Regent's Now Magazine 2021

REGENT’S NOW T H E M A G A Z I N E O F R E G E N T ’ S PA R K C O L L E G E | 2021

A STRONG YEAR FOR IGNITING THE REGENT'S SPIRIT

In conversation with Dr Francis Gurry Professor Sir Malcolm Evans sits down with the former Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organisation

Contents 1

Foreword from the Interim Principal Elizabeth Crawford

COLLEGE LIFE 1

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Highlights from 2021

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A Strong Year for Igniting the Regent's Spirit: Update from the Development and Alumni Relations Team

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Research at Regent's

PROFILES 10

Revd Beth Allison-Glenny

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Dr Tareq Moqbel

FEATURES 8

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An Interview with Visiting Fellow Dr Francis Gurry

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New Approaches to Human-Animal Relations: Revealing the connections between animal liberation and human emancipation

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Old Faces in New Frames: The past, the present, and our college portraits

STUDENTS

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A Year in the JCR

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A Year in the MCR

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A Year in the Ministerial Community

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Student Recognition

ALUMNI AND FRIENDS

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Alumni Answers

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Bidding Farewell to Maintenance Officer Bob Cowley

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In Memoriam

Foreword from the Interim Principal Elizabeth Crawford

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evd Dr Rob Ellis stood down as Principal at the end of September when I was delighted to join the College as Interim Principal. This meant I joined in time to experience the sheer joy of having all our students back in residence in October with a full programme of in person tutorials and lectures.

The palpable atmosphere of purpose and excitement about learning pervaded the whole city and Regent’s was no exception.

In the first week of term, I stopped to talk to a couple of freshers, who were looking, very intently, at rowing honours on the south wall of the Quad. They were novice rowers but told me that they were planning for their names to be up there next summer. The confidence and ambition were delightful to see and made me think afresh of the way that Regent’s has been the springboard for generations of people, worldwide.

Our graduate common room is larger than it has ever been and includes people doing a huge range of both taught and research degrees, with a significant number of international students. A new Regent’s ’tradition‘ was our first Freshers’ Dinner for postgraduates and ministerial students and the Helwys Hall was buzzing with anticipation of the year ahead. This kicked off the first Formal Halls since Hilary 2020, including one for parents and carers of first years and culminating in our traditional Christmas celebrations for the whole community.

In recent months we have welcomed several new colleagues including the Revd Beth Allison-Glenny, Chaplain and Dr Tareq Moqbel, H.M. King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein of Jordan Fellow for the Study of Love in Religion. Dr Masud Ally, Lecturer in Economics, Tim Smith, Temporary Director of Studies, Classics and Mathis Ebbinghaus, Lecturer in Politics have all strengthened our offering in those subjects and Dr Lorena Becerra-Valdivia and Dr Lulu Shi, have joined us as Lillian Goldman Junior Research Fellows. We bade farewell to the inimitable Bob Cowley in late September and were almost immediately faced with the first dilemma of the post-Cowley era, which involved the oversight of the hibernation of Emmanuelle, before Dean Holmes was appointed as Maintenance Officer in November. All of these colleagues

have quickly become part of the Regent’s Park family. We were delighted to welcome our new Visiting Fellow, Dr Francis Gurry, who spent some time with us in October. Dr Anthony Reddie delivered the annual David Nicholls Memorial Lecture on Dealing with the Two Deadly Ds: Deconstructing Whiteness and Decolonising the Curriculum to an enthralled audience.

A particular highlight for me has been the Principal’s meetings with first year students at the end of term. Each meeting gives a wonderful opportunity to talk to students about their subject and about life in College. Even when they are finding the pace rather bracing, it is inspiring to hear how the tutors have fired up the love of exploring their subject in depth. The last few years have set a high bar for success in finals and the enthusiasm for learning at this stage is a clear indication that the standard will remain high.

