The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities (TORCH)

TORCH is a nucleus of intellectual energy for the humanities and a place to develop new ideas and collaborations both within and beyond academia. Since its creation, TORCH has raised over £3 million in grants and philanthropy to support researchers to develop research projects. Launched in May 2013, TORCH provides an important opportunity for Oxford’s humanities scholars to collaborate with researchers across other disciplines, and institutions; work with academics across all stages of their academic careers; develop partnerships with public and private institutions; engage with wider audiences; and bring together academic research, diverse industries, and the performing arts. Public engagement with research is at the heart of TORCH's aims. During 2018-19, TORCH hosted almost 400 events, with audiences of over 20,000 people. During 2019-20, TORCH hosted online events during COVID-restrictions, reaching audiences in person and then online of over 50,000 globally. Since 2013, TORCH has supported 400 researchers each year; 62 Knowledge Exchange Fellowships; over 50 seed-funded research networks and 10 research programmes. The TORCH Director, Professor Wes Williams (wes.williams@seh.ox.ac.uk), welcomes questions about the centre and suggestions for research and wider engagement activities.

Series in this collection

All episodes

Title	Description	People	Date
Late Victorian into Modern	Book at Lunchtime, Late Victorian into Modern	Laura Marcus, Kirsten Shepherd-Barr, Michael Bentley, Charlotte Jones, Philip Bullock	8 December, 2017
Autonomy, Community, Destiny: Re-Imagining Disability	The second seminar in the Disability and Curriculum Diversity series at TORCH	Elizabeth Frood, Dom Hyams, Marie Tidball	7 December, 2017
Work, Time and Stress: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives	Stress & overwork in both education and professional life in the Victorian era and the 'dynamic' nature of disability and the impact of the stresses of modern life has.	Sally Shuttleworth, Marie Tidball	7 December, 2017
Me and My Beliefs: Challenges of Identity and Society	Me and My Beliefs: Challenges of Identity and Society held on 28 November 2017	Libby Lane, Jas' Elsner, Shaista Aziz, Elleke Boehmer	6 December, 2017
Imagining the Divine: Art and the Rise of World Religions	Book at Lunchtime held on 8th November 2017.	Gervase Rosser, Georgi Parpulov, Stefanie Lenk, Kate Cooper, Mallica Kumbera Landrus	27 November, 2017
Conflict and Community: Panel-led Workshop 2	Mobilising the wide-ranging expertise of the speakers, this workshop explored questions of narrative, community and the special commemorative needs that arise in the wake of civil war and terrorism.	Rachel Seiffert, Lyndsey Stonebridge, Harvey Whitehouse, Helen Small, Elleke Boehmer	24 November, 2017
Poetry and Life-Writing: Panel-led Workshop 1	Bringing together experts working at the intersection of literature, human rights, foreign policy and peace initiatives, this workshop explored the role of poetry and life-writing in post-war healing.	Dunya Mikhail, Philippe Sands, Lord John Alderdice, Jeremy Treglown, Elleke Boehmer	21 November, 2017
Aminatta Forna speaks to Catherine Gilbert	Aminatta Forna OBE, author of The Devil that Danced on the Water, talks to Dr Catherine Gilbert about silence, narrative and resilience in Sierra Leone.	Aminatta Forna, Catherine Gilbert	21 November, 2017
