Unfulfilled Dreams: China’s 'Liberal' Communist Party Intellectuals’ Struggle for Democracy from the 1930s to the 2000s

Amid the Sino-Japanese and civil wars in the 1930s and 1940s, many patriotic young intellectuals joined the Chinese Communist Party out of a fervent desire to 'save the nation'. Attracted by its promises of freedom, democracy and equality, these underground party members braved arrest, torture and prison under the Nationalist government to fight for a communist utopia. After 1949, following an initial period of euphoria, they found themselves painfully struggling between their twin goals of democracy and revolution under the Mao regime.

Displacement and Documentary Film: A Conversation with Marc Isaacs

Themes of displacement, migration and hospitality have been at the heart of Marc Isaacs’ films for many years. From his documentation of refugees in Calais to his detailed studies of xenophobia among English communities, Isaacs has turned his camera on the complex lives and contradictory attitudes that surround us. A recent feature in Sight and Sound describes Isaacs’ filmmaking as capturing “a sense of transience and instability that is universal.” His films are “set in nebulous or liminal spaces” that take us deep into the lives of others.

Mental Capacity: Why it doesn't and shouldn't matter much in medical law and ethics

Medical law and ethics students are normally taught that mental capacity is a key concept. Simply put, if the patient has capacity then their autonomous decisions are respected, while if they lack capacity then decisions are made on their behalf based on what is in their best interests. This paper will challenge that supposition and claim that only in rare cases does it matter in terms of the outcome whether a patient has capacity or not. The paper will then turn to the ethical issues.

The Future of Work in the Age of AI

Panel Discussion on The Future of Work in the Age of AI

Join us at the Nelson Mandela Hall, Saïd Business School (University of Oxford) for a fascinating discussion on the future of work in the era of artificial intelligence (AI), featuring:

Daron Acemoglu, Institute Professor, MIT, and Sanjaya Lall Visiting Professor, University of Oxford

Sir Chrisopher Pissarides, Regius Professor of Economics, LSE, and Nobel laureate in economics

Helen Margetts, Professor of Internet and Society, University of Oxford

All Souls Fellowship Exam in Politics - Information Session

Every year, All Souls College seeks to elect 2, occasionally 3, by examination in a range of subjects, including Politics (which includes International Relations and Political Theory.) Examination Fellows are full members of the College's governing body; they receive a stipend or scholarship allowance if eligible for scholarship status, free board and single accommodation in College, and various other benefits. The College normally pays the University fees of Examination Fellows who are studying for degrees at Oxford.

Southeast Asia between the Superpowers: Who is Where and Why?

One of the most pressing foreign policy challenges that the ten countries of Southeast Asia (ASEAN-10) faces today and in the coming years is how to position themselves between the US and China as the geopolitical rivalry between the two superpowers intensifies. Most in Southeast Asia claim they would prefer not to have to choose between the two superpowers, but that position will become increasingly difficult to maintain as the US and China pressure states in the region to align with them.

Thomas Schelling, the United States, and China’s Rise

Thomas Schelling’s theoretical work on coercive diplomacy carries important lessons for U.S. security policy toward a rising China. This talk will address the challenges in combining credible threats and credible assurances in deterring a PRC military attack on Taiwan and the need to differentiate clearly between unconditional restrictions on the transfer of militarily relevant technology to China and conditional threats to punish China economically if Beijing adopts certain proscribed policies.

Climate Changemaker Playbook Launch

In this seminar, co-authors Marya Besharov and Pip Wheaton willl come together with Sue Riddlestone OBE to launch the joint Skoll Centre and Ashoka Climate Changemaker Playbook, a collection of strategies and tactics for how to unlock our collective power to take climate action. With a foreword by Christiana Figueres and case studies of five leading climate changemakers from Ashoka's network, this playbook is for anyone wondering how to take action, and and how to encourage those around you to do the same.
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