Spring 2014 | Public lectures and events | Video

Contributor(s): AS Byatt, Professor Mary Evans, Alex Preston | Does this year’s awarding of the Nobel prize for literature to a short-story writer mark a revival of the short story’s reputation, long undervalued in this country? This panel will celebrate the unique qualities of the short story form and ask why historically it has been seen as a predominantly female genre. AS Byatt is renowned internationally for her novels and short stories. Her novels include the Booker Prize-Winning Possession and The Children's Book. Her most recent book is Ragnorak: The End of the Gods, a retelling of the Norse myth. She is editor of The Oxford Book of English Short Stories. A distinguished critic as well as a writer of fiction, A S Byatt was appointed CBE in 1990 and DBE in 1999. Mary Evans is a Centennial Professor at LSE based in the Gender Institute. Prior to coming to the LSE as a visiting fellow she taught women's studies and sociology at the University of Kent. Her work is interdisciplinary and crosses boundaries between the social sciences and humanities. Her research interests include narrative fiction, focusing on themes of gender and class and the impact of gender on the academy. Alex Preston (@ahmpreston) was born in 1979 and lives with his family in London. His first novel, This Bleeding City, was an international bestseller and won the Spear's and Edinburgh first book awards. It has been translated into twelve languages. Alex writes and reviews for the New Statesman and the Observer and is a regular panellist on BBC2's The Review Show. Cathy Galvin (@cathygalvin1) is founder and editor of The Word Factory and founder of The Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award. This event forms part of the LSE Space for Thought Literary Festival 2014, taking place from Monday 24 February - Saturday 1 March 2014, with the theme 'Reflections'.

Contributor(s): Dr Arthur Bradley, Kenan Malik | Sensationalist accounts of the relationship between religion and secularism tend to depict the two as locked in combat, profoundly incompatible in their worldviews. By addressing the concept of ‘Christian Europe’, this discussion will explore the connections between the Christian legacy and the Enlightenment values which underpin secularism. In so doing, it will aim to provide both a more nuanced account of the relationship between religion and secularism, and a clearer sense of how religious and secular approaches inflect our experience and understanding of the world. Arthur Bradley is a reader in comparative literature in the Department of English & Creative Writing at Lancaster University. His research interests are in contemporary literature, critical and cultural theory and religion. In 2009/10, he was a visiting professor at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, and in 2013 he is a visiting fellow at Durham University. In 2013, he helped to establish the Northern Critical Theory School, which brings together researchers working in the field of critical and cultural theory at the universities of Lancaster, Durham, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool, York and others. His books include The New Atheist Novel: Fiction, Philosophy and Polemic after 9/11 and Originary Technicity: The Theory of Technology from Marx to Derrida. Kenan Malik (@kenanmalik) is a writer, lecturer and broadcaster. He is a presenter of Analysis, BBC Radio 4's flagship current affairs programme and a panellist on the Moral Maze. He has written and presented a number of radio and TV documentaries including Disunited Kingdom, Are Muslims Hated?, Islam, Mullahs and the Media, Skullduggery and Man, Beast and Politics. His books include From Fatwa to Jihad, Strange Fruit, Man, Beast and Zombie, and The Meaning of Race. His latest book, to be published in April 2014, is The Quest for a Moral Compass: A Global History of Ethics. This event forms part of LSE Space for Thought Literary Festival 2014, taking place from Monday 24 February - Saturday 1 March 2014, with the theme 'Reflections'.

Contributor(s): Jonathan Gibbs | Where does life end and fiction begin? It is a never-ending debate, but there has been much discussion recently of the strange, delicate and sometimes confusing relationship between the writer and their novel. Where once the semi-autobiographical novel was a staple of the form, now people talk of the novelised memoir, or (as in Sheila Heti) the 'novel from life'. At the same time, the centenary of the First World War throws into relief the effects that our ever-more digital lifestyle will have on future generations' understanding of who we were, in the first decades of the 21st Century, and what our life was like. This workshop will bring together these themes to look at ways of writing 'from' our lives that moves beyond the straightforwardly autobiographical. Come ready to write - about yourself, and not about yourself. Jonathan Gibbs (@Tiny_Camels) recently completed a PhD in Creative and Critical Writing at the University of East Anglia, where he was awarded a Malcolm Bradbury memorial bursary. He has written on books for the Independent, the Daily Telegraph, the TLS and elsewhere, and he writes the Independent's weekly Friday Book Design Blog. His short fiction has been published in Lighthouse, and by Shortfire Press, The South Circular and The White Review (where his story The Story I'm Thinking Of was shortlisted for the 2013 White Review Prize). His first novel, Randall, or The Painted Grape, about the London art world and the YBAs, will be published in Spring 2014 by Galley Beggar Press. This event forms part of LSE Space for Thought Literary Festival 2014, taking place from Monday 24 February - Saturday 1 March 2014, with the theme 'Reflections'.