Being in an interim role is unusual in professional life, in that there is a clear expectation that it is ’not for long‘ and no-one is expecting a whole raft of initiatives or changes in direction. However, it is also important not simply to tread water because the reality of that means that you are sliding backwards, so we have been working on our academic strategy and development strategy to allow us to continue to move forward with purpose. Alongside our students, staff, and wider community of alumni and friends, I want to see the College continue to flourish and grow over the coming years: I hope that everything I do during my time as Interim Principal will be guided by that.

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Highlights from 2021 Locked down in Hilary, gradually re-opening in Trinity, and fully back in Michaelmas – 2021 has seen the College adapt to new challenges and even benefit from new initiatives!

At the end of the 2020/2021 academic year, the College bid farewell to Dr Rob Ellis, who stepped down as Principal after fourteen years in the role. He was honoured with a volume of essays, Being Attentive: Explorations in Practical Theology, in recognition of his important contributions to the training of Baptist ministers and in bringing together theology with his interests in film and sport.

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Dr Kate Kirkpatrick, Fellow in Philosophy and Christian Ethics and Director of Studies in Philosophy, was awarded a British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship.

She will use the fellowship to complete a philosophical commentary on Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex.

It was a thrill to welcome back 2020 Leavers for a special graduand event in College after their 2020 Valedictory and Graduation Ceremonies were cancelled due to the pandemic.

The College was honoured to welcome Dr Francis Gurry, international lawyer and former Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organisation as Visiting Fellow (see page 12).

Ginny Gough (Theology and Religion, 2019) was selected for the Oxford University Football Club Women’s Varsity Match 2021. Go Dark Blues!

Senior tutor Anthony Clarke welcomed the publication of his book Forming Ministers or Training Leaders? An Exploration of Practice in Theological Colleges (2021: Wipf and Stock).

Two members of the Regent’s community were appointed to the Oxford University Race Equality Task Force: Dr Anthony Reddie, Director of the Oxford Centre for Religion and Culture, was nominated as Race & Diversity Researcher and Activist; while Dr Roger Nascimento, ministerial student and Assistant Dean, was selected as a Researcher representative.

After spending the past two birthdays in lock down, Emmanuelle was able to celebrate her 119th Birthday (or thereabouts) surrounded by students and staff!

Alan Deng

Jonathan Honnor (English Language and Literature, 2020) was awarded the Faculty of English Chancellor’s English Essay Prize for his entry ‘‘The Loneliness One dare not sound’: When alienation becomes cliché’.

The Oxford Prospects and Global Development Institute launched the Oxford-BNU Award in Creative Writing, one of many initiatives dedicated to crossglobal intellectual dialogue with their partner Beijing Normal University. The Award is offered in parallel competitions held simultaneously in Oxford and Beijing. Read more on page 9.

Keiko Ikeuchi

Principal Emeritus and Senior Research Fellow Paul Fiddes enjoyed an extremely fruitful year, publishing two books, More Things in Heaven and Earth: Shakespeare Theology and the Interplay of Texts (2021: UVA) and Iris Murdoch and the Others: A Writer in Dialogue with Theology (2021: T&T Clark), and an edited volume, Love as Common Ground: Essays on Love in Religion (2021: Rowman & Littlefield), which includes numerous contributions from members of the Regent’s community.

Thanks to how enthusiastically the Regent’s and Greyfriars community rallied together, the College’s first Giving Day was a massive success! Read all about it on page 3.

A Strong Year for Igniting the Regent’s Spirit Update from the Development and Alumni Relations Team We have been bowled over by the support that alumni and friends have shown to the College this year. So many of you have generously given, whether financially or through giving your time and skills. By doing so you have played an important part in the life of this much valued academic community during another challenging period.

Combined with careful planning, this generosity has put Regent's on a strong footing.

Regent’s holds its first ever Giving Day For 36 hours in May, the Regent’s community joined together virtually to give to the student experience at the college. Our first ever Giving Day #RegentsGives was a chance for staff and alumni to share their stories and memories and celebrate all that is special about Regent’s, while achieving something truly significant together.

The campaign would not have achieved what it did without the generosity and vision of those alumni and friends who stepped forward early on to support the Giving Day.

