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The Oxford Blue

The Oxford Blue

Oxford University's Independent Newspaper | Est. 2020

  • News and Sport
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Author Archives: Julia Merican

Julia Merican is a Malaysian-British (+ Singaporean) writer from Kuala Lumpur reading English at St Anne's, and the upcoming Editor for the Oxford Review of Books. She has published works with Cereal and Aesthetica magazine, and likes playing the 'I miss the tropics' card when the sun is out as a legitimate excuse for procrastination.

Posted inCulture

Rain before Rainbows: An Interview with Alicia Hayden

by Julia Merican December 8, 2020December 8, 2020

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Far-right activist Tommy Robinson says he is “coming” to debate Islam at Oxford Union

Julia Merican May 4, 2026 3 min read
Tommy Robinson surrounded by a crowd

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,…

Outside OX1 Week 1: UAE and North Korea

Julia Merican May 4, 2026 11 min read
Artwork of key Oxford Landmarks, such as the Radcliffe Camera and Sheldonian Theatre, within a globe Image. Credit by Evie Fairclough-Kay

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 Lewis Haynes explores the announcement that the UAE have withdrawn from OPEC, and the…

Ana Brand: The Hours Between—On Tennis, Time, and Balance in Oxford

Julia Merican May 4, 2026 8 min read
Ana Brand: The Hours Between—On Tennis, Time, and Balance in Oxford

There is a particular kind of discipline that reveals itself early in the morning, before most of Oxford is awake. For Ana Brand, that discipline…

The Anti-Gone at Helwys Hall, Regent’s Park College: Reviewed 

Julia Merican May 4, 2026 8 min read
Antigone, with her hands tied.

[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…

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