Contributor(s): Mary Midgley, Jonathan Rée, Professor Raymond Tallis | What is the self? Should we turn to philosophy, psychology or science in order to better understand it? Does the self even exist? In this panel, three thinkers respond to scientific claims that the self is an illusion, exposing the philosophical problems which such claims conceal. Returning us instead to the experience of selfhood, the speakers will discuss alternatives both to reductive scientific accounts and to traditional philosophical concepts of the self. Mary Midgley is one of the most respected moral philosophers of her generation and the author of many books including Beast and Man, Wickedness, The Solitary Self and most recently Are you an Illusion?. Jonathan Rée is a writer, philosopher and historian. His has written for the Times Literary Supplement, the London Review of Books, the Independent, Prospect, the Nation and the Evening Standard. His books include Philosophical Tales, Proletarian Philosophers, I See a Voice and The Concise Encyclopedia of Western Philosophy. Raymond Tallis trained as a doctor before going on to become professor of geriatric medicine at the University of Manchester. He was elected fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences for his research in clinical neuroscience. He retired from medicine in 2006 to become a full-time writer and has published fiction, poetry, cultural criticism and philosophical anthropology, including The Kingdom of Infinite Space, the widely praised Aping Mankind and most recently Reflections of a Metaphysical Flâneur. This event forms part of LSE Space for Thought Literary Festival 2014, taking place from Monday 24 February - Saturday 1 March 2014, with the theme 'Reflections'.

Contributor(s): Professor Judith Rees, Richard Hermer QC, Alice Stapleton, Richard Gordon QC, Zahra Al-Rikabi, Professor Oriana Bandiera, Shiv Malik, Emma Soames, Bob Ward | The post-war generation stands accused of wrecking the world for the generations that follow them. It is those younger people - the victims of this excess - who are the prosecuting authorities in this unique legal proceedings. The charge sheet is long. The Baby Boomers may have signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the later international covenants but by their actions they have destroyed or greatly diminished the substance of the rights it contains for Generations X and Y, and all the others still to come. The resources of the world have been so plundered that the basics of a decent life - water; food; fresh air - can no longer be taken for granted. Nor even can a habitable world be assumed, for many already alive who have the misfortune to be born at the wrong time. Baby Boomers have breached the trust they owed to the world's peoples coming after them. They stand accused as multiple violators of fundamental human rights. The Baby Boomers defence will, though, be robust. They inherited a world laid waste by war and rebuilt it, staying clear of further war despite the power of the weapons they had to hand. They evolved a welfare state to provide security for all people and brought freedom to colonies the world over. The world they handed over was in decent shape. It is generations X and Y, with their compulsion to embrace the market, their lack of any kind of social solidarity and their failure to think imaginatively and together to solve the issues that confront them (much smaller than anything they faced) that are the true culprits for the mess we are in. So who is right? The charges against the Baby Boomers will be brought by a team of legal experts, backed by human rights and other specialist witnesses. The Baby Boomers will be defended by an equally distinguished legal team. Overseen by Professor Judith Rees, the trial will involve an audience verdict and then one delivered by a mixed jury of young and old people, specially convened to hear the case. This event forms part of the LSE Space for Thought Literary Festival 2014, taking place from Monday 24 February - Saturday 1 March 2014, with the theme 'Reflections'.

