Strategic Instability: A Practitioner’s Perspective on Narratives Fueling the Conventional and Emerging Tech

Postgraduate students, fellows, staff and faculty from any discipline are welcome. This group aims to foster frequent interdisciplinary critical dialogue across Oxford and beyond about the political impacts of emerging technologies. Please contact Elisabeth Siegel at elisabeth.siegel@politics.ox.ac.uk or Brian Kot at brian.kot@politics.ox.ac.uk in advance to participate or with any questions. Remote attendance is possible, but in-person attendance is prioritized (and provided refreshment).

AI Safety in Practice: Safeguarding Against Real-World Misuse and Near-Term Harms

Postgraduate students, fellows, staff and faculty from any discipline are welcome. This group aims to foster frequent interdisciplinary critical dialogue across Oxford and beyond about the political impacts of emerging technologies. Please contact Elisabeth Siegel at elisabeth.siegel@politics.ox.ac.uk or Brian Kot at brian.kot@politics.ox.ac.uk in advance to participate or with any questions. Remote attendance is possible, but in-person attendance is prioritized (and provided refreshment).

Topic — AI Safety in Practice: Safeguarding Against Real-World Misuse and Near-Term Harms

Emergent Prestige and Status-Seeking Dynamics in International AI Competition

Postgraduate students, fellows, staff and faculty from any discipline are welcome. This group aims to foster frequent interdisciplinary critical dialogue across Oxford and beyond about the political impacts of emerging technologies. Please contact Elisabeth Siegel at elisabeth.siegel@politics.ox.ac.uk or Brian Kot at brian.kot@politics.ox.ac.uk in advance to participate or with any questions. Remote attendance is possible, but in-person attendance is prioritized (and provided refreshment).

Oxford Conservative Thought (Week 1: Property & Markets)

The Oxford Conservative Thought (OCT) Reading Group is a non-partisan group devoted to academic exploration of small-c conservative political thought. We welcome, and actively encourage, viewpoint diversity and constructive engagement across ideological divides (all good-willed participants are welcome!)

Each week we read one assigned text, and we recommend more for anyone who is very keen!

The OCT meets weekly in term time on Fridays from 4-5:30pm.

The Origins of Trumpism and Paths to an Alternative Future

This panel-symposium brings together four eminent scholars who will use their expertise to illuminate the recent political and moral economy of the United States and the rise of what some have called a new American oligarchy; and others have termed populist authoritarianism. The event will not only discuss how the United States arrived at its current state of politics, but pathways toward an alternative political-economic order.

The Trump Administration and the Separation of Powers

President Trump vowed to upend longstanding governance norms in the United States, and he has moved aggressively to do so early in his second term. Former White House Counsel, Stuart Delery, will reflect on how the courts and Congress are reacting to the unprecedented actions of the Executive Branch in the Trump Administration, and what these events mean for the constitutional checks and balances.

African Americans and the Photographic Seat of Honor

In the simplest of terms, this nation’s history of memorializing Black figures consists of two phases: before photography arrived in the United States and ever since. From the introduction of the daguerreotype in 1839 up through the twentieth century, Black and non-Blacks used photography to signify, cement, and remember the importance of certain Black figures. Examples include Harriet Tubman, Dred Scott, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Jacobs, Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., Huey Newton, and Barack Obama.

I’ve Got a Story to Tell: Mary Lou Williams and the Re-Imagining of Jazz’s History

At the time of her death in 1981, pianist/composer Mary Lou Williams was celebrated as one of the only jazz musicians to have played through each of the eras of jazz (1920s-late 1970s). This distinction was not simply based on Williams’ proximity to specific jazz communities that have been essentialized as part of the general understanding of genre’s progression but symbolized her direct contributions to the evolution of jazz’s sound.

Beyond Trump’s First 100 Days: What Comes Next Economically and Geopolitically?

Donald Trump’s second term is just three months old, yet it is already clear it may be an era-defining presidency. From his trade tariffs, to his unconventional attempts to broker an end to the war in Ukraine, Trump’s policies are a break with much of the post-war era. In this event, the former Special Assistant to US President Bill Clinton for Economic Policy, Robert Westcott, will discuss the Trump Administration's first 100-day report card, economically and geopolitically, and assess what comes next for the United States and wider world.
Subscribe to