Philippe Sands speaks to Kate McLoughlin	Philippe Sands, QC, international human rights lawyer and author of East West Street, talks to Kate McLoughlin about the law-court as a place of commemoration and what he came to understand outside the city of Lviv.	Philippe Sands, Kate McLoughlin	21 November, 2017
Dunya Mikhail speaks to Alex Donnelly	Iraqi-American poet Dunya Mikhail talks to Alex Donnelly about commemoration, reconnection and poetry as 'a museum of feeling'.	Dunya Mikhail, Alex Donnelly	21 November, 2017
Jeremy Treglown speaks to Alex Donnelly	Professor Jeremy Treglown and Alex Donnelly discuss the politics of commemoration and the challenges of remembrance for both veterans and civilians.	Jeremy Treglown, Alex Donnelly	21 November, 2017
Interview with Lord John Alderdice	Lord John Alderdice (Liberal Democrat peer and Director of the Centre for the Resolution of Intractable Conflict (CRIC)) talks to Johana Musalkova and Rita Phillips.	Lord John Alderdice, Johana Musalkova, Rita Phillips	20 November, 2017
Memoir and Memory: Aminatta Forna in Conversation with Elleke Boehmer	Launch event for the Mellon-Sawyer Seminar Series. Aminatta Forna, OBE (novelist and memoirist, Lannan Visiting Professor of Poetics at Georgetown University) in conversation with Elleke Boehmer (Professor of World Literature in English, Oxford).	Aminatta Forna, Elleke Boehmer	20 November, 2017
Representing the Dead	Book at Lunchtime event	Helen Swift, jessica Goodman, Philip Bullock, Neil Kenny, Michele Aaron	26 October, 2017
Hidden Beneath the Surface: Untold Tales of Neurodivergence and Mental Difference in Oxford	World Mental Health Day 2017	Dan Holloway, Miranda Reilly, Sonia Boue, Marie Tidball	18 October, 2017
Unflattening	With Nick Sousanis	Nick Sousanis, Dominic Davies, Segolene Tarte	5 September, 2017
Disaster Drawn: Comics and Picturing Violence	Keynote lecture by Hilary Chute as part of the Documenting Trauma conference.	Hilary Chute	5 September, 2017
The Future of Heritage	Join our panel of experts as they discuss the opportunities and threats facing heritage today, and debate their own visions of a sector fit for the 21st century and beyond	Helen Ghosh, Carole Souter, Sandy Nairne, Peter Mandler, Dan Hicks, John Orna-Orstein	27 July, 2017
Gender and Authority Seminar 5: Annika Forkert (University of Bristol)	Seminar held at the University of Oxford, 16 November 2016.	Annika Forkert	25 July, 2017
Thinking the Beyond of Crisis	Professor Simon Glendinnning (London School of Economics) delivered the keynote address on 'Thinking the Beyond of Crisis' at the TORCH Crisis, Extremes, and Apocalypse event 'Rethinking Crisis'.	Simon Glendinning	18 July, 2017
Fascism, Fake News, and the Nature of Social Extremophilia	With Luciano Floridi (University of Oxford).	Luciano Floridi	18 July, 2017
Complexity in our multiple identities: the 2017 Disability Lecture	University of Oxford Annual Disability Lecture	Dan Holloway, Torø Graven, Rebecca Surender, Marie Tidball, Caroline Moughton	10 July, 2017
Migration, Memory and Identity	Part of the Humanities & Identities Lunchtime Seminar Series	Laura van Broekhoven, Elleke Boehmer, Karma Nabulsi, Gayle Lonergan	7 July, 2017
Disability Narratives and Histories	Launch event for the TORCH Disability and Curriculum Diversity series.	Marie Tidball, Helen Hillman, Richard Sandell, Elleke Boehmer	4 July, 2017
Music, Empathy and Cultural Understanding	In this TORCH Talk, Professor Eric Clarke talks about 'Music, Empathy and Cultural Understanding' at the Ashmolean Museum's Supersonic LiveFriday.	Eric Clarke	4 July, 2017
