LSE: Public lectures and events

Speaker(s): Professor Robin Cohen | Using fresh interpretations of utopian and archipelagic thinking, Robin Cohen will examine the limits and possibilities of creating an imaginative answer to mass displacement. The mass displacement of people through war, ethnic conflict, climate change and lack of opportunity is one of the pressing global issues of our time. The three traditional responses to this issue – local integration, resettlement and return – have proved to be inadequate, while politicians find it difficult to confront xenophobic and nationalist reactions to large-scale and culturally-diverse migration. Radical proposals to address the problem of mass displacement are now being given serious attention by academics and policy-makers alike. Drawing on joint work with Nicholas Van Hear, in this lecture Robin Cohen will subject these proposals to brief scrutiny, but also offer a major alternative vision, a new kind of transnational polity they have called ‘Refugia’. Robin Cohen is Professor Emeritus of Development Studies and Senior Research Fellow at Kellogg College, University of Oxford. Isabel Shutes is Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Policy, LSE. The International Inequalities Institute (@LSEInequalities) at LSE brings together experts from many LSE departments and centres to lead critical and cutting edge research to understand why inequalities are escalating in numerous arenas across the world, and to develop critical tools to address these challenges.

Speaker(s): Sir Simon Jenkins | Simon Jenkins discusses his latest book, A Short History of Europe and the lessons to be learned from European history. Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnist, author and BBC broadcaster. Simon Glendinning (@lonanglo) is Head of the European Institute and Professor in European Philosophy. The LSE European Institute (@LSEEI) is a centre for research and graduate teaching on the processes of integration and fragmentation within Europe. In the most recent national Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014) the Institute was ranked first for research in its sector.

Speaker(s): Professor Francis Green, Professor David Kynaston, Dr Luna Glucksberg | A rigorous, compelling and balanced examination of the British private school system and the lifetime of inequalities it entrenches. This event will see Francis Green and David Kynaston discuss their new book, Engines of Privilege: Britain's Private School Problem. Francis Green is Professor of Work and Education Economics at the UCL Institute of Education. David Kynaston is a historian and Visiting Professor at Kingston University. Luna Glucksberg (@luna_inequality) is a researcher at the International Inequalities Institute, LSE. Sam Friedman (@SamFriedmanSoc) is Associate Professor in Sociology, LSE. The International Inequalities Institute (@LSEInequalities) at LSE brings together experts from many LSE departments and centres to lead critical and cutting edge research to understand why inequalities are escalating in numerous arenas across the world, and to develop critical tools to address these challenges.

Speaker(s): George Brandis, Janice Charette, Foo Chi Hsia, Sir Jerry Mateparae | The panel considers the implications of Brexit on other countries, as well as how our friends overseas are fundamental to securing a smooth transition. George Brandis (@AusHCUK) is Australian High Commissioner to the UK. Janice Charette (@JaniceCharette) is Canadian High Commissioner to the UK Foo Chi Hsia has been Singapore’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom since September 2014, and is concurrently accredited to Iceland and Ireland. Jerry Mateparae (@NZinUK) is New Zealand High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. Prior to his appointment, he served as New Zealand’s 20th Governor General. Previously, he has worked at senior levels in the New Zealand public service and military. Tony Travers is Associate Dean of the School of Public Policy and Professor in Practice, Department of Government, LSE. The LSE European Institute (@LSEEI) is a centre for research and graduate teaching on the processes of integration and fragmentation within Europe. In the most recent national Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014) the Institute was ranked first for research in its sector. The School of Public Policy (@LSEPublicPolicy) equips you with the skills and ideas to transform people and societies. We are an international community where ideas and practice meet. Our approach creates professionals with the ability to analyse, understand and resolve the challenges of contemporary governance.

Speaker(s): Professor Kalwant Bhopal, David Lammy MP, Dr Clive James Nwonka, Dr Faiza Shaheen | How have legislative issues been addressed to remedy racial inequalities and what has been the impact on law, policing, socioeconomic inequalities, media, politics and education? Kalwant Bhopal (@KalwantBhopal) is a Professor of Education and Social Justice at the University of Birmingham. David Lammy (@DavidLammy) is the Labour Party politician MP for Tottenham. Clive James Nwonka (@CJNwonka) is Fellow in Film Studies in the Department of Sociology, LSE. Faiza Shaheen (@faizashaheen) is Director of the Centre for Labour and Social Studies. Coretta Phillips is Associate Professor in LSE Department of Social Policy. Established in 1904, the Department of Sociology @LSEsociology at LSE is committed to empirically rich, conceptually sophisticated, and socially and politically relevant research and scholarship. Building upon the traditions of the discipline, we play a key role in the development of the social sciences into the new intellectual areas, social problems, and ethical dilemmas that face our society today.

