FEATURED
Anti-Muslim rhetoric contributes to anti-Muslim violence: On Tommy Robinson’s Oxford Union Invite.
Tommy Robinson’s recent invitation to the Oxford Union cannot be separated from the lived experiences of British Muslims and the fear we carry throughout our lives. Tommy Robinson is widely associated with anti-Islam rhetoric. The controversy surrounding his invite is not an abstract debate issue about free speech or politics, but directly touches the identity,…
WHAT’S NEW
Outside OX1 Week 2: Mali, the US, and the Hantavirus
The Editor’s Note Welcome back to Week 2 of Outside OX1! After the suspiciously warm sunshine of Week 1, the grey skies have already returned, although fortunately so too have college…
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Council Candidates Face Students at ‘Town-hall’ Event
On Tuesday 5 May 2026, Keble College’s O’Reilly Theatre played host to a “town hall” style event, organised by The Oxford Student, in which several candidates for the Holywell and…
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Defying Far More Than Gravity: Cynthia Erivo at the Schwarzman
When news broke that Cynthia Erivo would be making an appearance as the inaugural speaker in the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities’ new cultural programme, I knew I had to…
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Bilingualism and Shared Identities
Eleanor Harris reflects on her time spent as an Au Pair in France and what she learned about child language acquisition for bilingual children.
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The Two Noble Kinsmen at Mansfield College Garden: Reviewed
“Is this winning?” Emilia pleadingly asks, querying what we all wish to know by the end of the play. Can there really be a winner after such futile, damaging quarrelling?…
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This House believes that the Oxford Union has lost its values: the downfall of Oxford’s “free speech” society
At least once a term, throughout my three years at this university, I have had friends and family members message me outraged at the Oxford Union. I have said “no,…
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Oxford
A Night to Remember: the Jesus-Exeter Ball 2026
Music, churros, dodgems, and even a shisha tent! All of this and more could be found at the first Jesus-Exeter Ball, held on 25 April 2026. The ball was first confirmed in September 2025, following the discontinuation of the Somerville-Jesus ball. Following discussions between the then-JCR president of Jesus College, Samuel Owen, the DACC (Director…
Far-right activist Tommy Robinson says he is “coming” to debate Islam at Oxford Union
Christine Savino reports on far-right activist Tommy Robinson’s alleged invitation to debate at the Oxford Union. Image credit to Shayan Barjesteh van Waalwijk van Doorn, image licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
In Conversation with Lord Neuberger: The Rule of Law, Judicial Power, and the Art of Judgement
On 9 March, Oxford Law Society and Oxford Speaks hosted a talk with Lord Neuberger, the former President of the UK Supreme Court and Non-Permanent Judge of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal. He reflected on the rule of law and its vulnerabilities, the evolving constitutional role of the Supreme Court, and the art…
opinion
New Media: Have We Evolved to Think Less Deeply?
When we think of evolution, our minds tend to spring to the Darwinian theories of ‘survival of the fittest’, or the transition from Neanderthals to Homo sapiens. Yet, technological advancements have provided us with a much more subtle mode of evolution: media. In the 21st century, ‘new media’ operates as a cultural feedback loop, taking…
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The Sabotage of Modernity
In recent times, we seem to be intoxicated by the heady spirits of progress and modernity. A climate of optimism saturates the air as we continuously blaze untrodden paths in science, technology, and all the rest of it. So dramatic are these headways being made that there is a deep sense in which we are…
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Bombings destroy, not build: the radical uncertainty of Iranian democracy
On 28 February 2026, the United States and Israel launched a comprehensive air campaign against Iran. Striking over 1,250 targets in the first 48 hours, they claim to have killed 49 members of the Iranian senior leadership, including the former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In a post on Truth Social, President Trump described Khamenei’s…
Keep readingGlobal Affairs
Outside OX1 Week 1: UAE and North Korea
This term’s first edition of Outside OX1 explores two contrasting topics. Lewis Haynes explores the announcement that the UAE have withdrawn from OPEC, and the economic consequences for the UAE and globally of the decision. Noah Allerton takes a look at a new report published by the TJWG on the use of executions…
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Outside OX1 Week 8: Chile, Nepal and Mandelson
Welcome back to this term’s final issue of Outside OX1! Hilary has flown by and Trinity with its blossoming flowers and sunnier days awaits. What a journey this has been. I want to extend a warm thank you to all of our regular readers, we hope to see you back with us in…
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Locking Horns: Past Conflicts Threaten to Re-emerge in the Horn of Africa
Six years after Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed won the Nobel Peace Prize for bringing an end to a lengthy military standoff with Eritrea, and four years after a ceasefire was declared in Ethiopia’s Tigray Region, the Horn of Africa is on edge again. Landlocked Ethiopia has expressed its desire to have a…
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COLUMNS
Second Draft: Times New Roman is a girl’s best friend
Eleanor Davies returns with reflections on Hilary, essays, and their likeness to relationships. Illustration by Eleanor Davies, used with permission.
Lady Grinning Soul: Record Store Day Rewind
Julia Blackmon explores how Record Store Day was celebrated in record stores around Oxford and how physical media is making a return.
Risk Appetite: On Trying British Classics as an American
Valerie Wu explores what it is like to try British food classics as an American in Oxford, and how one way of understanding a culture is through its cuisine.
CULTURES
Harold Pinter’s The Birthday Party at the Burton Taylor Studio: Reviewed
“an intriguing interpretation of Harold Pinter’s classic comedy of menace” Nancy Pierre reviews The Birthday Party at the Burton Taylor Studio
Dependants at the Michael Pilch Studio: Reviewed
I was ushered inside the Pilch and, as I entered, the stage was dimly lit with blue lights and three characters sitting slumped in their chairs. It looked like they…
The Anti-Gone at Helwys Hall, Regent’s Park College: Reviewed
[cw: suicide] Have you ever laughed at Antigone? No, probably not—you’re probably a good person who doesn’t find tragic deaths funny. I was too until I saw The Anti-Gone, the…
LIfestyle
Spotlight – The End of a Year Abroad
“In Tallinn, I found my feet for the first time. First year had been a complete whirlwind, so it was on my Year Abroad that I truly understood the freedoms…
Ranking Every Coffee Shop in Oxford
“At the beginning of Hilary, I set myself two goals: turn all my essays in on time and visit every coffee shop in Oxford. Although I didn’t quite achieve the…
Resistance: Food That Refuses to Be Instagrammable
On social media, food seems to belong to a very particular visual world — bone china, ceramic bowls, wooden boards, linen napkins, candle-lit tables. Steel plates, tainted pressure cookers, slightly…
Identity
Excess and Essays: A Visiting Student’s Reflection
“This would be my third university in three years, and I was well-practised in the ritual of formulating one’s persona. Feigning the aloof disinterest one associates with the higher order…
The Motherhood Mandate: Fascism’s War on Bodily Autonomy
Katrina Roach discusses the connection between fascism and the restriction of women’s bodily autonomy through past and present cases of female oppression. Image credit to Conatw95, used under the Creative…
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