Orchestral Musicians' Experiences: Inside Out	In this TORCH Talk, Dr Cayenna Ponchione-Bailey presents on 'Orchestral Musicians' Experiences: Inside Out' at the Ashmolean Museum's Supersonic LiveFriday.	Cayenna Ponchione-Bailey	4 July, 2017
Images of Mithra	Book at Lunchtime discussion	Dominic Dalglish, Josephine Quinn, Elleke Boehmer, Robert Bracey, Peter Stewart, Richard Gordon	3 July, 2017
Repositioning Women's Health Care: A Case Study on Women Who Survived Ebola in Sierra Leone	Part of the Humanities & Identities Lunchtime Series	Elleke Boehmer, Fatou Wurie	27 June, 2017
Exploring Sicilian Epigraphy	Sicilian schools study and research epigraphy in their museums.	Kirsten Shepherd-Barr, Andrew Fairweather-Tall	23 June, 2017
Italian Stories in Britain	A project about talking to Italian communities in Britain and finding out what stories there are.	Kirsten Shepherd-Barr, Matthew Reza	23 June, 2017
Unsilencing the library: An exhibition at Compton Verney	Research into how books make us feel.	Kirsten Shepherd-Barr, Sophie Ratcliffe, Steven Parissien	23 June, 2017
Recreating the music of an ancient Greek chorus: Euripides Orestes	Research into ancient music.	Kirsten Shepherd-Barr, Armand O Angour	23 June, 2017
Storming Utopia	The director from the Pegasus theatre in Oxford, talks about his upcoming theatre piece.	Kirsten Shepherd-Barr, Wes Williams	23 June, 2017
Literature and Silence	Research into multiple Quaker congregations.	Kirsten Shepherd-Barr, Kate McLoughlin	23 June, 2017
Transforming The Operatic Voice	Looking at the relationships between philosophy and the creative practice of music.	Kirsten Shepherd-Barr, Toby Young	23 June, 2017
How the Mouse Lost its Tail, Or, Lamarck's Dangerous Idea	Speaker: Jessica Riskin (University of Stanford)	Jessica Riskin	19 June, 2017
Progress, Providence, Eschaton: Löwith, Blumenberg, and After	Speaker: Jean-Claude Monond (ENS)	Jean-Claude Monond	19 June, 2017
Rescue in the Face of Danger: Benjamin, Goethe, Sebald	Speaker: Carolin Duttlinger (University of Oxford)	Carolin Duttlinger	19 June, 2017
The Modern Epimetheus. Carl Schmitt's Marian Katechontism	Speaker: Hjalmar Falk (Oxford/Gothenburg)	Hjalmar Falk	19 June, 2017
Ernst Kantorowicz and the Politics of Political Theology	Speaker: Martin Ruehl (University of Cambridge)	Martin Ruehl	19 June, 2017
On Real and Imagined Catastrophes: Gershom Scholem's Sabbatinism	Speaker: Amir Engel (Hebrew University)	Amir Engel	19 June, 2017
Surrealism’s Political-Theological Afterlife: Benjamin—Blumenberg—Taubes	Speaker: Julia Ng (Goldsmith's)	Julia Ng	19 June, 2017
Humanities Knowledge Exchange Showcase	Knowledge Exchange is the mutually beneficial sharing of ideas, data, experience, and expertise, and involves collaboration between researchers and external organisations or the public.	Kirsten Shepherd-Barr, Toby Young, Kate McLoughlin	19 June, 2017
Between Historiography and Literature: "Gershom Sholem's Intellectual Biography"	Speaker: Amir Engel (Hebrew University)	Amir Engel	19 June, 2017
Performance of 'Night Dance (Fantasy)'	Musicians Dan Hulme and Nick Fowler perform Night Dance (Fantasy) at a recent Live Friday event, held at the Ashmolean Museum on March 3rd 2017.	Dan Hulme, Nick Fowler	13 June, 2017
Britain's History and Memory of Transatlantic Slavery	Book at Lunchtime seminar on Britain's History and Memory of Transatlantic Slavery, edited and written by Ryan Hanley (Fellow in History, University of Oxford).	Bob Harris, Ryan Hanley, Padraic Scanlan, Sebabatso Manoeli, Kirsten Shepherd-Barr	13 June, 2017
