Features

Oxford’s obsession with being busy is pretty performative, right?

At Oxford, it seems like we get used to talking about our lives as nothing more than a summary of the things we’ve accomplished lately, or at least are just about to. The longer your list, the better you must be doing, because to be busy is to be making the absolute most of your time here – and who doesn’t want to be doing that?

No Greek life doesn’t mean no rape culture

Perhaps the most effective tool we have at our disposal against casual sexism is casual feminism.

All work and no pay: Why Oxford students aren’t allowed to have jobs

Strangely enough, however, the ‘vac’ is also the only opportunity for an Oxford student to work, not through problem sheets and essays, but in the most fundamental sense of the word.

Feeling fresher: How to be casually healthy whilst going out in Oxford

Freshers’ Week is drawing to a close, and the first lectures are rolling around...

Imperfect Nostalgia, Imagined Perfection

As a small child, it didn’t occur to me that the porcelain Mao Zedong bust in my grandparents’ living room was, to put it...

BP or not BP? Art Washing and the British Museum

“Like smoke blown to heaven on the wings of the wind, our country, our conquered country, perishes. Its palaces are overrun by the fierce flames and...

Cults: Blind Faith?

In popular media, cults are often the object of morbid curiosity, in the same category as serial killers, celebrity breakdowns, and the scandalous exploits of polygamous...

Permanent Private Halls: the good, the bad and the ugly

Marnie Ashbridge demystifies the rumours about life in a PPH and highlights the financial challenges that they are facing without the status of an Oxford college.

My Father, a Zine and the KGB

“It’s the KGB! Open up." It was a crisp March morning in Leningrad, 1988. The KGB had unlocked the door to Tim Gadaski’s communal flat and silently...

Andrà Tutto Bene: Coronavirus and the Italian Spirit

When I think of Italy, I think of the rolling green hills of Tuscany where my family once lived; of vibrant locals, distinctive gelaterias, and of...

Progressive or Repressive? The Legalisation of Marijuana in Lebanon

On 21st April, Lebanon became the first Arab country to legalise cannabis farming for medical use. The bill was first introduced in July 2018...

A continent divided: How COVID-19 will change the face of South America

A quickly mounting death toll, hospitals on the verge of collapse, industrial-scale burials in cardboard coffins, relatives unable to bid farewell to their loved...

Old Faith, New Tricks: Catholicism in the time of Lockdown

Catholic Masses with congregations are suspended, Holy Water has been removed from church entrances, the flock has fallen sick and been scattered. But the...

Medellín, Colombia: Overcoming Escobar’s Legacy

At midday on Friday, February 22nd, 2019, a loud explosion is heard in one of Medellín’s most affluent neighbourhoods. The explosion is so large...

This House believes the Union has a long way to go

“It is with great pleasure that I call upon Mr. Malcolm X to speak fifth, in favour of the motion.” With these words, Malcolm...

Restrict, Regulate or Educate? Young People and Online Porn

Mia Sorenti explores the complexities regarding young people and exposure to online pornography. It is likely the majority of us have come into contact with...

Beyond the Bullingdon: A closer look into Oxford’s Secret Societies

Cherwell dives deep into Oxford's clandestine world: Tutors, Tories, bankrolling alumni, and dinosaurs are only the beginning of the world behind doors.

THRIVE OR SURVIVE? Experiences from Year Abroad

BERLIN - Marte van der Graaf I didn’t want to go on a year abroad at all. I remember telling my mum at the end of...

The Problem with Plush: Oxford’s Disappearing Queer Scene

TW: contains discussion of hate crimes, especially anti-trans violence Navigating the world as a queer person is exhausting. In every new situation, when meeting...

Modi’s India: Division Over Democracy

Demonstrations have been met with harsh police crackdowns and resulted in international outcry; it appears to all that the sanctity of human rights has been cast aside in the world’s largest democracy.

Truth and Technology: a Fraught Relationship

Recent discussion on the topic of so-called ‘fake news’ has exponentially grown. The use of the term “fake news” itself has increased by 40x...

Rebranding Climate Change: An Imagery Crisis

We have no time to sit and mourn the collapse of a single ice cap or, more brutally, the death of a few Arctic polar bears; we are now facing a human crisis, with human impacts. To stop large-scale death and destruction in the world’s poorest areas, we must act now.

100 Years of Sexism in the United Nations

This week marks 100 years since the League of Nations, parent to the United Nations, was founded at the 1920 Paris Peace Conference. The...

Opinion – Authentically Insincere: the conflict between sincerity and authenticity in British Politics

After nine years of Tory rule, voters have looked at our country and said ‘yeah, this is good, more of the same.’ How did this...

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