The Pleasures and Perils of Fandom
Vanessa Kisuule is a big Michael Jackson fan. This fixation once gave her great joy, but now it keeps her up at night. In this talk, she explores the fall-out from that fandom and how, or if, we can hold people to account whilst loving them at the same time. Why do famous musicians mean […]
Reading Between the Lines of the Regency Novel
Ever since the novel was invented, women have used it as a platform for sharing ideas about sexual consent. Dr Zoë McGee reveals how Jane Austen, Frances Burney and their now-overlooked contemporaries used their stories to try to change society’s mind about rape culture – and to reassure survivors they were not alone. In an […]
The Extraordinary Lives of Ancient & Medieval Women
What was life really like for women in the ancient and medieval periods? How did they think about sex, death and God? Could they live independent lives? And how can we hear their stories? Authors Dr Daisy Dunn and Dr Hetta Howes will take us on an immersive journey into the everyday lives of extraordinary […]
Changing Power Imbalances at Home
Huge social changes occurring in real time are leading us to rethink traditional roles in our homes, workplaces and in society. So why do women who outearn their male partners still tend to do more housework and childcare? Why are unemployed men generally happier if their female partners are also unemployed? Why is unpaid labour […]
Lessons from a Real-Life Romcom
For years, the romcom has been defined by its reinforcement of patriarchal notions of love and relationships, and regressive depictions of female identity. At its centre is a belief that our societal order is in jeopardy unless you’re content and in a relationship. But the joy of the romcom, for all its schmaltz, is that […]
Why Horror has a Hold on Us
Zombies want brains. Vampires want blood. Cannibals want human flesh. All monsters need feeding. Film critic and broadcaster Anna Bogutskaya takes a captivating look at what draws us to the shocks and thrills of horror. Horror has been embraced by mainstream pop culture more than ever before, with horror characters and aesthetics infecting TV, music […]
Disability Rights and Dignities
For much of history, people with learning disabilities have been regarded as unworthy of interest – often seen as a threat to the social order and sometimes dismissed as barely human. While recent years have seen an improvement, disabled people are still treated as different. Join campaigners and authors Rachel Charlton-Dailey and Stephen Unwin for […]
The Migration Question
Who are these migrants? Do they steal our jobs? Can we help them in their home countries? Do border controls improve security? Are open borders desirable? In this Ethical Matters talk, Leila Simona Talani and Dr Matilde Rosina address these issues and more from their deeply researched study of migration into both Europe and the […]
Disagreeing Without Hate
Do you avoid people who are strongly against immigration? Or strongly for trans rights? Against abortion, or drug legalisation? Many of us struggle to engage with people whose opinions differ strongly from our own-even if they might have something useful to contribute to the debate. That means we’re falling victim to what behavioural scientist Professor […]