Everything in Everything: Anaxagoras's Metaphysics	Book at Lunchtime discussion	Anna Marmodoro, Elleke Boehmer, Naoya Iwata, Simona Aimar	6 June, 2017
Volcanoes: Natural Disaster Narratives and the Environment in Caribbean Literature	A panel discussion	Elleke Boehmer, Imaobong Umoren, Richard Scholar, Anne Castro, Jemima Paine, Vanessa Lee	5 June, 2017
Bruno Latour's Anti-sacrificial Politics	Part of the Sacrifice Revisited event	Martin Crowley	22 May, 2017
Meanings of ‘Sacrifice’ in Brexit Mythology	Part of the Sacrifice Revisited event	Kalypso Nicolaidis	22 May, 2017
Gandhi, Sacrifice and the Ambiguities of Non-Violence	Part of the Sacrifice Revisited event	Faisal Devji	22 May, 2017
Consequentialist Extremism: Present Sacrifices for Future Dreams in the Justification of Violence	Part of the Sacrifice Revisited event	Jonathan Leader Maynard	22 May, 2017
On Violence, Gender, and Sacrifice: Old Stories and New Reflections	Part of the Sacrifice Revisited event	Kimberley Hutchings	22 May, 2017
Supporting Our Cause	This lecture focuses on how branding and fundraising are fundamental to supporting the National Trust and Oxford University.	Oliver Cox, Jackie Jordan, Susan Foster	19 May, 2017
Heritage as Business	Two speakers give their insights into the business of conservation and heritage.	Hilary McGrady, Pegram Harrsion, Oliver Cox	17 May, 2017
A Genre in Crisis: The Novel in 1940s France	Professor Ann Jefferson discusses the French novel.	Ann Jefferson	17 May, 2017
InHabit: People, Places and Possessions	Book at Lunchtime Seminar held on May 3rd 2017.	Antony Buxton, Linda Hulin, Jane Anderson, Cathy Oakes, Oliver Cox, Elleke Boehmer	10 May, 2017
Terminus or Renovation? Francis Bacon and crisis in early modern knowledge	The TORCH Crisis, Extremes, and Apocalypse network hosted a talk on 'Terminus or Renovation? Francis Bacon and Crisis in Early Modern Knowledge' with Dr Richard Serjeantson (University of Cambridge)	Richard Serjeantson	10 May, 2017
Ernst Kantorowicz on Methods and Postage Stamps	The TORCH Crisis, Extremes, and Apocalypse network hosted a talk on ''Ernst Kantorowicz on Methods and Postage Stamps' given by Professor Robert Lerner (Northwestern)	Robert Lerner	10 May, 2017
The Rise of Endless War	The TORCH Crisis, Extremes, and Apocalypse network hosted a talk on 'The Rise of Endless War' with Professor Samuel Moyn (Harvard University).	samuel moyn	10 May, 2017
Robespierre and the Politicians' Terror	The TORCH Crisis, Extremes, and Apocalypse network hosted a talk on 'Robespierre and the Politicians’ Terror' with Marisa Linton (Kingston University).	Marisa Linton	10 May, 2017
Dystopia Today	The TORCH Crisis, Extremes, and Apocalyse network have hosted an event on 'Dystopia Today' with Greg Claeys (Royal Holloway, University of London).	Greg Claeys	10 May, 2017
Germs Revisited	On Thursday 16 March 2017, Dr Emilie Taylor-Brown gave a talk with Dr Jamie Lorimer (School of Geography and the Environment) and Dr Nicola Fawcett (Medical Sciences Division) on the subject of Germs Revisited.	Emilie Taylor-Brown, Jamie Lorimer, Nicola Fawcett, Kirsten Shepherd-Barr, Karen O'Brien	25 April, 2017
TORCH Gender and Authority Research Network, Seminar 7, University of Oxford, 22 February 2017	Gender and Authority Seminar 7: Serena Alessi (British School at Rome) and Rachel Delman (University of Oxford). Music: 'Enigmatic' by bensound.com	Adele Bardazzi, David Bowe, Natalya Din-Kariuki, Julia Caterina Hartley, Serena Alessi, Rachel Delman	6 April, 2017
