Written by Cass, Year 13
Oxford High School hosted a Political Theory conference, inviting more than 80 schools nationwide to widen our horizons on the following ideologies: Liberalism, Conservatism, Socialism and Feminism. We had a broad panel of speakers, inviting professors from the University of Oxford and Warwick university, who spoke to us passionately about why these ideas affect our political life and how we can think of society differently.
Our first speaker, Dr. Roxana Baiasu spoke about different waves of feminism and the division between the political and the theoretical movement of the ideology. Emeritus Professor Archie Brown spoke about how communism impacted the Soviet Union, through internationalism and a command economy specifically, explaining the difference between and communism and socialism. Professor Fabienne Peter spoke about “What is a just society?” and the frameworks of evaluating it from a Rawlsian perspective. Jacob Williams evaluated how traditional conservatism might differ to modern-day conservatism, and Sophie Kubik demonstrated Hobbes’s impact on the conservative ideology through his book, Leviathan.
Oxford High students and many other schools found this opportunity fruitful, as we learnt more about the different nuances between ideologies. We’re delighted to host another conference early next year, on the UK 2024 General Election. If you have the time, do join as we will embark on a new journey to understand the 2024 election. We can’t wait to see you in the future!