Mansfield Public Talks

Shaharzad Akbar in conversation with Shazia Choudhry; convened by Mansfield College Principal, Helen Mountfield KC. Taliban's military takeover in August 2021 has led to drastic and devastating reversals for human rights in Afghanistan, particularly for the rights of women and girls. The strongest civil resistance against Taliban also comes from the women's rights community of Afghanistan, both inside the country and in exile. Shaharzad Akbar will reflect on the struggle for women's rights in Afghanistan in the past two decades & the dilemmas facing Afghan activists now.

Mansfield Public Talks are free and open to all. See our full programme here: https://www.mansfield.ox.ac.uk/mansfield-college-public-talks

Recorded on: 04/11/2022

Professor Dame Sue Black in conversation with Professor Stephen Blundell. Introduction by Helen Mountfield KC. 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'.

Baroness Hale, former President of the Supreme Court and Honorary Fellow of Mansfield College, Oxford discusses her life and legal career with Helen Mountfield QC, Principal of Mansfield.

In this lecture, Dr Tristram Hunt (Director of the V and A Museum), discussed the role of public museums in creating our culture and described how, despite its origins rooted in Empire, monarchy, and high Victorian capitalism. The collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum tell a fascinating story of civic republicanism.

Lord (William) Hague of Richmond in conversation with Mansfield Principal, Helen Mountfield QC, on the state of Western democracies. The threats we face, what we might expect from the next 20 years, and what can be done to protect democracy in the face of multiple global crises.

The Hands Lecture is a major annual event for Mansfield, when we invite a leading figure from the world of politics or current affairs to speak at the College, in line with our objective of opening up our diverse academic community to the world. The lecture has been founded by leading supporters of Mansfield, alumnus Guy Hands (PPE, 1978) and his wife Julia Hands MBE.