Whither Death?	Helen Swift and Jessica Goodman discuss the one day conference 'Whither Death?'	Helen Swift, jessica Goodman	28 March, 2017
Miles Hewstone - What Does Diversity Mean to Me?	Opening event in TORCH Headline Series exploring 'Humanities & Identities'	Miles Hewstone	28 March, 2017
Maria Misra - What Does Diversity Mean to Me?	Opening event in TORCH Headline Series exploring 'Humanities & Identities'	Maria Misra	28 March, 2017
Marvin Rees - What Does Diversity Mean to Me?	Opening event in TORCH Headline Series exploring 'Humanities & Identities'	Marvin Rees	28 March, 2017
Deborah Cameron - What Does Diversity Mean to Me?	Opening event in TORCH Headline Series exploring 'Humanities & Identities	Deborah Cameron	28 March, 2017
Ellah Wakatama Allfrey - What Does Diversity Mean to Me?	Opening event in TORCH Headline Series exploring 'Humanities & Identities'	Ellah Wakatama Allfrey	28 March, 2017
Jay Stewart - What Does Diversity Mean to Me?	Opening event in TORCH Headline Series exploring 'Humanities & Identities'	Jay Stewart	28 March, 2017
Politics and Public Space in Contemporary Argentine Poetry	Book at Lunchtime event.	Ben Bollig, Bart van Es, Leigh A Payne, Eduardo Posada-Carbo, Maria Del Pilar Blanco	21 March, 2017
Land, Outdoors and Nature	Peter Nixon and Professor Heather Viles discuss the challenges and opportunities we face today in caring for and studying the natural environment.	Peter Nixon, Heather Viles, Oliver Cox	20 March, 2017
Our Collections and Their Audiences	In this lecture Simon Murray and Dr Xa Sturgis discuss historic collections and their audiences, exploring the need – and means – of making historic collections relevant in the 21st century.	Simon Murray, Xa Sturgis	20 March, 2017
History, Vision, Ambition	In this introductory lecture Dame Helen Ghosh and Professor Karen O'Brien discuss the history, current vision and future ambition of their respective organisations.	Dame Helen Ghosh, Karen O’Brien	20 March, 2017
Exodus, Reckoning, Sacrifice: Three Meanings of Brexit	Lecture with Kalypso Nicolaidis (St Antony’s College). Respondent: Anand Menon (King’s College London) Convenors: Timothy Garton Ash and Kalypso Nicolaidis (St Antony’s College).	Kalypso Nicolaidis, Anand Menon, Timothy Garton Ash	3 March, 2017
Walter Benjamin Meets the Cosmics	Professor Richard Wolin (CUNY) delivers a talk on 'Walter Benjamin Meets the Cosmics' for the TORCH Crisis, Extremes, and Apocalypse network.	Richard Wolin	28 February, 2017
Language, Crisis, and Affect	The TORCH Crisis, Extremes, and Apocalypse network hosted a talk ‘Language, crisis and affect: Muted emotions in Heinrich von Kleist’s Michael Kohlhaas’ with Dr Tobias Heinrich (University of Oxford).	Tobias Heinrich	28 February, 2017
Living Bilingual	Professor Elleke Boehmer (Director of TORCH) delivers a talk as part of the Creative Multilingualism and TORCH Bitesize Talks at Linguamania, Ashmolean Museum.	Elleke Boehmer	22 February, 2017
Bilingualism and the Internet	Scott Hale (Senior Data Scientist) delivers a talk as part of the Creative Multilingualism and TORCH Bitesize Talks at Linguamania, Ashmolean Museum.	Scott Hale	22 February, 2017
A Tristan Tile in the Ashmolean	Henrike Lähnemann (Professor of Medieval German Literature) delivers a talk as part of the Creative Multilingualism and TORCH Bitesize Talks at Linguamania, Ashmolean Museum.	Henrike Lähnemann	21 February, 2017
