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The University of Oxford is home to an impressive range and depth of research activities in the Humanities. TORCH | The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities is a major new initiative that seeks to build on this heritage and to stimulate and support research that transcends disciplinary and institutional boundaries. Here we feature some of the networks and programmes, as well as recordings of events, and offer insights into the research that they make possible.

# Episode Title Description People Date
110 Musings from Cloud Cuckoo Land Dr Karen Park delivers a Creative Multilingualism and TORCH Bitesize talk as part of Linguamania Karen Park 21 Feb 2017
109 The Prelude Part of the TORCH Book at Lunchtime series James Engell, Fiona Stafford, Emily Knight, Steven Matthews 21 Oct 2016
108 Constructions of Armenian Identity in the Early Medieval Period Tim Greenwood gives a talk as part of the The Long History of Identity, Ethnicity, and Nationhood workshop Tim Greenwood 04 Jan 2016
107 Indian Arrivals, 1870-1915: Networks of British Empire Elleke Boehmer discusses her new book with Megan Robb, Faisal Devji and Santanu Das Elleke Boehmer, Faisal Devji, Megan Robb, Santanu Das 23 Nov 2015
106 Leviathan and the Air Pump: Highlights Historians of Science David Wootton and Michael Hunter review the controversial book 50 years on Ritchie Robertson, David Wootton, Michael Hunter 28 May 2015
105 Creative Commons HiCor: a Cross-Disciplinary Network for History and Corpus Linguistics Gabor Mihaly Toth talks about a network of corpus linguists, computational linguists, and historians who are aiming to study how the resources, tools and methods of corpus linguistics can be used to address important historical research questions. Gabor Mihaly Toth 24 May 2013
104 Oscar Wilde in Vienna: Pleasing and Teasing the Audience Sandra Mayer, author of Oscar Wilde in Vienna, argues it was his willingness to both please and tease his audience. His plays skilfully manoeuvre between conformism and subversion, conventionality and innovation. Sandra Mayer, Dominic Janes, Stefano Evangelista, Mary Luckhurst 20 Feb 2019
103 In Walpole’s footsteps - Braham and Stern at Strawberry Hill Silvia Davoli (Strawberry Hill House) and Nino Strachey (National Trust) gives a talk for the JCH conference's fourth session; The Anglo-French Connection. Silvia Davoli 23 May 2018
102 Thinking the Beyond of Crisis Professor Simon Glendinnning (London School of Economics) delivered the keynote address on 'Thinking the Beyond of Crisis' at the TORCH Crisis, Extremes, and Apocalypse event 'Rethinking Crisis'. Simon Glendinning 18 Jul 2017
101 FRIGHT Friday - Parenting, Fear, Hope and Salvation Dr Joshua Hordern gives a talk for the FRIGHT Friday series of talks, held in the Ashmolean Museum on 25th November 2016. Joshua Hordern 12 Dec 2016
100 Creative Commons Messages through Ashmolean Portraits Vicky McGuinness's bite-sized talk at Ashmolean LiveFriday: Framed Victoria McGuinness 07 Jun 2016
99 Multiple Identities in a Frontier Land: Balkh and ‘The Iranians’ In this paper Dr. Arezou Azad focused on the region of Balkh in the north of modern-day Afghanistan, ancient Bactria Arezou Azad 02 Feb 2016
98 The Dodo and Creativity Author Jasper Fforde’s presentation at ‘The Oxford Dodo: Culture at the Crossroads’ Jasper Fforde 04 Dec 2015
97 Dance Circles An interdisciplinary discussion of Dr Hélène Neveu Kringelbach's book. Helene Neveu Kringlebach 09 Apr 2014
