Next Generation: Arts & Social Sciences Lecture Series 2025

Britain's foreign policy towards China, 2010-2024: What took the gilt off the gingerbread?

Alastair’s talk will explore why British Conservative-led governments shifted from viewing the rise of the People’s Republic of China as ‘an opportunity’ for the UK in 2010, through a so-called ‘Golden Age’ of bilateral relations, to seeing China as the biggest long-term threat to the UK’s economic security in just over a decade.

He will consider factors such as British domestic politics and leadership changes, the stance of the United States and other international partners, and, especially, China’s increasing international assertiveness in Asia and beyond.

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A rhetorical political analysis of invective at Prime Ministers Question Time 1989 - 2024.

Chris’s talk will present a case study of Prime Minister’s Question Time, examining its development from the point of its televising until the end of the Rishi Sunak premiership.

Using rhetorical political analysis, he will explore how politicians utilise the methods of persuasion—ethos, pathos, and logos—in their speech acts at PMQs.

The talk will consider continuities and changes in how politicians use invective to undermine their opponents and will assess what evidence there is to support claims that politicians are more personally insulting than in the past.

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How Contemporary British Sikhs are decolonising their Identity

Vishal’s talk will explore whether, how, and why contemporary Sikhs are actively “decolonising” their own identity, considering the extent to which scholars in Religious Studies have engaged with decolonisation and how the field has overlooked narratives in Sikhi.

He will reflect on interviews with British Sikhs, examining themes of religion, identity, and statehood to explore what decolonisation looks like as a lived practice and how it connects to broader discussions in Sikh studies.

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How the Irish Free State managed the Boundary Commission?

Ciaran’s talk will explore the strategies used by the Irish Free State Government in dealing with the Boundary Commission, a committee formed between Britain, Northern Ireland, and the Irish Free State to reconsider the border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State.

He will discuss the organisations established by the Government to research the border, such as the North Eastern Boundary Bureau, and examine their role in attempting to influence the Commission to amend the border in favour of the Irish Free State.

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Imperial spaces of a 'miniature world': The case of Rugby School, c.1828 - 1850.

Holly’s talk will explore how the spatial and domestic dimensions of boarding school life in the late nineteenth century shaped the administrators of the British Empire.

Focusing on Rugby School as a case study, she will examine how England’s public schools instilled lasting ideas, beliefs, and worldviews, forging bonds of loyalty and networks among pupils that provided a framework for their subsequent careers within the British Empire.

The talk will consider how the institutional organisation of time and space in these schools influenced Britain’s future imperial elite.

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'Imagining Asia: East Asian Objects and the Court of Charles II'

Kerry-Louise’s talk will explore how the 1672 marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Lauderdale united two influential Anglo-Scottish figures and led to the remodelling of Ham House.

She will examine how their Restoration-era home blended Francophile architecture and Dutch cabinetry with East Asian objects and textiles.

Through the lens of the Duke and Duchess, the talk will consider how nutmeg, cinnamon, Chinese silks, and Japanese lacquer shaped elite life at the court of Charles II and reflected the revival of the East India Company and a fascination with China and Japan.

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The Psychology of Leadership and Followership: What Makes a Political Leader Influential?

Evangelia’s talk will explore the psychological processes behind political leadership and followership, examining why certain leaders gain influence and why people support them.

Drawing on insights from social and political psychology, she will consider the traits, group dynamics, and broader societal factors shaping political behaviour.

The talk will include contemporary examples, such as the rise of populist and far-right leaders, to show how psychological processes explain everyday political life. By bridging psychological research with real-world events, it aims to offer an accessible, thought-provoking perspective on political influence today.

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'What does the European Political Community tell us about international society at the regional level?

Jane’s talk will examine how regional cooperation is sustained in a contested global order, focusing on the European Political Community (EPC) as a new experiment in European collaboration.

Meeting twice a year at leader level, the EPC emphasises informal relationships, contrasting with the institutional frameworks of the EU and other formal organisations.

The talk will explore what the EPC reveals about shared European interests and values, the emergence of a diplomatic culture, and what it means to be European amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, rising authoritarian populism, and other challenges.

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