Hetherington Society and the Oxford PPE Society present: 7 Days in Syria, an evening with Janine di Giovanni.

Join us for free in the Simpkins Lee Theatre at Lady Margaret Hall for a talk by Janine di Giovanni and a film screening of Robert Rippberger’s feature length documentary ‘7 Days in Syria’. After the screening, there will be a free drinks reception in the adjoining Monson Room.

A Traumatised and Traumatising Institution: Reflections on the Sexual Abuse Crisis in the Catholic Church by Fr Klaus Mertes, SJ

St Benet’s Hall are delighted to present the William E Simon Foundation Lecture that will be given by Fr Klaus Mertes, SJ, a Jesuit Headmaster & Whistleblower. The talk will be chaired by The Rt Hon Lord Patten of Barnes, Chancellor of the University of Oxford.

The Lecture will be followed by a Q&A Session and a free drinks reception.

Klaus Mertes is a German Jesuit, high school teacher, author, and editor. He came to prominence as the whistle blower who, as headmaster of the Jesuit school, Canisius-Kolleg Berlin, first unveiled and addressed the historic sexual and physical abuse in the School. Through his actions, other victims from schools across Germany came forward.
Since 2011 he has been Headmaster of the Jesuit school, Kolleg St Blasien, and continues to be outspoken on the wider Church’s initially slow response to the problem.

All welcome. Places should be booked in advance, either through Eventbrite or by emailing [email protected]

Book Launch of ‘Great Catholic Parishes’ by Professor William E Simon Jr

What is really happening in the Catholic Church in North America? Are parishes thriving or dying? Is dissatisfaction among Catholics growing or are they becoming more engaged in the evangelizing mission of the Church?

Professor William E Simon Jr is a businessman, lawyer and philanthropist, who presently serves as Co-Chairman of the William E Simon Foundation and Parish Catalyst, which he founded to provide support for parish life. He is Adjunct Professor at the School of Law and at the Department of Economics at the University of California, Los Angeles. His most recent publication, Great Catholic Parishes, was published by Ave Maria Press on 26 September 2016.

Surgical Grand Rounds – Mr Bruno Sgromo

The title of the talk is ‘Bariatric surgery: new challenges’.

Mr Bruno Sgromo has been a Consultant Upper GI and Bariatric Surgeon in Oxford since 2009, and worked as an honorary Bariatric Consultant in Chichester.

He has been performing weight loss surgery since 2004, specialising in laparoscopic gastric band, gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy and revisional bariatric surgery.

He is part of the educational and research committee for the British Obesity and Metabolic Surgery Society (BOMSS) and he regularly attends the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity (IFSO) and the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) conferences.

The Uniqueness of Downtown Yangon

If one and only one city in Asia with its historic core largely intact were to be pointed out, it would to be Yangon. Yangon has thousands of historic properties that date before 1950; has the highest number of colonial period buildings in Southeast Asia. But the uniqueness of downtown Yangon comes from its longer history, which has left it with very distinct and diverse cultural and physical characteristics. Chinese, Muslim and Armenian traders were there long before the British arrived. Religious sites reflect this diversity, with a Synagogue, Buddhist Monasteries, Stupas and Temples; Mosques; Christian Churches; Hindu, Jain and Chinese Temples. Residents of different income levels and businesses of different types co-exist side by side. The absence of cultural, social and economic segregation makes downtown Yangon special and should be safeguarded. Yangon downtown has sufficient critical mass to attract a variety of investors with evidence of recent investment in rehabilitation of historic properties, with expected buy-in from local property owners and tenants, developers and construction companies. Although both authenticity and integrity have to some extent been compromised, it still reflects the UNESCO World Heritage Convention Operational Guidelines – “The respect due to all cultures requires that cultural heritage must be considered and judged primarily within the cultural contexts to which it belongs”.

Su Su was born in Yangon, and remains fascinated by its historic buildings and heritage. Her PhD dissertation (Yangon Technological University, 2006) examined the urban management system of the historic city centre. Her post-doctoral research work, at the Vienna University of Technology, was on the heritage management system of Vienna and Budapest. She hopes to undertake further research on new historic urban landscape (HUL) concepts, especially on those reflecting on historic city centres of Southeast Asian Cities. She is now Professor and Head of Department of Architecture, Mandalay Technological University and leading projects on heritage and urbanism. She participated in preparation of “Management Parts of Nomination Dossier and Property Management Plan of Pyu Ancient Cities”, “Myanmar National Building Code”, “Technical Working Group II Architecture and Urban Design” and is currently joining the team working for “Management Framework of Potential World Heritage – Bagan”.