96 Elsa Gomis presents, The Logic of Analogy: Slavery and the Contemporary Refugee. Yogita Goyal (Humanity: An International Journal of Human Rights, Humanitarianism, and Development, 8(3), 543-546. 2017) Elsa Gomis gives a talk for the workshop, What is a Decolonial Curriculum? Held at TORCH on 28th November 2018. Elsa Gomis 19 Feb 2019
95 Forward with Classics A Book at Lunchtime seminar with Dr Arlene Holmes-Henderson, Steven Hunt, Dr Mai Musie, Dr Peter Jones (Co-founder, Classics for All), Dr Alex Pryce (Head of Student Recruitment, Oxford), Chaired by Professor Fiona Macintosh (St Hilda's Oxford). Arlene Holmes-Henderson, Steven Hunt, Mai Musié, Peter Jones 14 Dec 2018
94 Art and Emergency Book at Lunchtime, Art and Emergency Emilia Terracciano, Partha Mitter, Lion König, Naiza Khan 22 May 2018
93 InHabit: People, Places and Possessions Book at Lunchtime Seminar held on May 3rd 2017. Antony Buxton, Linda Hulin, Jane Anderson, Cathy Oakes 10 May 2017
92 How English Became English A Book at Lunchtime discussion looking at the English language and how it is developing with Simon Horobin, Faramerz Dabhoiwala, Martin Wynne, Philip Durkin and Susie Dent. Simon Horobin, Faramerz Dabhoiwala, Martin Wynne, Philip Durkin 06 May 2016
91 Wharton in Wartime A roundtable discussion to mark the publication of Alice Kelly's critical edition of Edith Wharton's First World War reportage Fighting France: From Dunkerque to Belfort (Edinburgh University Press, 2015). Alice Kelly, Shafquat Towheed, Dame Hermione Lee, Elleke Boehmer 11 Feb 2016
90 The Unspeakability of Trauma, the Unspeakability of Joy: The Pursuit of the Real at the Turn of the Twenty-first Century A lecture by Amy Hollywood with response from Kate Kirkpatrick and Johannes Depnering. Amy Hollywood, Kate Kirkpatrick, Johannes Depnering 18 Jun 2015
89 That Other Place: Art and Alzheimer's A short video about a recent exhibition of photography and film Helen Statham, Victoria McGuinness, Nicola Onions 28 Apr 2015
88 Kwame Dawes - What is a decolonial curriculum? Kwame Dawes, TORCH Visiting Professor, University of Oxford, gives a talk for the workshop, What is a Decolonial Curriculum? Held at TORCH on 28th November 2018. Kwame Dawes 15 Feb 2019
87 The Sterns, the Singers and Cross-Cultural Exchanges Tom Stammers (University of Durham) gives a talk for the JCH conference's fourth session; The Anglo-French Connection. Tom Stammers 23 May 2018
86 Becoming / Unbecoming With comics artist Una Una 18 Dec 2017
85 Unlocking the Church Book at Lunchtime, Unlocking the Church William Whyte, Dan Hicks, Julia Smith, Mark Chapman 11 Dec 2017
84 Imagining the Divine: Art and the Rise of World Religions Book at Lunchtime held on 8th November 2017. Gervase Rosser, Georgi Parpulov, Stefanie Lenk, Kate Cooper 27 Nov 2017
83 Great men and fallen heroes Jessica Goodman explores how the meaning of ‘hero’ shifted in France in the late eighteenth-century in this TORCH Bite-Size talk at the Ashmolean Museum LiveFriday. jessica Goodman 08 Feb 2016
82 Diane Lees on Museums and Heritage in the Digital Age Diane Lees talks as part of the "What does it mean to be human in the digital age?" event Diane Lees 26 Jan 2016
81 Narrative and Proof: Two Sides of the Same Equation One of the UK's leading scientists, Marcus du Sautoy, argues that mathematical proofs are not just number-based, but also a form of narrative. Marcus du Sautoy, Roger Penrose, Laura Marcus, Ben Okri 22 Jan 2015
80 Creative Commons Identity beyond Borders: Ethnicity in the American Pacific Evan Matsuyama gives a short talk on Japanese mortality, identity, and ethnicity in the Nikkei struggle against mass incarceration during World War II. Evan Matsuyama 06 Jun 2018
