DPIR invites all students and staff to take part in an introduction to evidence-based mindfulness, in two steps:
1) 29 January, 10am-12:30pm: Everyone is invited to an introductory session which will begin with an introduction to mindfulness in politics by a senior member of the Mindfulness All Party Parliamentary Group in the UK Parliament. This will be followed by an interactive ‘how to’ workshop offering participants practical, effective mindfulness methods which can be incorporated into daily life to manage stress and promote resilience and wellbeing.

The 1997 publication of Zen at War sent shockwaves through Western adherents of Buddhism because it revealed allegedly enlightened Buddhist leaders had been fervent, even fanatical, supporters of Japanese militarism during WW II. Yet, Buddhists not affiliated with either the Zen sect, nor Japanese Buddhism, could take comfort in regarding this support as a “Zen thing” or “Japanese thing”, or even a “Mahāyāna thing”.

This lecture examines 21st-century social policies and what they tell us about Chinese politics. At the same time it makes the case for more rigorous qualitative policy research, and it argues that international influences show it is time to reconceptualise Chinese policy processes.

All welcome
Tea, coffee and biscuits from 11.50

This lecture argues for the centrality of accountability to classical Greek ideas and practices of political office. The Thirty are again a key moment for making this case, this time in asking why they did not themselves hold any of the established offices that continued to be filled in Athens during their hegemony, and how accountability was re-established after their overthrow.