Speaker(s): Kostis Hatzidakis | What are the key policies that will bring change in Greece? Kostis Hatzidakis addresses some critical factors that can lift the country’s growth and boost development. Kostis Hatzidakis (@K_Hatzidakis) is a member of the Greek Parliament and Vice President of the New Democracy Party. Spyros Economides is Associate Professor in International Relations and European Politics, European Institute, LSE; and Deputy Director of the Hellenic Observatory. The Hellenic Observatory (@HO_LSE) was established at the LSE in 1996. It engages in a range of activities, including developing and supporting academic and policy-related research; organisation of conferences, seminars and workshops; academic exchange through visiting fellowships and internships.

Speaker(s): Professor Richard Sennett, Professor Sir Julian Le Grand | Beveridge argued for the primacy of the state in providing welfare. His critics then and since have argued for more support from civil society, from communal associations, churches, voluntary organisations. This final lecture shows why obligations to others should be involuntary - and so why state support is fundamental. The challenge is to cut free of the bureaucratic tangles and institutional corruption which afflict the welfare state today. Richard Sennett (@richardsennett) is a sociologist and Professor of Sociology at the London School of Economics and Political Sciences, and University Professor of the Humanities at New York University. His research interests include the relationship between urban design and urban society, urban family patterns, the urban welfare system, the history of cities and the changing nature of work. He has served as a consultant on urban policy to the Labour party and is a frequent commentator in the press. Julian Le Grand held the Richard Titmuss Chair of Social Policy in the Department of Social Policy and is now Professor in the Marshall Institute. From 2003 to 2005 he was seconded to No. 10 Downing Street as a Senior Policy Adviser to the Prime Minister. He is the author, co-author or editor of over twenty books and has written more than one hundred articles and book chapters on economics, philosophy and public policy. He has chaired several government commissions and working groups, including most recently the Mutuals Task Force for the Cabinet Office, and the Panels reviewing Doncaster's and Birmingham's Children's Services for the Department for Education. He has acted as an adviser to the President of the European Commission, the World Bank, the World Health Organisation, and the OECD. In 2015 he was awarded a knighthood for services to social sciences and public service. Michael McQuarrie is Associate Professor in Sociology at LSE. This is 1 in a series of 4 public lectures that Richard Sennett will deliver on Welfare After Beveridge. The others take place on 16 January, 23 January and 30 January.

Speaker(s): Lisa Conlon, Dr Jean Khalfa, Professor Stella Sandford, Alistair Stewart | Mental disorders are widely held to have a chemical basis best treated with medication, and contemporary psychiatry is more closely allied with the neuro- and behavioural sciences than with philosophy. So what, if anything, does philosophy have to offer psychiatry today? Exploring both historical examples and contemporary psychiatric practice, we ask what the theoretical and therapeutic benefits of a philosophically informed psychiatry might be. Lisa Conlon is a Consultant Psychiatrist, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. Jean Khalfa is Senior Lecturer in French Studies at Trinity College, Cambridge. Stella Sandford is Professor of Modern European Philosophy at Kingston University London. Alistair Stewart is Consultant Psychiatrist at Fairfield General Hospital, Bury. Danielle Sands (@DanielleCSands) is a Fellow at the Forum for Philosophy and Lecturer in Comparative Literature and Culture at Royal Holloway, University of London. The Forum for European Philosophy (@ForumPhilosophy) is an educational charity that organises a full and varied programme of philosophy and interdisciplinary events in the UK.

