Uncomfortable Oxford

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Uncomfortable Oxford
GenreTour guide organisation
Social enterprise
Founded2018
FounderPaula Larsson,
Olivia Durand
Headquarters
Oxford
,
UK
Key people
Waqas Mirza (Executive Director)
Websitehttps://www.uncomfortableoxford.co.uk/
Oxford's Pitt Rivers Museum is one of several academic institutions in Oxford working in tandem with Uncomfortable Oxford to teach the public about British imperial history

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[]

  1. ^ Duke, Imogen (7 January 2020). "1000s attended 'Uncomfortable Oxford' history events in 2019". Cherwell. Retrieved 24 November 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ 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.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ Mararike, Shingi (25 August 2019). "Step this way to discover Oxford's unpalatable past of imperialism and inequality". The Times. Retrieved 24 November 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ Hub, Oxford (11 June 2019). "Vice-Chancellor's Social Impact Awards 2019". Oxford Hub Blog. Retrieved 24 November 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ a b Larsson, Paula; Durand, Olivia (10 January 2020). "Uncomfortable Oxford". The Oxford Research Center in the Humanities. Retrieved 24 November 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ University, Standford (23 November 2020). "Uncomfortable Oxford Tour". Stanford University. Retrieved 24 November 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ Oxford, Enterprising (2019). "Oxford Case Studies – Uncomfortable Oxford". eship. ox. ac. uk - Oxford University. Retrieved 24 November 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ Art, Oxford, Modern (7 November 2020). "Uncomfortable Oxford: Untangling Narratives". Modern Art Oxford. Retrieved 24 November 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

External links[]

Retrieved from ""