79 Music, Empathy and Cultural Understanding In this TORCH Talk, Professor Eric Clarke talks about 'Music, Empathy and Cultural Understanding' at the Ashmolean Museum's Supersonic LiveFriday. Eric Clarke 04 Jul 2017
78 Creative Commons Exploring Sicilian Epigraphy Sicilian schools study and research epigraphy in their museums. Kirsten Shepherd-Barr, Andrew Fairweather-Tall 23 Jun 2017
77 Performance of 'Night Dance (Fantasy)' Musicians Dan Hulme and Nick Fowler perform Night Dance (Fantasy) at a recent Live Friday event, held at the Ashmolean Museum on March 3rd 2017. Dan Hulme, Nick Fowler 13 Jun 2017
76 FRIGHT Friday - Gothic Horror: Medicine and Monsters Dr Andrew Papanikitas gives a talk for the FRIGHT Friday series of talks, held in the Ashmolean Museum on 25th November 2016. Andrew Papanikitas 12 Dec 2016
75 The Fires of Faith The Babsybanoo, Machionness of Winchester Lecture with Neil MacGregor Neil MacGregor 07 Sep 2016
74 Callaloo Creative Writing Reading by Maaza Mengiste Maaza reads from her novel dealing with the Italian invasion of Ethiopia during the early days of the Second World War Maaza Mengiste 24 Jul 2015
73 Rubble Flora: Volker Braun Poetry Reading The German poet gives a special reading of old and new work and answers questions with David Constantine and Karen Leeder. Volker Braun, David Constantine, Karen Leeder 20 May 2015
72 Singing in the Age of Anxiety Laura will be joined an expert panel to discuss the book and its themes; Dr Benjamin Walton (Jesus, Cambridge), Professor Kate McLoughlin (Harris Manchester, Oxford). Chaired by Professor Philip R. Bullock (Wadham, Oxford). Laura Tunbridge, Kate McLoughlin, Philip Bullock, Benjamin Walton 19 Feb 2019
71 Me and My Beliefs: Challenges of Identity and Society Me and My Beliefs: Challenges of Identity and Society held on 28 November 2017 Libby Lane, Jas' Elsner, Shaista Aziz, Elleke Boehmer 06 Dec 2017
70 The Modern Epimetheus. Carl Schmitt's Marian Katechontism Speaker: Hjalmar Falk (Oxford/Gothenburg) Hjalmar Falk 19 Jun 2017
69 Creative Commons Sharing Sacred Spaces in Early Modern Germany With David Lubeke (University of Oregon) David Lubeke 21 Oct 2016
68 Creative Commons Useful Frames and Dead Pasteboard Sarah Hook looks at Victorian photographic card portraits, and charts their appearances in novels and poems from the period. Sarah Hook 07 Jun 2016
67 Creative Commons Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland Robert Douglas-Fairhurst explores how every generation has created its own Wonderland, and why we are still so curious about Alice’s dreamworld Robert Douglas-Fairhurst 04 Mar 2016
66 Heidegger and Phenomenology Dr Joshua Broggi speaks at the Oxford Phenomenology Network seminar. Joshua Broggi 03 Dec 2015
65 Museums in the digital age: development or conflict? Interview with Martin Roth – Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Martin Roth 30 Jul 2014
64 How does a curriculum introduce and structure alternate worldviews and knowledges? Supriya Chaudhuri, TORCH / Mellon Global South Visiting Professor, University of Oxford, gives a talk for the workshop, What is a Decolonial Curriculum? Held at TORCH on 28th November 2018. Supriya Chaudhuri 19 Feb 2019
63 Thomas Aquinas on Bodily Identity Book at Lunchtime, Thomas Aquinas on Bodily Identity Philip Bullock, Antonia Fitzpatrick, Cecilia Trifogli, William Wood 12 Jun 2018
62 Creative Commons Maria Misra - What Does Diversity Mean to Me? Opening event in TORCH Headline Series exploring 'Humanities & Identities' Maria Misra 28 Mar 2017
61 Creative Commons Intravenous anaesthesia on Turner's High Street Dr Alessia Pannese explores a painted documentation of a relatively little known event in Oxford local history: the first intravenous anaesthesia during this TORCH Bite-Size talk at the Ashmolean Museum LiveFriday Alessia Pannese 09 Feb 2016