Those who offered to match donations or donated towards challenging others to reach targets made gifts go even further. Others joined a group of ‘Ambassadors’, choosing to share their personal stories widely so that as many alumni and friends as possible could be reached with our messages. This extra support combined with over 250 gifts to raise £54,000 for the College, far exceeding our expectations.

Not only that, but being in touch with so many of you over social media and email sparked a lot of reminiscing!

A wonderful feature of the Giving Day was the online ‘Donor Wall’, where alumni and friends posted messages alongside their donation:

‘Proud to be a Regent’s alum.’

‘I couldn’t believe it when I looked at the messages on the Donor Wall during the Giving Day, my parents were delighted to see it too.

I think it’s fantastic that alumni are still so invested in the College, whether they left years ago or more recently. I’d like to think that I’ll continue to support Regent’s just as people who came before me still are’.

‘So grateful for the three years of ministerial formation at Regent’s. Happy years where deep friendships were made. The three years of learning and experience continue to nourish, inform and inspire. Thank you.’

‘Regent’s offered a very special uni experience. I am so grateful for my time there, for the friends that I made and for the doors it opened for me.

Remembering the camaraderie of living at Regent’s.’

‘Regent’s has been a wonderful place to me. The tutor, staff and my colleagues have all been great.

It is my great pleasure to be able to make this donation and ensuring other students are afforded a life changing similar and wonderful experience!!’

‘I want to be able to encourage as many students as possible to consider applying to Oxford and have the support they need.’

‘Thank you for always being my Oxford home.’

‘Amazing to follow the progress made by the College.’

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Your donations: a lifeline for students We have been highly focused this year on directing as much support as possible where it has been most needed, to make sure students have the best possible experience here.

Student Support Alumni have responded with enthusiasm to our requests to bolster our new Student Support Fund, which is entirely funded by donations from alumni and friends. Hugely valuable to students, it means we can respond to students when they face unexpected needs without constraint, providing a vital back up to them. Growing this fund from small beginnings means we are starting to move from a position of uncertainty over which requests we can meet, to now building a robust and sustainable fund for the future.

‘Student support is a big part of Regent’s in my experience and is a really important parallel to outreach and inclusion. What I received just in terms of staff and other student time and emotional and prayer support has been of lifelong significance’.

Alumni message received during Giving Day

‘Unexpected financial struggles on top of the stress around being at Oxford can make things very difficult. Most student support needs are short term, with unexpected changes such as a laptop fix when they are facing immediate deadlines, costs they weren’t expecting. Having a college student support fund helps alleviate that stress especially in exam and big deadline seasons, to help students submit work. If we could even enlarge the fund to help students struggling to cover larger costs than can be addressed right now, that would be amazing.’

Tom (Third year student and former JCR Welfare Officer)

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Outreach and Access at Regent’s We are also working hard to highlight the way Regent’s has something distinctive to offer potential students who may not have considered an Oxford education. As a small, welcoming college we provide the ideal environment for settling into Oxford and a great springboard allowing students to play an active part in college and university life. This is especially important now with new students having spent much of their recent education in lockdowns and needing additional help to transition to Oxford life.

‘One of things I appreciate most is how easy it is to talk to people here. I expected it to be very formal, strict and traditional. There’s not a big disconnect between students and staff, and not only those who are teaching you - I feel as though I can talk to pretty much anyone on the college site. When I first arrived there was no awkward initial step I had to make, the older year groups just welcomed us all in such a friendly way.

Compared to friends at other colleges, that settling-in process was much more easy and natural here’.

Darcy (Third Year student)

We are now able to underpin access and outreach activities by addressing the fact that students arrive having experienced very different educational set-ups. The number of students who need some additional study skills support keeps rising and the pandemic has magnified this problem vastly. Access and Outreach Officer Dr Daniel Gerrard, who is a specialist in teaching study skills across the humanities and social sciences, has piloted an intensive scheme at Regent’s that lets students focus on how to learn. The scheme is designed to adapt to each person’s needs and is becoming more and more popular with students and tutors. Donations are crucial to the time and work involved in study skills workshops. Speaking about his Access and Outreach work, he says:

‘There is no doubt that the circumstances of the pandemic have challenged our approach to Access and Outreach work. Moving most of our activities online just as secondary schools and sixth forms did so disrupted established partnerships and made students who are most in need harder to reach than ever.

