Romanes Lecture: Empire, Identity and the Search for Reason
When Gladstone delivered the first Romanes Lecture in the wake of the 1892 General Election, he was just beginning his fourth – and final – term as Prime Minister. With him in Parliament, among the ranks of his Liberal MPs, was one notable new face: Dadabhai Naoroji, the first Asian to be elected to serve in the House of Commons.

133 years later, the 2025 Lecture will be given by journalist Mishal Husain, also of Asian heritage, whose memoir ‘Broken Threads’ charted a family story of India and Pakistan.

She will explore the symbolism of Naoroji’s election and the cause that brought him into politics: the poverty gap between his native India and Britain. His critique of Empire influenced two younger men, Gandhi and Jinnah. who had come to study in England in that period and witnessed Naoroji’s rise. Both would go on to shape 20th century South Asia.

Husain will look at narratives of identity, both historical and contemporary, and portrayals of communities and conflicts.

And she will contrast the present time with the more hopeful period in which she began her career in the 1990s, when the end of the Cold War held the promise of a more settled, peaceful world order. In an age of contested facts and clickbait she will argue for depth and reason, using examples from her own faith and heritage to show that such an approach is part of both East and West.
Date: 14 October 2025, 17:30
Venue: Sheldonian Theatre, Broad Street OX1 3AZ
Speaker: Mishal Husain (Bloomberg News)
Organising department: Public Affairs Directorate
Organiser: Events Office (Public Affairs Directorate)
Organiser contact email address: invitation@admin.ox.ac.uk
Host: Professor Irene Tracey (University of Oxford)
Booking required?: Required
Booking url: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/romanes-lecture-tickets-877369374417?aff=InterestingTalks
Booking email: invitation@admin.ox.ac.uk
Cost: Free
Audience: Public
Editor: Esmee Barwood