60 Comparative Encounters between Artaud, Michaux and the Zhuangzi Part of "Book at Lunchtime", a fortnightly series of bite size book discussions, with commentators from a range of disciplines. Xiaofan Amy Li discusses her new book "Comparative Encounters Between Artaud, Michaux and the Zhuangzi." Xiofan Amy Li, Elleke Boehmer, Wang Xing, Matthew Reynolds 20 Nov 2015
59 Callaloo Creative Writing Reading by Vievee Francis Vievee reads poetry from her collection 'Forest Primeval' Vievee Francis 24 Jul 2015
58 Henry Adams, Henry James, and Minnie Temple: The Pursuit of the Real at the Turn of the 20th Century A lecture by Amy Hollywood. Amy Hollywood 18 Jun 2015
57 Creative Commons Race and Resistance Across Borders in the Long Twentieth Century Elleke Boehmer and Imaobong Umoren talk about their research network which is investigating how twentieth-century activists, artists and intellectuals challenged racially oppressive hierarchies and sought to achieve equality. Elleke Boehmer, Imaobong Umoren 24 May 2013
56 Samraghni Bonnerjee presents, Envoy extraordinary: a study of Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit and her contribution to modern India. Vera Brittain (Allen and Unwin, 1965) Samraghni Bonnerjee gives a talk for the workshop, What is a Decolonial Curriculum? Held at TORCH on 28th November 2018. Samraghni Bonnerjee 19 Feb 2019
55 Rachel Fox presents, Refugee tales David, Herd and Anna Pincus (Comma Press, 2016) Rachel Fox gives a talk for the workshop, What is a Decolonial Curriculum? Held at TORCH on 28th November 2018. Rachel Fox 19 Feb 2019
54 Creative Commons Lost and Found: The story of a Museum store Andrew Hughes gives a short talk on the discovery unusual things lost and found during a move of 100,000 Pitt Rivers Museum objects. Andrew Hughes 06 Jun 2018
53 Fascism, Fake News, and the Nature of Social Extremophilia With Luciano Floridi (University of Oxford). Luciano Floridi 18 Jul 2017
52 Creative Commons Transforming The Operatic Voice Looking at the relationships between philosophy and the creative practice of music. Kirsten Shepherd-Barr, Toby Young 23 Jun 2017
51 The Spirits of Crossbones Graveyard The book's author Sondra Hausner (Professor of Anthropology, University of Oxford) will explore the issues raised in her book. Sondra Hausner, Bridget Anderson, Diane Watt, Antonia Fitzpatrick 10 Feb 2017
50 Framing the Past through Suffering and Victimhood – Kurdish Discourses of Identity Christine Allison gives a talk as part of The Long History of Identity, Ethnicity, and Nationhood workshop Christine Allison 05 Jan 2016
49 Interview with Hélène Neveu Kringelbach The author discusses her recent book on dance in urban Senegal. Helene Neveu Kringlebach 09 Apr 2014
48 Smart People Work Everywhere - using your research skills outside academia A panel discuss using your research degree outside academia. Carole Souter, Philip Bullock, Kate Williams, Mark Byford 18 Dec 2018
47 Remembering the Jagiellonians A Book at Lunchtime seminar with Natalia Nowakowska, Somerville College, University of Oxford, Professor Julia Mannherz (Oriel, Oxford) Professor Hannah Skoda (St John’s, Oxford) Chaired by Professor Katherine Lebow (Christ Church, Oxford). Natalia Nowakowska, Julia Mannherz, Hannah Skoda, Katherine Lebow 14 Dec 2018
46 Renaissance as locus: Bakst and the imaginary chateau in the Sleeping Beauty panels Olga Medvedkova (CNRS) gives a talk for the JCH conference's fourth session; The Anglo-French Connection. Olga Medvedkova 23 May 2018