Nevertheless, Regent’s staff have remained committed to this important part of the College’s mission, and we have continued to ‘punch above our weight’ in this area. We have seen well over three hundred prospective students in our two most recent virtual open days, run online taster sessions and admissions talks for schools in Hammersmith, contributed time and expertise to the ‘Meet the Russell Group’ online Access Fair, and trained colleagues at other colleges in delivery of study skills sessions for outreach purposes. We will continue to widen our network of partner schools this year and are about to start training a new generation of student ambassadors, who play a key role in welcoming enquiring students to Regent’s during open days.’

Graduate scholarships Regent’s Law Scholarship We are delighted to be launching Regent’s first joint graduate scholarship in Law thanks to a generous donation from an alumnus which has been matched by the Faculty of Law. The scholarship is the only one of its kind to offer funding specifically to students from developing countries.

‘Oxford Law is delighted to collaborate with Regent’s Park College to introduce the jointly funded Regent’s Law Scholarship. As traditional sources of student funding continue to be stretched, or are simply no longer available, financial support for current and future generations of law students has become more important than ever. Oxford Law is a meeting place for some of the most gifted graduate students from around the world and graduate students play a key role in advancing our mission to deliver outstanding legal research. The Regent’s Law Scholarship will provide vital funding enabling a talented law student from a developing country to realise their full potential within the vibrant and supportive Oxford Law community’.

Faculty of Law, University of Oxford

All of our graduate scholarships are funded through the generosity of our alumni and other supporters.

We asked three graduate students to explain the difference their scholarship has made:

Gwendolen Dupre (DPhil Theology and Religion, 2021), Pamela Sue Anderson Postgraduate Scholarship Holding the Pamela Sue Anderson Postgraduate Scholarship means a great deal to me. It has allowed me to take up my DPhil studies in Theology and Religion at Oxford and connects me to Professor Anderson’s important legacy. My doctoral work investigates the religious philosophy of Simone Weil (1909–1943). Working at the intersection of philosophy of religion, continental philosophy, and incorporating feminist philosophy into my studies, my research is in debt to Professor Anderson’s scholarship. I am very grateful to the donors, and to the selection panel.

Danyal Khan (MPhil Economics, 2021), Aziz Foundation Scholarship In studying Economics, I have come to recognise how Muslim communities can utilise economic expertise to promote a more equitable society at home in Britain, for example by incentivising entrepreneurship in Islamic Finance or improving the efficiency and effectiveness of Muslim charities. I am grateful to the Aziz Foundation and Regent’s Park College for providing me with the opportunity to develop this expertise further by studying the MPhil in Economics. Alongside real-world insight, I intend to use the rigorous training and research experience provided by the MPhil to economically empower Muslim communities and benefit society at large.

Maria Christian (MPhil Islamic Studies and History, 2021), Greyfriars Scholarship The Greyfriars scholarship, in the simplest yet most important of ways, has given me the freedom to pursue studies and a potential career in a university that I would otherwise not be able to afford. I am extremely grateful to Greyfriars alumni and the wider Regent’s college community for helping fund my tuition fees, for believing in my research potential and for finding me a place to live. My studies are pretty niche, and to know that people care about the sexual history of the Late Antique world and its implications for today just as much as I do is quite incredible. Coming from a different educational background to many other students and academics here can make you feel like a massive imposter, yet the Greyfriars scholarship helps me feel more welcome and like I belong.

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Meet the new Lillian Goldman Junior Research Fellows Strengthening the College’s Research Culture

Baylor University, Truett Seminary Programme A generous donation by the Elliston family has provided a new Academic Study and Sabbatical Programme between Baylor University’s Truett Seminary and Regent’s Park College. We were delighted to welcome the Dean of Truett Seminary, Todd Still, in September 2021 to open and dedicate the new Baylor University, Truett Seminary Flat at Regent’s, and look forward to welcoming visiting scholars!

