Opinion

Oxford’s new Reform UK society puts students like me at risk

I was too mentally exhausted to write this article, but I grew up watching my mother respond to every verbal harassment we faced on the street. When I once told her she could ignore it, she told me that they are relying on stereotypes surrounding Muslim women: they rely on us to be what they want us to be, silent and meek. It is our silence that emboldens them.

The hypocrisy of Oxford academics invoking ‘academic freedom’ for Nathan Cofnas

Now, it cannot be clearer: ‘Academic freedom’ is only ever collectively invoked for those like Nathan Cofnas.

The hypocrisy of aestheticised wilderness

We seem to have been locked in an eternal attempt at domination over nature for millennia. My recent trip to Thailand shifted this into clear focus: perhaps the attempt was never really about humans over nature.

What does Pride mean to you? A reflection on identity

I was so excited to connect with the rest of the group through our shared enthusiasm and experiences. Eagerly, I contacted many other queer friends to join. Their responses would soon shock me.

Where do the IMF’s new forecasts leave us?

"When compared with Europe and America, the UK’s historic ‘greatness’ seems to be faltering."

A Very French Protest

The beginning of a cure must be the restoration of those democratic habits and practices that had served us well

A Laughing Matter?

I don’t think Andrew Tate is a joke; I think he is a threatening reminder that crime can go unanswered when using the defence of comedy.

Sunak, Braverman, Progress, Regress, Coconuts, and Gaslighting

Braverman and Sunak, for all their faults, aren’t stupid. Their rhetoric is a move in the ever escalating culture war that pervades Western politics.

25 years after the Good Friday Agreement, is it still working?

"On Easter Monday, the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) turned 25 years old- but there is bitter irony in the celebrations"

£2 cocktails and a side of guilt

"Getting excited about £2 cocktails and feeling the tangible benefits from foreign spending power came with layers of guilt as we watched many of our Argentine friends and acquaintances live the full consequences of the country’s financial struggles."

Do we want public figures to be like us?

This dynamic is, I would suggest, characteristic of our basic human lack of self-reflection and our instinctive willingness to accept double standards for ourselves and public figures respectively.

Solidarity: What we can Learn from Strikes in Hilary

"A student-staff alliance would go a long way to defending against the common, invisible enemy of inflation"

Our planet is in crisis; can we save it?

"We are at a crossroads for humanity."

New asylum laws aren’t just impractical and illegal: they are abhorrent

'The reality is that this, like many of this government's policies, is pure showmanship.'

Dahl in the Dock; or, the publishing industry and its consequences 

"Modern editors aim to unanchor texts from their historical moorage."

Phones have taken over. Can we switch off?

"Social media is using the population as free labour, collecting our data after we produce it for free."

Oxford, the 15-Minute City, and the Birth of a Lie

"It was impossible to miss the commotion of February 18th."

Will we no longer accept religious views in political positions?

'Would it have been better for Forbes to be dishonest in the face of questions over her views?'

“State of the Art”: Why the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities is a Revolutionary Project for the Future of Oxford

"The Centre has the potential to cement Oxford’s position as the leading destination for humanities not just in the UK, but in the World."

Say Yes to NUS: The Case for Remaining Within the National Union of Students

Oxford’s storied place in the creation of NUS means you would be especially missed.

Crossing the Pond: Thoughts of a Prospective Transgender Studies PhD Student

"The state of my field, trans studies, is pretty dire in the UK."

Hilary: The ‘Grey’ Term?

"Hilary feels like there is no end in sight." 

Dear Oxford Union: What was the point of that?

"Your belief is a belief, but my existence is reality"

I hate to love Love Island, but even I will be switching off this time

Jack explores Love Island's sinister undertones; body image, gender roles, relationship and diversity.

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