Speaker(s): Saj Jetha | Understand how to ‘hack’ work and be the best you can with Saj Jetha, founder of the multi-award winning The Smarty Train and author of The Smarts: Big Little Hacks to Take You a Long Way at Work. Enjoy a jargon-free insight into 'hacks' which can boost your performance and that of those around. Discover how the award-winning techniques covered in The Smarts can make a real impact in your work life, whether you’re an intern, are moving to the next challenge in your career, or are the CEO. Saj will not only explain the power of these ‘hacks’, but will also immerse you in a series of tantalising experiments showing how small changes can make a big difference to your workplace performance. Saj Jetha (@thesmartytrain) is an economist and founder of The Smarty Train, a training and talent advisory described as ‘The Secret Cinema of Training’. He has worked with tens of thousands of people at major corporations worldwide like Accenture, BP, EY, HSBC and Deliveroo. Saj is also a trustee of The University of London Convocation and was recently awarded Freedom of the City. He is an alumnus of UCL and LSE. Alexander (Sandy) Pepper is Professor of Management Practice, Department of Management, LSE. The Department of Management (@LSEManagement) is a world class centre for education and research in business and management. At the heart of LSE’s academic community in central London, we are ranked #2 in the world for business and management studies.

Speaker(s): Professor Stephan Haggard | Liberal internationalism is on the defensive across the West. Stephan Haggard examines the causes of this backlash and its global implications. Stephan Haggard is Distinguished Professor of Political Science, School of Global Policy and Strategy, University of California. Peter Trubowitz (@ptrubowitz) is Department Head of International Relations and Director of the US Centre at the London School of Economics and Political Science and Associate Fellow at Chatham House, Royal Institute of International Affairs. The Department of International Relations (@LSEIRDept) is now in its 91st year, making it one of the oldest as well as largest in the world. They are ranked 5th in the QS World University Ranking by Subject 2018 tables for Politics and International Studies.

Speaker(s): Aamer Anwar, Alfred Bosch, Professor Clara Ponsati Obiols, Professor José Ignacio Torreblanca | More than a year after the celebration of the Self-determination Referendum, the Catalan independentist movement is at a crossroads. Nine political leaders are in jail and face charges of sedition and rebellion, while seven others face similar charges in other countries. The testimony of the ex-minister of Education, Clara Ponsatí, will provide the audience with a unique perspective of these circumstances. She will be joined by her lawyer, Aamer Anwar, who will focus on the judicial strategy against the accusations of the Judiciary of Spain. Aamer Anwar (@AamerAnwar) is Rector of the University of Glasgow and a criminal defence lawyer. Alfred Bosch (@AlfredBosch) is Minister of Foreign Action and Institutional Relations. Clara Ponsati Obiols (@ClaraPonsati) is former Minister of Education of Catalonia, and Professor of Economics, University of St Andrews. José Ignacio Torreblanca (@jitorreblanca) is Head of the Madrid office of the European Council on Foreign Relations. Professor Paul Preston is the Príncipe de Asturias Professor of Contemporary Spanish Studies and Director of the Cañada Blanch Centre for Contemporary Spanish Studies at the London School of Economics. The LSE European Institute (@LSEEI) is a centre for research and graduate teaching on the processes of integration and fragmentation within Europe. In the most recent national Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014) the Institute was ranked first for research in its sector. The Catalan Observatory serves as a platform within Cañada Blanch Centre to promote research and debate about contemporary Catalan history and politics.

Speaker(s): Professor Timothy Garton Ash | On the occasion of the 1989 Generation Initiative’s third anniversary, Timothy Garton Ash will speak in broad terms about the future of the EU in the wake of Brexit, prospects for its reform, and how the next generation of European leaders must act to shape events. In an article at the height of the euro crisis, Timothy Garton Ash called on the young generation of Europeans to take ownership of the EU project. The response of students at the LSE European Institute in 2016, was to set up the 1989 Generation Initiative as a vehicle to do just that. Three years on, the Initiative is active in twelve countries and growing fast into a pan-European network of young people committed to reinventing Europe. In the meantime, the EU faces new crises. With the UK choosing to exit, paralysis over immigration, and the election of a populist government in a key member state, the future of the European Union is very much in doubt. How can it be reformed to make it function better? What role for the 89ers? Timothy Garton Ash is Professor of European Studies at the University of Oxford. Kevin Featherstone is Eleftherios Venizelos Professor of Contemporary Greek Studies and Professor of European Politics and Director of the Hellenic Observatory. Michael Cottakis , President, 1989 Generation Initiative will provide a short welcome speech. The LSE European Institute (@LSEEI) is a centre for research and graduate teaching on the processes of integration and fragmentation within Europe. In the most recent national Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014) the Institute was ranked first for research in its sector. 1989 Generation Initiative (@1989_Generation) is an open policy network mobilising a new generation of Europeans – the 89ers – to rebuild the European Project.