Gifts in wills: moving vital projects forward After completing his DPhil in Theology at Regent's in 1963, Dr Olin Robinson (1936-2018) returned to the College in 2005 as a Fellow of the then Oxford Centre for Christianity and Culture, and founded and directed The Oxford Project on Religion and Public Policy. Olin was also deeply committed to the development of digital learning, and part of his significant giving to Regent’s during his lifetime has enabled us to advertise for a lecturer in Baptist History who will be developing new online courses in Baptist history and theology – a much anticipated development for the College.

Dr Robison chose to leave a gift in his will to further the work of the Oxford Centre for Religion and Culture (OCRC) at Regent’s. The impact of this generosity cannot be overstated. It has allowed this research centre to move into a new, exciting phase, growing its reach and influence exponentially over recent months. Its weekly lecture series have covered themes of religions and cultures of inclusion/exclusion, approaches to liberation, and the intersection of religion and culture, and have attracted larger audiences than ever before. The Centre’s Director, Dr Anthony Reddie, is increasingly in demand as a speaker at national and international events as well as within the University of Oxford. In 2021 the OCRC organised the very first theological conference on whiteness, which was attended by 300 people and will be followed up by a book to be published in 2023 – a critical look at Christian mission and its history.

When supporters and friends choose to dedicate a part of their estate to Regent’s in their will, the impact can be great and long lasting. If you would like a confidential conversation about leaving a legacy to Regent’s, please contact Viola Kerr, Director of Development at viola.kerr@regents.ox.ac.uk or 01865 288141.

Thanks to a generous benefaction from the Lillian Goldman Charitable Trust in 2019, the College was able to launch two new Junior Research Fellowships, each tenable for two years and open to University graduates who have recently completed their doctorate or are close to completion. We are thrilled that two new Lillian Goldman Junior Research Fellows, Dr Lorena BecerraValdivia and Dr Lulu Shi, joined us in Michaelmas 2021.

Lorena joins us from the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit having recently completed her PhD in Archaeological Science. She also holds a MSc in Archaeological Science from Oxford and a BA in Anthropology from UCLA; her research uses radiocarbon dating and statistical modelling methods to create archaeological and paleo-environmental timelines of pre-Columbian Amazonia.

Lulu joins us from Oxford University’s Sociology Department and holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Basel, Visiting PhDs from both the University of Cambridge and Oxford, a MSc in Sociology from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a BA from University of Zurich. Her research focuses on the intersection of education, work, technology and social transformations.

Lorena reflects on her time thus far as Lillian Goldman Junior Research Fellow:

'The Lillian Goldman Junior Research Fellowship has given me access to a diverse community of scholars, with whom I have enjoyed several enriching social and academic exchanges. The spirit of collegiality and support provided at Regent’s Park have been an advantage as I conduct my research at the School of Archaeology.

Under the role of Academic Advisor, I have enjoyed connecting with graduate students, developing my skills in pastoral care, and providing support as they face academic and personal challenges. This, to me, has been an invaluable experience and I look forward to the rest of my time here.'

Dr Lorena Becerra-Valdivia

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It’s wonderful to see you again In 2021, we were finally able to host our first in-person alumni events for almost two years! We were delighted that so many Regent’s and Greyfriars alumni could join us at London Drinks on 23 September. Many thanks to alumnus and Chair of Governing Body, Rt Revd Dr Keith Riglin (Theology, 1980) and Revd Canon Dr Jennifer Smith for their warm hospitality.

It was especially meaningful to welcome back 2020 Leavers, who returned for a special graduand event in College after having missed out on their 2020 Valedictory and Graduation Ceremony due to the pandemic.

On 29 September, the College also opened its doors to past and current Baptist ministerial students for a reunion dinner.

Originally planned for Trinity 2020, this Ministerial Gaudy was a particularly joyful occasion and we are grateful for all our alumni who were able to attend, as well as to the Revd Dr David Coffey OBE, former General Secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, who joined us as the afterdinner speaker.