45 Jewish Country Houses Conference Welcome and Opening Remarks Abigail Green (Oxford) introduces the conference, held in the Radcliffe Humanities Building on 5th March 2018. Abigail Green 23 May 2018
44 Complexity in our multiple identities: the 2017 Disability Lecture University of Oxford Annual Disability Lecture Dan Holloway, Torø Graven, Rebecca Surender, Marie Tidball 10 Jul 2017
43 Creative Commons Literature and Silence Research into multiple Quaker congregations. Kirsten Shepherd-Barr, Kate McLoughlin 23 Jun 2017
42 Terminus or Renovation? Francis Bacon and crisis in early modern knowledge The TORCH Crisis, Extremes, and Apocalypse network hosted a talk on 'Terminus or Renovation? Francis Bacon and Crisis in Early Modern Knowledge' with Dr Richard Serjeantson (University of Cambridge) Richard Serjeantson 10 May 2017
41 FRIGHT Friday - Embodying Life and Death Professor Cathy Morgan gives a talk for the FRIGHT Friday series of talks, held in the Ashmolean Museum on 25th November 2016. Cathy Morgan 12 Dec 2016
40 Late Victorian into Modern Book at Lunchtime, Late Victorian into Modern Laura Marcus, Kirsten Shepherd-Barr, Michael Bentley, Charlotte Jones 08 Dec 2017
39 Creative Commons Italian Stories in Britain A project about talking to Italian communities in Britain and finding out what stories there are. Kirsten Shepherd-Barr, Matthew Reza 23 Jun 2017
38 Creative Commons Humanities Knowledge Exchange Showcase Knowledge Exchange is the mutually beneficial sharing of ideas, data, experience, and expertise, and involves collaboration between researchers and external organisations or the public. Kirsten Shepherd-Barr, Toby Young, Kate McLoughlin 19 Jun 2017
37 Volcanoes: Natural Disaster Narratives and the Environment in Caribbean Literature A panel discussion Elleke Boehmer, Imaobong Umoren, Richard Scholar, Anne Castro 05 Jun 2017
36 Exodus, Reckoning, Sacrifice: Three Meanings of Brexit Lecture with Kalypso Nicolaidis (St Antony’s College). Respondent: Anand Menon (King’s College London) Convenors: Timothy Garton Ash and Kalypso Nicolaidis (St Antony’s College). Kalypso Nicolaidis, Anand Menon, Timothy Garton Ash 03 Mar 2017
35 Digital Unwrapping: Homer, Herculaneum, and the Scroll from Ein Gedi With Dirk Obbink (Associate Professor in Papyrology and Greek Literature, Faculty of Classics, University of Oxford) Dirk Obbink 19 Aug 2016
34 Digital Unwrapping: Homer, Herculaneum, and the Scroll from Ein Gedi With Brent Seales and Dirk Obbink Brent Seales, Dirk Obbink 19 Aug 2016
33 Irish Nationalist Women, 1900-1918 An interdisciplinary panel of scholars discuss Dr Senia Paseta's book Senia Paseta, Tara Stubbs, Desmond King, Roy Foster 03 Dec 2014
32 Places, Symbols and Images of an Elite: the Country Houses of the Italian Jewish Nobility Paolo Pellegrini (Scuola di Archivistica, Paelografica e Diplomatica dell'Archivio di Stato di Perugia) gives a talk for the JCH conference's first session; The Lure of the Land. Paolo Pellegrini 23 May 2018
31 Between Historiography and Literature: "Gershom Sholem's Intellectual Biography" Speaker: Amir Engel (Hebrew University) Amir Engel 19 Jun 2017
30 Britain's History and Memory of Transatlantic Slavery Book at Lunchtime seminar on Britain's History and Memory of Transatlantic Slavery, edited and written by Ryan Hanley (Fellow in History, University of Oxford). Bob Harris, Ryan Hanley, Padraic Scanlan, Sebabatso Manoeli 13 Jun 2017
29 Creative Commons David Garrick's Wigless Celebrity Ruth Scobie's bite-sized talk on a portrait of David Garrick by Johan Zoffany Ruth Scobie 07 Jun 2016
28 Knowledge Exchange Highlights Highlights from the Knowledge Exchange Showcase, 26 November 2015. Joshua Hordern, Andrew Papanikitas, Barry Murnane, Laura Tunbridge 28 Apr 2016