Speaker(s): Professor Richard Sennett, Dr Shani Orgad | The classic welfare state did not address itself to problems of consumption; there was not much to consume. Today, climate change entails profound changes in consumption; everyone will have to make sacrifices, consuming less. How should such necessary sacrifices change our thinking about the provision of welfare - whose classic moral logic was to give people more, to expand aspiration, rather than to shrink desire. Richard Sennett (@richardsennett) is a sociologist and Professor of Sociology at the London School of Economics and Political Sciences, and University Professor of the Humanities at New York University. His research interests include the relationship between urban design and urban society, urban family patterns, the urban welfare system, the history of cities and the changing nature of work. He has served as a consultant on urban policy to the Labour party and is a frequent commentator in the press. Shani Orgad is Associate Professor in the Department of Media and Communications at LSE. Dr Orgad gained a Bachelor's degree in Media and Communications with Sociology and Anthropology from The Hebrew University in Jerusalem, following which she obtained both a Master's and PhD in Media and Communications at LSE. Her research interests include gender and the media, media representations and contemporary culture, representations of suffering, new media, the Internet and computer-mediated communication, narrative and media, media and everyday life, media and globalisation, health and new media and methodological aspects of doing Internet research. Dr Robert Falkner is Research Director of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and Associate Professor of International Relations at LSE. This is 1 in a series of 4 public lectures that Richard Sennett will deliver on Welfare After Beveridge. The others take place on 16 January, 23 January and 5 February. Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSEBeveridge LSESU RAG - the fundraising arm of the Students' Union are this academic year raising money for 3 charities, one local, Single Homeless Project, one national, Mind, and one international, Teach A Man To Fish. Students from RAG will be collecting funds for their charities outside LSE’s public events during RAG week. Please give what you can to support three worthwhile causes.

Speaker(s): Michelle Codrington-Rogers, Dr Margaret O’Callaghan, Dr Rahul Rau | Memorials have been fiercely debated in recent times. What roles do memorials play in a society and how do these acts of remembering contribute to a communities’ sense of identity? What gets remembered and what forgotten, and who decides? When, if ever, should memorials be removed? The panel will discuss past and present controversies around public memorializing, from Ground Zero to Confederate monuments, from Rhodes Must Fall to Trafalgar Square. Michelle Codrington-Rogers is an activist and Junior Vice-President of the NASUWT. Margaret O’Callaghan is Reader in History at Queen’s University Belfast. Rahul Rau is Senior Lecturer in Politics at SOAS. Sarah Fine (@DrSJFine) is a Fellow at the Forum for Philosophy and Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at KCL. The Forum for European Philosophy (@ForumPhilosophy) is an educational charity that organises a full and varied programme of philosophy and interdisciplinary events in the UK.

Speaker(s): Dr Louise Ashley, Dr Sam Friedman, Dr Daniel Laurison, Dr Faiza Shaheen | How and why does class background still affect those in elite occupations? In this book launch the speakers look at barriers to upward mobility. Louise Ashley is a senior lecturer in organization studies at Royal Holloway, University of London. Sam Friedman (@SamFriedmanSoc) is Associate Professor in Sociology at LSE and co-author of The Class Ceiling. Daniel Laurison (@Daniel_Laurison) is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Swarthmore College and co-author of The Class Ceiling Faiza Shaheen (@faizashaheen) is Director of the Centre for Labour and Social Studies. Mike Savage (@MikeSav47032563) is Martin White Professor of Sociology at LSE and Director of the International Inequalities Institute. Established in 1904, the Department of Sociology (@LSEsociology) at LSE is committed to empirically rich, conceptually sophisticated, and socially and politically relevant research and scholarship. Building upon the traditions of the discipline, we play a key role in the development of the social sciences into the new intellectual areas, social problems, and ethical dilemmas that face our society today. The International Inequalities Institute (@LSEInequalities) at LSE brings together experts from many LSE departments and centres to lead critical and cutting edge research to understand why inequalities are escalating in numerous arenas across the world, and to develop critical tools to address these challenges. Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSEClassCeiling LSESU RAG - the fundraising arm of the Students' Union are this academic year raising money for 3 charities, one local, Single Homeless Project, one national, Mind, and one international, Teach A Man To Fish. Students from RAG will be collecting funds for their charities outside LSE’s public events during RAG week. Please give what you can to support three worthwhile causes.