OxTalks will soon move to the new Halo platform and will become 'Oxford Events.' There will be a need for an OxTalks freeze. This was previously planned for Friday 14th November – a new date will be shared as soon as it is available (full details will be available on the Staff Gateway).
In the meantime, the OxTalks site will remain active and events will continue to be published.
If staff have any questions about the Oxford Events launch, please contact halo@digital.ox.ac.uk
25 years ago, Gudni Jóhannesson was writing his doctoral dissertation in modern history at St Antony’s. He then worked in academia but in 2016, he became president of Iceland. That drastic shift provided unique opportunities but also unique challenges.
As academics, we should strive for objectivity and detachment from the perceived interests of government and state. Can presidents enjoy that luxury or freedom? And what about independence and interdependence in a globalized world? Can we be proud patriots and global citizens at the same time? And in the speaker’s particular case: Can a historian turned president uphold ideals of academic freedom and objectivity on the one hand and the need for national unity and a spirit of endless optimism on the other hand?
