‘The Power of Activism’ delivered a stimulating evening of discussion as the theme for this term’s Sheldonian Series event on Wednesday 4 February 2026.

It was a brilliant evening of discussion and a lively crowd

Dominique Palmer

The event, which is open to all and aims to promote freedom of speech and inclusive inquiry, saw a robust exchange of views on themes including the relationship between democracy and activism, the ethical and legal limits of activism, and the measurement of long term success within activism.

An engaged and lively audience at the Sheldonian Theatre contributed throughout the evening, prompting scrutiny of a broad range of topics such as the use of legitimate and illegitimate tactics, geopolitical instability, feminism and Palestine.

Professor Irene Tracey CBE, FRS, FMedSci, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University said: ‘I was thrilled to see a packed Sheldonian Theatre once again for another event in our series promoting good dialogue and freedom of speech, which this year explores the theme of “Power”. In this panel event, we examined the power of activism and its role in bringing about change in government and society more generally. A huge thanks to all our panellists and the audience for their contributions to an energetic exchange of views on the topic. I am very much looking forward to our final event this academic year, which will explore the ‘Power of Satire’ in Trinity term.’

Dominique Palmer, a Climate Justice Activist and a panellist at the event, said: ‘It was a brilliant evening of discussion and a lively crowd. As a Climate Justice Activist, I enjoyed hearing the audience’s positive thoughts on activism for a range of climate and social justice issues. I wanted to be part of this event to encourage conversation on what activism means in the times we face, and provide a perspective as someone who is one full time. We need to be engaging with others to create real change. We covered a lot including climate and Palestine, with a focus on the UK. The conversation could have gone on – we only scratched the surface!’

The pursuit of truth

Other panellists included Munira Mirza, Chief Executive at Civic Future, and Shermar Pryce, President for Communities and Common Rooms at the Oxford University Student Union. Baroness Shami Chakrabarti CBE, Labour peer and former director of human rights advocacy group Liberty, provided pre-recorded contributions, sharing insights on the legal and ethical limits of activism.

Yesterday’s event was a brilliant demonstration of what Oxford does best, which is to provide a platform for the robust and forensic examination of contentious but strongly held views

Dr Julius Grower

The conversation was moderated by Dr Julius Grower, Associate Professor of Law at Oxford University, who said: ‘Yesterday’s event was a brilliant demonstration of what Oxford does best, which is to provide a platform for the robust and forensic examination of contentious but strongly held views. If universities are not places for the pursuit of truth through passionate but open-minded dialectic, nowhere is. Our panellists crossed swords on a number of points, yet perhaps surprised themselves with how much they could also agree upon. It was a great example of why no topics should be off limits, and why all sacred cows must be subject to good faith scrutiny. We hope that this is the start of more and more conversations about the power and appropriate limits of activism in British society.’

Federica Genovese, Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Oxford University, and a panellist at the event, added: ‘It was a stimulating event and I enjoyed sharing the stage with activists, the people I usually observe and study as a political scientist. I also appreciated the opportunity to feed back to an engaged audience what we researchers know works – and does not work – there where activism and democracy interact.’

Invited speakers

Panellists on the evening:

• Professor Federica Genovese – Professor of Political Science and International Relations, University of Oxford
• Munira Mirza – Chief Executive, Civic Future
• Dominique Palmer – Climate Justice Activist, Youth Climate Justice Fund
• Shermar Pryce – President (Communities and Common Rooms), Student Union, University of Oxford

With pre-recorded contributions from:

• Baroness Shami Chakrabarti CBE – Labour peer, House of Lords, and former director of human rights advocacy group Liberty

The conversation was moderated by Dr Julius Grower, Associate Professor of Law at Oxford University and Ann Smart Fellow in Law and Tutor at St Hugh’s College, Oxford.

Professor Irene Tracey CBE, FRS, FMedSci, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, opened the event with a welcoming address.

Tim Soutphommasane, Chief Diversity Officer at the University of Oxford, gave the closing speech.

The Sheldonian Series is open to all and aims to promote freedom of speech and inclusive inquiry. Further details about the next event in Trinity term will be shared here: Sheldonian Series.