Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Group of feminist women with raised fists and shouting slogans in Mexico

Upcoming Events

The Language, Literature and Politics Research Group brings together writers, scholars and the public to explore how language and culture shape political life. Our 2025–26 programme continues our work on literature, activism and public debate through a new series of seminars and collaborations.

Oct 29

#Backlash: The Murder of George Floyd

Wednesday 29 October, 16:00 - 17:00

A Q&A with director Kwabena Oppong and producer Satema Tarawally of the acclaimed BBC/OU documentary Backlash: The Murder of George Floyd. The discussion will explore how documentary storytelling confronts racism, state violence and the politics of representation.

Watch the recording via YouTube

Nov 26

Second Autumn Seminar – The Thorn in the Lion’s Paw

Wednesday 26 November 2025, 16:00-17:00

Drawing on the image from Aesop's fable, this one-off discussion explores literature, theatre and philosophy's capacity to unsettle power, the limits and claims of free expression, and the contested terrain of censorship in contemporary public life. How is dissent articulated, received and managed within democratic cultures? What responsibilities do writers and artists bear in moments of crisis?

Borders, Margins and Boundaries - MK Lit Fest × LLP

Spring 2026

A new partnership with Milton Keynes Lit Fest will run through Spring 2026. Under the theme Borders, the collaboration will feature four online public events and one in-person session in Milton Keynes, exploring how borders - geographical, linguistic, cultural and political - shape lived experience. Speakers and dates will be announced early 2026.

Past Events

Since 2021, LLP has organised an evolving programme of public and research events, including:

Free Speech and the Politics of Literature (2025) - a partnership with MK Lit Fest exploring free expression, censorship and creativity across contemporary writing and media.

Resisting the Hostile Environment (2023–24) - an eleven-part lecture series on migration, borders and resistance, featuring activists, writers and academics.

The Critical Citizen? (2023) - a six-part seminar series examining citizenship, democracy and political agency in the twenty-first century.

Freedom and Liberty (2022) - a series exploring the meaning of freedom across political, philosophical and historical contexts.

Keywords (2022) - talks inspired by Raymond Williams’s Keywords, re-examining the terms that define social and political debate.

Recordings from these events are available on the Events subpages.