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.

Participants will engage with a selection of classical and modern texts from different traditions to examine how discourse can help move beyond ideological constraints. A key focus will be on “enlarged thinking“—the idea that engaging with perspectives beyond one’s own framework can expand intellectual horizons and foster deeper understanding.

The event will be taking place on Tuesday 25th of February at 7pm. Details of the location will be circulated via email to registered attendees. After-dinner snacks will be available. Please sign up using this link: forms.gle/DX8dpbXztSUekvPx5.

• The event is for registered participants only, you will be asked to show a University Bod Cards or other form of identification for non-university participants.

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OxMEND (Oxford Middle Eastern Narratives and Discourse) is a new initiative founded by members of the university dedicated to fostering peace, productive conversation, and cross-cultural understanding in discussions surrounding the Middle East. Through speaker events, reading groups, and cultural gatherings, we create a space for education, inclusivity, and open dialogue where voices are heard and respected.

Through SHIUR, Jews and Arabs are creating a new path, a new movement, originating novel ways of forging partnership based on critical text-based discourse, collective innovation, and cultivating a new community centred on shared values and non-dogmatic thinking.