Do Objects Speak?	Wen-chin Ouyang (Professor of Arabic and Comparative Literature at the School of Oriental and African Studies) delivers a talk as part of the Creative Multilingualism and TORCH Bitesize Talks at Lingumania.	Wen-Chin Ouyang	21 February, 2017
Musings from Cloud Cuckoo Land	Dr Karen Park delivers a Creative Multilingualism and TORCH Bitesize talk as part of Linguamania	Karen Park	21 February, 2017
The Spirits of Crossbones Graveyard	The book's author Sondra Hausner (Professor of Anthropology, University of Oxford) will explore the issues raised in her book.	Sondra Hausner, Bridget Anderson, Diane Watt, Antonia Fitzpatrick	10 February, 2017
Literature and the Public Good	Part of the Book at Lunchtime series	Rick Rylance, Jane Hiddleston, Timothy Michael, Ankhi Mukherjee, Helen Small, Kirsten Shepherd-Barr	1 February, 2017
#NeverHillary vs #NeverTrump	The US Election on Social Media Panel Discussion	Philip N Howard, Gemma Joyce, Matthew Lee Anderson, Yin Yin Lu	1 February, 2017
Equity and commissioning - Richard Sullivan	Session 4: Equity and commissioning - Richard Sullivan	Mark Sheehan, Richard Sullivan	19 January, 2017
Equity and commissioning - Muir Gray	Session 4: Equity and commissioning - Muir Gray	Muir Gray, Mark Sheehan	19 January, 2017
Data sharing and participation - Jonathan Montgomery	Session 3: Data sharing and participation - Jonathan Montgomery	Ingrid Slade, Jonathan Montgomery	19 January, 2017
Data sharing and participation - Anna Middleton	Session 3: Data sharing and participation - Anna Middleton	Ingrid Slade, Anna Middleton	19 January, 2017
Data sharing and participation - Mark Lawler	Session 3: Data sharing and participation - Mark Lawler	Mark Lawler, Ingrid Slade	19 January, 2017
The human person and the communication of risk - Sian Rees	Session 2: The human person and the communication of risk - Sian Rees	Rob Horne, Sian Rees	19 January, 2017
The human person and the communication of risk - Alastair Kent	Session 2: The human person and the communication of risk - Alastair Kent	Rob Horne, Alastair Kent	19 January, 2017
The human person and the communication of risk - Joshua Hordern	Session 2: The human person and the communication of risk - Joshua Hordern	Joshua Hordern, Rob Horne	19 January, 2017
The promise and the hype of 'personalised medicine' - John Tooke	Session 1: The promise and the hype of 'personalised medicine' - John Tooke	Joshua Hordern, John Tooke	19 January, 2017
The promise and the hype of 'personalised medicine' - Steve Sturdy	Session 1: The promise and the hype of 'personalised medicine' - Steve Sturdy	Steve Sturdy, Joshua Horden	19 January, 2017
The promise and the hype of 'personalised medicine' - Tim Maughan	Session 1: The promise and the hype of 'personalised medicine' - Tim Maughan	Tim Maughan, Joshua Hordern	19 January, 2017
Highlights of Personalised Medicine	Highlights of Personalised Medicine: the promise, the hype and the pitfalls	Alastair Kent, Anna Middleton, Marion Lynch, Muir Gray	19 January, 2017
Personalised Medicine, interview with Jonathan Montgomery	Personalised Medicine: the promise, the hype and the pitfalls, a short interview with Jonathan Montgomery	Jonathan Montgomery	18 January, 2017
Personalised Medicine, interview with Anna Middleton	Personalised Medicine: the promise, the hype and the pitfalls, a short interview with Anna Middleton	Anna Middleton	18 January, 2017

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