Mansfield Public Talks
Mansfield hosts a lively and engaging series of free public talks, by leading figures from a variety of fields, convened by our Principal Helen Mountfield KC, every Friday from 5.30pm during Oxford University term time.
Mansfield Public Talks are aimed at the general public, not specialists. They are open to anyone interested in ideas and debate, and are completely free of charge.
Current forthcoming talks and details of how to book a place are listed below.
Recordings of past Mansfield Public Talks can be found on Mansfield's YouTube channel, here.
To be kept informed about future talks, please email PUBLIC TALKS to communications@mansfield.ox.ac.uk and ask to be added to our mailing list.
Mansfield's Public Talks are always free to attend, but if you would like to support us with the costs of hosting and publicising them, we are very grateful for voluntary donations. Please click here to donate.
Mansfield Public Talks: Michaelmas Term 2022
Friday 21 October 2022
The Jocelyn Bell Burnell Lecture: The Real World of Forensic Anthropology
Professor Dame Sue Black
Sue Black is the UK's leading forensic anthropologist. Her work has ranged from war crimes investigations in Kosovo to single suspicious deaths in the UK and everything in between. She will talk about how her upbringing and an academic career in human anatomy paved the way for a career in this field and how her current research is helping to identify perpetrators of child sexual abuse globally. She says 'it may seem like a dark topic when you work with death every day of your life, but it is surprising just how much humour can be found'.
More details and book: here
Friday 28 October 2022
The Adam Von Trott Lecture
Learning from Deep History: The World of Stonehenge
Hartwig Fischer
The World of Stonehenge exhibition was held at the British Museum in the first half of 2022 and was seen by over 190,000 people. The first major exhibition of its kind, it garnered great critical acclaim but also surprised visitors by displaying objects not just from Stonehenge but from across Britain, Ireland and north-west Europe, reflecting a time of deep connections, travel and big ideas. Organised in partnership with the State Museum of Prehistory, Halle/Saale, Germany, the exhibition was supported by generous loans from museums across the UK, Ireland and continental Europe. This talk reflects on some of the moving stories that the exhibition told, the lessons we learnt while staging the exhibition, and the growing relevance of deep history to society and the public today.
More details and book: here
Friday 04 November 2022
Regression and Resistance: The Struggle for Women's Rights in Afghanistan
Shaharzad Akbar in conversation with Shazia Choudhry
The strongest civil resistance to the drastic attacks on human rights and women’s rights in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover in August 2021 comes from the Afghan women’s rights communities, internally and in exile. Shaharzad and Shazia will reflect on the struggle for women’s rights over the past two decades and the dilemmas for Afghan activists now.
More details and book: here
Friday 11 November 2022
A Celebration of Sanctuary
Natasha Kaplinsky, Freshta Karim, Dr Xan van Tulleken, Baroness Jan Royall, Helen Mountfield KC, and special guests discuss the importance of sanctuary and support for refugees in Universities and the world today.
Venue: Somerville College, Woodstock Road, OX2 6HD
More details and book: Please email development.office@some.ox.ac.uk to RSVP.
Friday 18 November 2022
Britain’s Identity Crisis: What Next?
Sir Trevor Phillips
Sir Trevor Phillips – writer, broadcaster, former politician and chair of the Commission for Racial Equality and the Equality & Human Rights Commission, discusses what we mean by British identity now, and where we are heading.
More details & book: here
Friday 25 November 2022
Serendipity: How Worthwhile ‘Careers’ Happen
Jason Stockwood and Karl Lokko
Tech entrepreneur, Football club owner and Grimsby community builder Jason Stockwood and former gang member, poet, activist turned Venture Capitalist Karl Lokko reflect in conversation about partnership, luck, determination and how ‘careers’ happen.
More details and book: here
Friday 02 December 2022
Mansfieldmas: An Evening of Words and Music
Tom-Hammond Davies (Director of Music at Mansfield College)
Ben Okri (Writer/Poet)
Errollyn Wallen (Composer)
The fourth edition of our celebration of creativity at Mansfield, curated by Tom Hammond-Davies, Ben Okri, Errollyn Wallen and friends.
More details and book: here