Uncomfortable Oxford
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Genre | Tour guide organisation Social enterprise |
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Founded | 2018 |
Founder | Paula Larsson, Olivia Durand |
Headquarters | , UK |
Key people | Waqas Mirza (Executive Director) |
Website | https://www.uncomfortableoxford.co.uk/ |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Pitt-rivers-m2.jpg/220px-Pitt-rivers-m2.jpg)
Uncomfortable Oxford is a social enterprise and tour guide organisation operating in the city of Oxford, England. Founded in 2018 by Oxford University DPhil history students,[1] the goal of the tours was to highlight the history of imperialism, gender and class inequalities within the city.[2][3] The organisation also creates podcasts, blog articles, runs workshops and outreach programs, and hosts public lectures. In 2019 Uncomfortable Oxford received a High Commendation from the Vice Chancellor's Social Impact Awards for "exceptional achievement and commitment to positive social change",[4] for which it was awarded with funding from the AHRC-TORCH which was awarded by The Oxford Centre for the Research in the Humanities.[5]
Activity[]
Oxford city tours[]
Uncomfortable Oxford holds various tours in addition to seasonal and specialist events, though the themes and routes change regularly. These tours include;[5]
- The Uncomfortable Oxford Tour - An introductory tour to the city highlighting the historical legacies of inequality, violence, and imperialism, including war memorials, statues, and discussions on the politics of memorialisation.
- The Oxford and Empire Tour - A tour focusing specifically on the links between imperialism and Oxford University and how the university helped facilitate the expansion of the British Empire.
- Follow the Money - A tour designed to highlight the ethical debates concerning the sources of funding of Oxford's academic institutions.
- Uncomfortable Literature - A tour focusing on Oxford's publishing and literature history as well as highlighting authors who were overlooked due to their gender, race or nationality.
- Uncomfortable Ashmolean Tour - A tour which takes place within Oxford University's Ashmolean Museum, which question the narratives of museum displays.
Due to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic Uncomfortable Oxford began hosting online tours within video meetings using 360 camera angles of Oxford landmarks to illustrate their subjects.[6]
Collaborations with Oxford institutions[]
Uncomfortable Oxford has conducted numerous collaborations with a large number of Oxford institutions including; the Ashmolean Museum, Pitt Rivers Museum, Project SOUP, Branch Up [Oxford Hub], Wadham College, the Oxford Climate Justice Campaign, Experience Oxfordshire, the Bodleian Library, the Department of Geography, and the Wellcome Centre for Ethics and Humanities.[7]
In late 2020 Uncomfortable Oxford started to conduct collaborations with the Museum of Modern Art, Oxford to highlight the work of female anthropologists who had worked within Oxford.[8]
References[]
- ^ Duke, Imogen (7 January 2020). "1000s attended 'Uncomfortable Oxford' history events in 2019". Cherwell. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Cassidy, Tiffany (28 February 2020). "In Britain, these Oxford walking tours focus on often-glossed-over parts of the city's history". Washington Post. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Mararike, Shingi (25 August 2019). "Step this way to discover Oxford's unpalatable past of imperialism and inequality". The Times. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Hub, Oxford (11 June 2019). "Vice-Chancellor's Social Impact Awards 2019". Oxford Hub Blog. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b Larsson, Paula; Durand, Olivia (10 January 2020). "Uncomfortable Oxford". The Oxford Research Center in the Humanities. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ University, Standford (23 November 2020). "Uncomfortable Oxford Tour". Stanford University. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Oxford, Enterprising (2019). "Oxford Case Studies – Uncomfortable Oxford". eship. ox. ac. uk - Oxford University. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Art, Oxford, Modern (7 November 2020). "Uncomfortable Oxford: Untangling Narratives". Modern Art Oxford. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
External links[]
- 2018 establishments in England
- Tourism in Oxford
- Tour guides
- Companies based in Oxford