Contributor(s): Bridget Minamore, Chimene Suleyman | Join LSE Students' Union and LSESU Literature Society in hosting Bridget Minamore and Chimene Suleyman, two members of London's leading spoken word poetry collective Point Blank Poets. In an evening of poetry, Bridget and Chimene will be performing their work and inspiring the audience to engage with social issues through the power of words. The audience is warmly invited to participate, as we explore the power of poetry in our complex political and social environment. Having previously worked with the National Theatre’s New Views programme, Bridget Minamore (@bridgetminamore) has been reading and performing her own spoken word poetry since she came third in the Roundhouse’s annual Summer Slam in 2009. She became an Associate Artist with her poetry collective, Rubix, at the Roundhouse, and they released their debut spoken word album RED on iTunes/Roundhouse Records in 2012. She has since won various slam titles around London including Farrago and Hammer & Tongue, and has been published in anthologies such as Burning Eye Books’ Rhyming Thunder and Tongue Fu’s Liminal Animals. She has also had her work exhibited at a TEDxLondon conference and performed at places ranging from 10 Downing Street to the Southbank Centre and the King’s College Cambridge Women’s Dinner. She was recently shortlisted to be the first Young Poet Laureate for London. Chimene Suleyman (@chimenesuleyman) is a writer from London. She has represented the UK at the International Biennale, 2011, and runs spoken word night Kid, I Wrote Back. She writes opinion pieces on feminism and collects photos of Canary Wharf. Her poetry collection Outside Looking On will be published by Influx Press, Summer 2014. Point Blank Poets (@PointBlankPoets) are a collective of the most exciting, emerging spoken word stars in the UK and recent winners of the prestigious UK Young Artists International Award. They focus on creatively responding to important contemporary issues with their fresh and lively live literature. They feel a passion for the power of words, in particular poetry, to add a dimension of empathy to situations. Each member has a successful individual poetry career and by working together hope to use their talents to really make a difference. They have performed all over the UK and beyond, including Germany, Morocco, Poland, France, Ireland, Belgium and the U.S and have collaborated with organisations such as TRAID, Amnesty International, PEN to raise awareness of various issues through poetry and performance. This event forms part of LSE Space for Thought Literary Festival 2014, taking place from Monday 24 February - Saturday 1 March 2014, with the theme 'Reflections'.

Contributor(s): Andrew Davies, Penny Woolcock | Gangs are a familiar subject for films, books and news media. The panel will explore why gangs are a favoured subject of film and print, how they are portrayed, and how far these representations can be considered accurate or 'realistic', and how these presentations in turn affect public perceptions of young peoples' lives. Andrew Davies (@AD1878) teaches modern social history at the University of Liverpool. His books include The Gangs of Manchester (2008) and City of Gangs: Glasgow and the Rise of the British Gangster (2013). In 2008-9, he worked with MaD Theatre Company on Angels with Manky Faces, a multi-media stage play set in 1894 with a 'Madchester' soundtrack and filmed cameos by members of The Smiths and the Inspiral Carpets along with actors from Coronation Street and Early Doors. Penny Woolcock is a writer and director making documentaries, television fiction, feature films and opera. Her fiction feature film 1 Day (2009) about a day in the life of a gang banging street hustler led to One Mile Away (2013) documenting a peace process between the two notorious gangs in inner city Birmingham. She’s specially interested in the vibrant economy and culture of marginalised communities. Her trilogy about inner city Leeds Tina Goes Shopping, Tina Takes a Break and Mischief Night were street cast fictions based on real life stories. She spent eight months On the Streets (2010) making a film about homeless people in London and months in a hostel for street drinkers for The Wet House (2000). She’s directed a film version of the John Adams opera The Death of Klinghoffer (2003) and stage operas for the Met in New York and the English National Opera. Gareth Jones is a reader in urban geography at LSE. Penny Woolcock's film One Mile Away will be screened on the closing night of the Festival at 7pm on Saturday 1 March. This event forms part of LSE Space for Thought Literary Festival 2014, taking place from Monday 24 February - Saturday 1 March 2014, with the theme 'Reflections'.

Contributor(s): Dr Alex Gillespie, Professor Philip Horne | Following on from last years’ dialogue, this event will draw on readings from the work of William and Henry James to explore the links between psychology and fiction. From insights into self-reflection in the stream of consciousness to questions of religiosity, ghosts and the supernatural, Henry and William produced a combined body of work that continues to inspire. Including readings from the work of William and Henry, this event will focus on religion and the supernatural, and how each brother explored similar issues, but through very different means, namely literature and psychology. Alex Gillespie is a lecturer in social psychology at LSE and co-editor of the Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour. Phllip Horne is professor of English at UCL and series editor of the Penguin Classics Henry James. Sandra Jovchlovitch is professor in the Department of Social Psychology at LSE. This event forms part of LSE Space for Thought Literary Festival 2014, taking place from Monday 24 February - Saturday 1 March 2014, with the theme 'Reflections'.

