Words in Action: Perspectives on Writing and Activism
27 April 17:00 to 19:30
University of Oxford, Ertegun House, 37A St Giles', Oxford, OX1 3LD
Speakers: Nosheen Ali (Assistant Professor, Institute for Educational Development, Aga Khan University), Shaista Aziz (Journalist/Media Specialist/Comedian, Oxford), Naomi Breeze (Playwright/Performer, Scotland), Hilary Robinson (Professor of Feminist Art Theory, Loughborough University)
Please join us at Ertegun House for an evening of discussion about the interfaces between language and activism with women who write.
Spanning a variety of backgrounds - from environmentalism and poetry to journalism and the academy - our panellists will first speak individually about their work, their preferred medium, and the relationship of their textual/linguistic/creative production to broader social, economic, and political contexts.
During the second half of the evening, professor and novelist Elleke Boehmer will moderate a discussion that aims to put these different modes of writing into conversation with one another. The panellists will speak about the use of words “in action” both inside and outside of the academy and offer their perspectives on strategies for leveraging language to widen its field of impact. We will then open the floor to questions from the audience.
Themes for discussion will include (among others):
How might genre affect reception?
What are the limitations of language in effecting change?
What does the rise of new forms of discourse in social media mean for writing and its work?
Featuring:
Nosheen Ali (Assistant Professor, Institute for Educational Development, Aga Khan University)
Shaista Aziz (Journalist/Media Specialist/Comedian, Oxford)
Naomi Breeze (Playwright/Performer, Scotland)
Hilary Robinson (Professor of Feminist Art Theory, Loughborough University)
Moderator:
Elleke Boehmer (Professor/Novelist, University of Oxford)