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!)

Week 5 focuses on 'reactionary' thought and its relationship to conservatism, with a reading from Maistre.

Please register here: forms.gle/W4tX5qFgSAU171ap9

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

Join us for the next one day hybrid conference of The Sudanese Programme. If you aren't able to join us in person, you are welcome to join by ZOOM. Register to receive your personal ZOOM link at: https://tinyurl.com/TSPprogMarch25

Please see The Sudanese Programme website for programme details: https://www.sudaneseprogramme.org

All are welcome, we look forward to having you with us.

Speakers include:
Dr Amira Osman - Sudanese Women Activism during the Revolution and War
Lorna Merekaje

We will be hosting Palestinian and Israeli peace activists Hamze Awawde and Magen Inon for an open discussion on the future of the region with a focus on student activism. The event will include a light lunch. Details of the location will be circulated via email to registered attendees.

Gain insights from individuals actively working towards peace, and be part of a discussion that aims to promote hope and dialogue as essential tools for bridging divides and building new paths.

Against Ideology: Multi-Text Based Discourse as a Tool for Subverting Dogmatic Thinking.

We will explore the role of text-based dialogue in challenging rigid belief systems and encouraging critical inquiry. The session will be led by Micki Weinberg, founder of SHIUR, a Berlin-based platform that integrates the ancient tradition of text-based learning into contemporary spaces, including art, diplomacy, and culture.

Political economy models often assume that voter beliefs are consistent with available information. Recent work emphasizes instead the role played by narratives, subjective causal models that may be incorrectly specified. In this paper, we study the role of political narratives in the context of climate policy. We develop a theory of narrative entanglement, where policy dimensions—initially distinct—become strategically intertwined through narratives created by politicians to sway support. Shocks in one dimension can thus influence unrelated policy areas.

Professor Antulio J. Echevarria II had a distinguished career in the US Army and is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the US Army War College Press, which includes Parameters. He is a graduate of the US Military Academy, the US Army Command and General Staff College, and the US Army War College.