Oxford's biggest student newspaper, produced by and for members of the University of Oxford, since 1991.
Image description: Tema Smith, curly haired and bespectacled, smiling. Some time in March of 2021, I had the opportunity to speak to Tema Smith, who describes herself as a “diversity advocate, writer, and Jewish community builder.” My conversation with her took place via Zoom (as all pandemic-lockdown interviews happen to take place). From the comfort […]
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Image description: A woman with her head thrown back “Don’t touch my hair, cause it’s the feelings I wear” is the first line of Solange’s song of the same name. A line which as a black mixed-race teenager made a keen impression on me, evoking a feeling of pride mingled with a sense of irritation – […]
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When I was 16, my life aspirations were pretty simple. I wanted to be a housewife. I wanted to graduate from a good uni, get a good job at a law firm, marry a guy who would be successful in later life, stay home and raise two beautiful children in a picket-fenced cottage, then maybe […]
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Image description: A person putting on a pair of blue surgical gloves Around one in ten women and those assigned female at birth in the UK have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and one in ten women or those assigned female at borth in the UK have endometriosis. PCOS can be summarised as having irregular periods, […]
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Image Description: A still from the sitcom ‘Kim’s Convenience’ showing the exterior of the titular convenience store In an early episode of Kim’s Convenience, a gag is made when one of the main characters, (Janet), her cousin from Korea (Nayoung), and Janet’s two non-Korean friends get confused by the complex linguistic formalities of familial address […]
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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: A silhouette against an orange sky. If you were to ask any Muslim to describe their typical Ramadan, you will soon find a theme emerging from their answers; family, food, festivities. If you were to ask for a standout feature of Ramadan, most would highlight the community spirit. The string binding all these […]
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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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Image Description: A woman wearing a mask being confronted by shadow figures Back when I used to have Tinder, the most common greeting I received was: ‘Hi Jackie Chan.’ ‘OMG Jackie Chan.’ Or: ‘I’ve never had an Asian before. I’d like to try it.’ Whilst the former was a pathetic attempt at a joking association […]
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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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Applications to join the Editorial team of the Oxford Student are now open! All applications consist of a written application and following this you may be called to an interview with the new Editors in Chief for Trinity term 2021, Isaac and Natasha. News Team applicants may also be required to send in an example […]
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