Q-Step Fantasy Frontbench Lecture
Matthew Seren Smith and Megan Sclater discuss their Fantasy Frontbench project, its impact and the potential of technology to engage young people in politics.
The New Politics of Class: The Political Exclusion of the British Working Class
This argument is developed in three stages. The first is to show that there has been enormous social continuity in class divisions. The authors demonstrate this using extensive evidence on class and educational inequality, perceptions of inequality, identity and awareness, and political attitudes over more than fifty years.
A Matter of Time: On the Transitory Nature of Cyberweapons
This article examines the transitory nature of cyberweapons. Shedding light on this highly understudied facet is important both for grasping how cyberspace affects international security and policymakers’ efforts to make accurate decisions regarding the deployment of cyberweapons. First, laying out the life cycle of a cyberweapon, I argue that these offensive capabilities are both different in ‘degree’ and in ‘kind’ compared with other regarding their temporary ability to cause harm or damage.
'Emotions, Ideology and Civil War'
Over the course of Hilary Term (January to March) and Trinity Term 2017 (April to June), the Department of Politics and International Relations is convening a new seminar series on Ideas and Political Violence.
This series has been recorded and is now available in its entirety, along with an introduction from convenors Elizabeth Frazer and Jonathan Leader Maynard, explaining why they chose this topic, which parts of the series they found particularly interesting, and where they hope it will go in future.
The Dehumanisation Rehumanisation Dynamic
Over the course of Hilary Term (January to March) and Trinity Term 2017 (April to June), the Department of Politics and International Relations is convening a new seminar series on Ideas and Political Violence.
This series has been recorded and is now available in its entirety, along with an introduction from convenors Elizabeth Frazer and Jonathan Leader Maynard, explaining why they chose this topic, which parts of the series they found particularly interesting, and where they hope it will go in future.
Podcast: ‘Free Speech Rights are Women’s Rights’
Clement and Orford discuss topics such as PEN International's charter, coverage of reproductive issues in the media, the right to education, self-censorship and the intersection of the patriarchal repression of women and free speech rights in topical concerns like the Women's March in Washington, Trump's reinstatement of the Mexico City policy on reproductive counciling and the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox.
This event was convened by the Free Speech Debate project. More information can be found at www.freespeechdebate.com.
Winning the Peace Locally: UN Peacekeeping and Local Conflict
It remains contested whether peacekeeping works. The impact of peacekeepers’ actions at the local subnational level for overall mission success has lately received critical attention. Local peacekeeping is expected to matter because it reassures local actors, deters resumption of armed hostilities, coerces parties to halt fighting, and makes commitment to agreements credible. Thus peacekeepers affect the relations between central and local elites and avoid the emergence of local power vacuums and areas of lawlessness.
'The Crime Terror Nexus: European Jihadists and the New Convergence between Terrorism and Crime'
Over the course of Hilary Term (January to March) and Trinity Term 2017 (April to June), the Department of Politics and International Relations is convening a new seminar series on Ideas and Political Violence.
This series has been recorded and is now available in its entirety, along with an introduction from convenors Elizabeth Frazer and Jonathan Leader Maynard, explaining why they chose this topic, which parts of the series they found particularly interesting, and where they hope it will go in future.
Presentism and China’s changing wartime past
The term ‘presentism’ has a variety of applications, but in this piece I shall adapt the analysis made by S. A. Smith in his article within this forum, making reference to Hartog’s idea of a ‘regime of historicity’, of a ‘sense that only the present exists’, to propose a specific argument with regard to one topic: the historical analysis of China’s experience during the Second World War. In the high Cold War era, the topic of China’s wartime experience was taken by many American historians to be part of a continuum that informed a wider debate on the US presence in Asia.
Beyond the Shoe: Rethinking Khrushchev at the Fifteenth Session of the United Nations General Assembly
History tends to remember Soviet participation at the Fifteenth Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UN GA, September 1960–April 1961) because of Nikita Khrushchev’s shoe. On October 13, 1960, the Soviet leader allegedly banged his shoe against his desk in the General Assembly hall to protest a speech he did not like. The incident is among the most well known in the history of the Cold War. However, despite the interest it has generated, Khrushchev’s conduct was the least important aspect of Soviet relations with the UN in 1960–61.