27 Knowledge Machines How have digital technologies changed research practices in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities? Eric Meyer, Lucie Burgess, Kathryn Eccles, James Smithies 05 Feb 2016
26 What Does it Mean to be Human in the Digital Age? A librarian, literary scholar, museum director and digital commentator explore how the digital age has shaped, and will continue to shape, the human experience and the humanities Lynne Brindley, Tom Chatfield, Chris Fletcher, Diane Lees 22 Jan 2016
25 Creative Commons TORCH Book Series: ‘Thomas Wyatt - The Heart’s Forest’ by Susan Brigden David Starkey, Chris Stamatakis and Diarmaid MacCulloch discuss ‘Thomas Wyatt - The Heart’s Forest’ by Susan Brigden as part of the TORCH Book Series David Starkey, Chris Stamatakis, Diarmaid MacCulloch, Susan Brigden 12 Dec 2013
24 Arun Sood presents, Travels in the interior districts of Africa: performed under the Direction and Patronage of the African Association, in the years 1795, 1796, and 1797. Mungo, Park and James Rennell (W. Bulmer and Company, 1799). Arun Sood gives a talk for the workshop, What is a Decolonial Curriculum? Held at TORCH on 28th November 2018. Arun Sood 19 Feb 2019
23 Creative Commons Marvin Rees - What Does Diversity Mean to Me? Opening event in TORCH Headline Series exploring 'Humanities & Identities' Marvin Rees 28 Mar 2017
22 Interview with Neil MacGregor Neil MacGregor talks about the public engagement at the British Museum. Neil MacGregor 12 Oct 2016
21 Creative Commons The Stories of Lewis Carroll, J.R.R. Tolkien and Philip Pullman Robert Douglas-Fairhurst, Stuart Lee and Margaret Kean explore the digital afterlives of these celebrated storytellers Robert Douglas-Fairhurst, Stuart Lee, Margaret Kean 04 Mar 2016
20 Iranian ‘Identities’ in Pre-Modern Times – Reality or Myth? Speaker: Bert Fragner (Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna). Bert Fragner 18 Dec 2015
19 The Dodo and Exploration Historian of Science Pietro Corsi’s presentation at ‘The Oxford Dodo: Culture at the Crossroads’ Pietro Corsi 04 Dec 2015
18 Periodic Tales Author Hugh Aldersey-Williams, historian of science Jo Hedesan and chemist Peter Battle discuss the ways in which the elements continue to inspire us today Hugh Aldersey-Williams, Jo Hedesan, Peter Battle 13 Oct 2015
17 Callaloo Literary Lecture and Reading by Fred d'Aguiar Fred reads fiction and poems about his childhood in Guyana, remembering his father, and slavery Fred d'Aguair 24 Jul 2015
16 Anil Ramdas: Hope and Despair in Dutch Postcolonial Literature An insight into prize-winning Dutch Surinamese columnist, correspondent, essayist, journalist, and TV and radio host, Anil Ramdas. Karin Amatmoekrim 04 Feb 2019
15 Creative Commons Artist Talk: Made in Imagination Find out how Anne Griffiths’ work, Lost in Imagination, reimagines intriguing objects lost within the Pitt Rivers archive. Anne Griffiths 06 Jun 2018
14 Representing the Dead Book at Lunchtime event Helen Swift, jessica Goodman, Philip Bullock, Neil Kenny 26 Oct 2017
13 The Lord of the Rings: Tolkien's Legacy 60 years since the publication of the series' final volume, a distinguished panel explore Tolkien's literary legacy Elleke Boehmer, Stuart Lee, Patrick Curry, Dimitra Fimi 09 Nov 2015
12 Theatre and Evolution from Ibsen to Beckett An interdisciplinary discussion of Kirsten Shepherd-Barr's book Kirsten Shepherd-Barr, Michael Billington, Morten Kringlebach, Laura Marcus 20 May 2015
11 Light in Germany: Scenes from an Unknown Enlightenment A discussion of Jim Reed's book Jim Reed, Joachim Whaley, Kevin Hilliard, Ritchie Robertson 12 May 2015