Oxford's biggest student newspaper, produced by and for members of the University of Oxford, since 1991.
Image Description: Stormzy performing at a festival, with a dark background and red white lights around him. Much of British culture can be simmered down to the constantly brewing tensions between the elite and the outsiders that refuse to commit the sin of deference. Even though everything I write seems to conclude with me despairing […]
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Image Description: Charli XCX performing at a festival It is sometimes said that while art is how we fill up physical space, music is how we fill up time. Music is a language that can say something individual and unique to everyone it touches. It is part of what makes us human. Recently I have […]
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Image Description: A close up shot of a sharpie pen and labels saying ‘Hello, my name is…’ leaving a blank for a name to be written in Irrespective of whether or not I actually like the name I was given by my parents; it is a fundamental part of my identity and I fail to […]
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Image Description: A red disposable razor on a blue background The day before I moved back to Oxford for Trinity, I was shaving my arms in the shower. My hand slipped and I cut my forearm. While I was wiping up the blood, I had a tiny frustrated cry. There was no reason for me […]
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Image Description: All seven members of BTS posing in suits. She stood beside me, awaiting my judgement. I could feel her eyes, trying to detect some microexpression of approval. On her phone I watched seven men, clad in billowy robes in varying shades of pink, sashaying across the screen. Their movements, sharp and fluid with […]
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Image Description: Painting of a girl upon a blue background looking at an empty taxi The day the quarantine ended was the day we matriculated. We could not wait to see each other in real life. I remember she got a taxi to my place. She took the initiative. Over the previous three […]
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Image Desccription: A dark room with outside light creeping in through the shutters onto a a woman, covered by the darkness. When truths about your very existence within borders you had no say in drawing around you are denied, you ultimately lose your trust in the institutions that pride themselves on upholding these very […]
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Image Description: A young woman reads by candlelight in a dark room. Different modes of conversation have entirely different effects. How does one situate continuous daily conversation in the context of artistic research? How does one make the phrase ‘understand others’ accessible and narrow down the word ‘others’? I look to my surrounding friends. […]
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As a student new to the English system of education, it has been heartening to learn of the stringent ethics approvals required to conduct research as part of my courses. Research in the Global South is no longer treated as an entitlement that scholars of the developed world can reap. In a way, this appears […]
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Anjali KawaImage description: An old book is open with a pair of glasses on it. Reading lists can always be daunting, but it is hard to explain the feeling of reading academic writing about your own heritage. Recently, I had a tutorial about immigrant experiences in post-war Britain. Scanning through the readings, I studied the […]
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Image description: Two hands clasped together. The hand on the left has had henna applied, a wedding tradition common in India. I still remember calling home to tell my parents about my partner, and my father’s response was “Why are you doing this to us?”. I was hurt by the blunt response, but honestly, I […]
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Image description: Legs crossed on a living room table with a background of a TV with Netflix on it, a guitar on the side, and plants around the room. Debate about who makes art and who features in it is a constant conversation in my life. It is hard to explain why seeing someone like […]
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Image description: A red bricked barn surrounded by trees. There is a scene in Lee Isaac Chung’s film Minari (2020) that features a brief conversation between a father and a son outside of a chicken factory. Both speaking in Korean: pointing to a chimney belching black smoke, the son asks, ‘What’s that?’, and the father […]
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Image description: Identitical outfits are hung on a clothes’ rack Fashion is a crucial part of anyone’s life, but students in particular revel in the ability to shapeshift with scraps of fabrics and bands of metal. It’s no secret that platforms such as Instagram and Tik Tok mould and master trends nowadays using a combination […]
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Image description: Oxford students holding placards at protest In light of the recent farmers’ protests ongoing in India, a group of students from the Oxford South Asian Society (OxSAS), and Oxford India Society (OIS) decided to organise a solidarity protest on Saturday, 12th December 2020. On behalf of The Oxford Student, I have decided to […]
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A few months ago, I went on a first date with a white man. We decided to go to the pub, very casual. About ten minutes in, completely unsolicited, he launched into a speech about his fascination with Hong Kong (if you’re wondering how he knew about my family ties to Hong Kong, it was […]
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Image Description: Sandwich with kaya jam I carefully scrape out a small dollop of green kaya from its glass jar and spread it sparsely on two slices of toast. I’m wary of how conservative I’ll need to be with the servings each time so that I won’t run out before my next trip home. I […]
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Image Description: close up of lit diya lamps for Diwali Despite the cultural complexities that I have faced growing up as a British Indian woman in the UK, Diwali has always been one of the family traditions that has made me feel connected to my Indian heritage. It has always been a momentous occasion in […]
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Image Description: Women pose outside the barbershop in the Tule Lake Relocation Center, in Newell, California in 1942 or 1943. ‘Herro!’ *pulls eyes* He didn’t stop walking. I vaguely knew his name but we hadn’t had many interactions. I kept walking too. Behind me I could hear sniggers and a few imitations of stereotypical kung […]
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