Contributor(s): Professor Marianna Fotaki, Professor Steve Fuller, Professor Yiannis Gabriel, David Morgan | This session will look at how we can understand the apparent growth in narcissism and withdrawals from intimacy in a digital age. From the impact of Facebook and online porn on sex to how whether we’re losing the capacity to be close to the people we work with. Join us to explore whether we’re all turning into narcissists or can we do something to salvage intimacy with other people? Marianna Fotaki is professor of business ethics at Warwick Business School, and holds a visiting professorship at The University of Manchester. Before joining academia Marianna has worked as EU resident adviser to the governments in transition and as a medical doctor for Médecins Sans Frontières and Médecins Du Monde for ten years in total. She is a graduate of medicine, public health, and has obtained a PhD in public policy from LSE. Her research is on the marketization of public services, health inequalities, gender and otherness in organizations and business in society. She has published over 30 papers on those subjects and has four books forthcoming: a monograph, on fantasy and reality of patient choice (Edward Elgar). Gender and the Organization (with Nancy Harding, Routledge), Affect in Organizations (co-edited with Kate Kenny, Palgrave) and Global Challenges to Business in Society (with Kate Kenny and Juliane Reinecke, Sage). Steve Fuller is Auguste Comte Professor of social epistemology in the Department of Sociology at the University of Warwick. The author of twenty books, his most recent work focuses on the future of humanity. 2014 will see the publication of two books: Knowledge: The Philosophical Quest in History (Acumen) and, with Veronika Lipinska, The Proactionary Imperative: A Foundation for Transhumanism (Palgrave). Yiannis Gabriel is professor of organizational theory at the University of Bath. He has a PhD in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley. Yiannis is known for his work into the psychoanalysis of organizational and social life. He has written on organizational storytelling and narratives, leadership, management learning and the culture and politics of contemporary consumption. He has developed a psychoanalytic interpretation of organizational stories as a way of studying numerous social and organizational phenomena including leader-follower relations, group dynamics and fantasies, nostalgia, insults and apologies. He has been editor of Management Learning and associate editor of Human Relations and is currently senior editor of Organization Studies. His enduring fascination as a researcher lies in what he describes as the unmanageable qualities of life in and out of organizations. David Morgan is a fellow of the British Psychoanalytical Society, senior member of the British Psychoanalytic Association, and has been consultant psychotherapist at the Portman Clinic for 20 years. He is a training analyst, supervisor and lecturer, and is consultant psychotherapist at WhistleblowersUK. He is also a consultant psychotherapist and psychoanalyst in private practice. Elizabeth Cotton blogs as Surviving Work and is an academic at Middlesex University Business School. Her academic background is in political philosophy and current writing includes precarious work and employment relations, activism and mental health at work. She has worked as an activist and educator in over thirty countries, working with trade unions and Global Union Federations at senior level. Some of this work is reflected in her co-authored publication, Global Unions Global Business, described as “the essential guide to global trade unionism”. Elizabeth lived and worked abroad until returning to the UK in 2007 to write and start the process of training in adult psychotherapy. She is founding director of The Resilience Space and runs the Surviving Work Library. The LSE Review of Books publishes daily reviews of academic books across all the social science disciplines.

Contributor(s): Professor Michael Cox, Dr John Hutchinson, Professor Margaret MacMillan | This multi-disciplinary panel discussion will reflect on the consequences of the First World War and the value of remembrance, including the impact on international relations, the effect on nationalism and the home front, and what photography and narration of the war can tell us about our society. Michael Cox is founding co-director of LSE IDEAS and professor of international relations at LSE. John Hutchinson is reader in nationalism in the Department of Government at LSE. Margaret Macmillan is the author of Women of the Raj and international bestsellers Seize the Hour: When Nixon Met Mao and Peacemakers: The Paris Conference 1919 and its Attempt to End the War, which won the 2002 Samuel Johnson Prize. Her most recent book is The War That Ended Peace: How Europe Abandoned Peace for the First World War (October 2013). The past Provost of Trinity College at the University of Toronto, she is now the Warden of St Antony's College, Oxford. David Stevenson is professor of international history at LSE. This event forms part of the LSE Space for Thought Literary Festival 2014, taking place from Monday 24 February - Saturday 1 March 2014, with the theme 'Reflections'.