The founders lecture 2016, by eminent historian and Honorary Fellow, Professor Sir Brian Harrison, FBA. The talk explores changing attitudes to the future and the reasons for them. This involves thinking about the changing relationship between past, present and future, and studying the attitudes and activities of people and professions claiming to be able to predict or even influence the future – such as statisticians, planners, demographers, actuaries, inventors, authors of utopias and dystopias, and religious visionaries. The lecture aims to set in perspective the importance (or otherwise) of historical study.

The President of St John's, Professor Maggie Snowling introduces a discussion of leadership, participation and equality and how 2000 Women and an ongoing St John's Women’s Network might best support women to ever-greater success and fulfilment. Speakers: Rowena Ironside, Chair of Women on Boards; Sarah-Jane King (1997), Deputy Head of Unit for Equality Legislation, European Commission; and Nadia Motraghi (1997), a barrister specialising in employment and discrimination law.

Alumna and entrepreneur Caroline Plumb talks about the challenges of overcoming fears and expectations of normality to help find our path to success. Caroline Plumb reflects on her time at St John’s College and how it had changed her, giving her the confidence and skills to take the road less travelled and found her own business (FreshMinds, with fellow St John’s alumnus Charlie Osmond). She acknowledges all of us face the challenge of overcoming our fears and expectations of normality, and that for women in particular, pushing aside dutifulness and social expectation is vital if we are to find our path to success.

Is the study of Arabic literature in the western academy going round in circles or moving forward? What has been the most important recent development in the field? The lecture will argue that it is the recognition of the importance of repetition - the deepening of motifs and ideas by reiteration through time or across media - and of human contacts and continuities. The latter have been inherent to the production of medieval Arabic literary culture; have played a significant part in the study of Arabic literature at Oxford since the founding of the Laudian Chair; and have produced the most exciting current initiatives.

Is the study of Arabic literature in the western academy going round in circles or moving forward? What has been the most important recent development in the field? The lecture will argue that it is the recognition of the importance of repetition - the deepening of motifs and ideas by reiteration through time or across media - and of human contacts and continuities. The latter have been inherent to the production of medieval Arabic literary culture; have played a significant part in the study of Arabic literature at Oxford since the founding of the Laudian Chair; and have produced the most exciting current initiatives.

The Annual Founder's Lecture is given by eminent historian and Emeritus Research Fellow, Dr Ross McKibbin is entitled 'Can historians write the History of Sport?' Over the last forty years there has been a huge expansion in the writing of the history and sociology of sport. Yet what constitutes 'sport' remains a very difficult subject to pin down - especially for historians - since it seems to stand for so many different things. In this lecture Dr McKibbin will try to pin it down; to see whether there is anything useful historians can say about sport, anything that cannot be said better, for example, by anthropologists or sociologists. Was Roger Caillois right when he wrote in a famous book, Les Hommes et Les Jeux (Man, Play and Games in English), that historians have contributed nothing to the study of sport - largely because they can't?

In this provocative talk that celebrates women past, present and future, Clare Shine explores what it will take for women to overcome the ties that still hold them back—and lead. The Lady White Lecture 2014 at St Johns College. 100 years ago the Great War changed the fate of a generation of women—and all those to come. It “found them serfs and left them free” as women en masse left the kitchen, entered the work place and tasted the delights of greater economic and political freedom. In richer countries, today’s generation of women have never done better at school, have vastly broader choices open to them and are set to live longer than any cohort in history. So why does business-as-usual still dominate the public sphere and why do so many women mute their voices? Can we get beyond contortionist antics of “having it all”? Should we “lie back”, “lean in” or rally women and men to launch a new movement for radical change?

Clare Shine has never quite found a way to fit within the box. One of the earliest alumnae, whose international career has straddled business, the Bar, environmental policy and arts journalism for the Financial Times, she is currently Vice President and Chief Program Officer at Salzburg Global Seminar as well as a wife and mother.

In this provocative talk that celebrates women past, present and future, Clare Shine explores what it will take for women to overcome the ties that still hold them back—and lead. The Lady White Lecture 2014 at St Johns College. 100 years ago the Great War changed the fate of a generation of women—and all those to come. It “found them serfs and left them free” as women en masse left the kitchen, entered the work place and tasted the delights of greater economic and political freedom. In richer countries, today’s generation of women have never done better at school, have vastly broader choices open to them and are set to live longer than any cohort in history. So why does business-as-usual still dominate the public sphere and why do so many women mute their voices? Can we get beyond contortionist antics of “having it all”? Should we “lie back”, “lean in” or rally women and men to launch a new movement for radical change?

Clare Shine has never quite found a way to fit within the box. One of the earliest alumnae, whose international career has straddled business, the Bar, environmental policy and arts journalism for the Financial Times, she is currently Vice President and Chief Program Officer at Salzburg Global Seminar as well as a wife and mother.

The President of St John's College, Professor Margaret Snowling, in conversation with Dr Carolyne Larrington, Supernumerary Fellow in English at St John's. They discuss Carolyne's interest in medieval English literature.

Eminent psychologist and President of St John's, Professor Margaret Snowling talks about her research for the Founder's Lecture 2013.