In Michaelmas 2021, the Development Office hosted an inaugural Regent’s Park College Alumni Careers Talk, the first in a series of events that will bring alumni back to College to talk with students about their career journeys. On this occasion alumni Konrad Kay (English Language & Literature, 2006) and Mickey Down (Theology, 2007) spoke about how they left finance and joined forces to create and executive-produce the show Industry for BBC/HBO, which tells the story of new recruits to a London investment bank. It was fantastic that Konrad and Mickey were able to share their experiences with us and connect with the College community during their visit.

As we transition back towards the in-person events that we offered pre-pandemic and plan our future alumni events programme, we want to know what types of events you would like to see. Please contact us at development@regents.ox.ac.uk to share your thoughts!

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Research at Regent's

The Angus Library and Archive EMILY BURGOYNE, ANGUS LIBRARIAN

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Centre for Baptist Studies DR CHRISTINE JOYNES, DIRECTOR OF THE CENTRE FOR BAPTIST STUDIES & TUTORIAL FELLOW IN THEOLOGY

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021 was a busy year for the Centre as we continued to connect via Zoom. In March we enjoyed a day conference ‘Blake and the Baptists’, attended online by friends from Australia to America and featuring papers by Paul Fiddes (‘Freedom from the Law: Is Blake also among the Baptists?’), Nicholas Shrimpton (‘Blake and John Linnell’), and Susanne Sklar (‘Praise is the Practice of Art’).

We were also delighted to co-sponsor (with the Baptist Historical Society) a special lecture by William H. Brackney: ‘Perticular or Particular? In Search of When the English Calvinistic Baptists became Particular’ (available to access on the Baptist Historical Society website).

A significant highlight of 2021 was the launch of Project Violet, a CBS research project exploring women’s experiences in ministry, by project co-leaders Helen Cameron and Jane Day in July. The first phase of the project (inviting feedback from Baptist women ministers) produced a strong response rate. In November this was followed up by a seminar ‘Discernment,

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dialogue and the Church Meeting’, with speakers Rachel Muers and Ruth Moriarty.

Make sure to check out the Project Violet website at www.baptist.org.uk!

Our termly lunchtime lectures have continued to bring together church and academy for fruitful discussion.

We welcomed alumnus Jack Wakefield (Theology, 2013) and María Alejandra Andrade from Tearfund to explore a Christian response to Climate Change and COP26 and Eleasah Louis to discuss the Baptist Union’s Visions of Colour initiative, sponsored by the Sam Sharpe project in which the CBS is a partner.

Our second conference (‘Sacred Song through Eighteenth-Century Hymnody’) was particularly apt given the absence of singing for much of the pandemic and attracted participants from Korea to Canada. Topics discussed included Anne Steele’s pursuit of happiness (Nancy Jiwon Cho) and holy tears in Steele’s hymnody (Cindy Aalders)! Papers

by Tim Whelan on the religious poetry of Hannah Towgood Wakeford (1725-46) and Mary Steele Wakeford (1724-72) and J.R. Watson on Simon Browne and Dissenting Hymnody extended the discussion to other hymn writers.

The Centre has continued to publish a variety of literature ranging from David McLachlan’s 2021 Whitley Lecture (Does This Cross Have Disabled Access?) to a Festschrift for Rob Ellis (Being Attentive: Explorations in Practical Theology, ed. Anthony Clarke).

Details of our forthcoming activities can be found via the College website, or our Twitter account @CBS Oxford.

Many events will continue online in 2022 so we hope that you will join us in the coming year!

he Angus has started to look more like its normal self since October 2021, when we finally welcomed visiting students and researchers back, albeit with Covid precautions in place.

Throughout 2021 we worked tremendously hard to help the many people who couldn’t visit while we were closed. We received enquiries on topics covering every century from the 1600s onwards and ranging from the history of abolitionism and the hymns of English Baptist hymn writer and essayist Anne Steele (1717-1778) to coffee plantations in the Congo and the papers of British Nonconformist minister and politician John Clifford (1836-1923).

The Friends of the Angus ‘Opening the Angus’ online seminars in 2021 covered a variety of fascinating subjects. Two of the most popular talks were given by members of the Regent’s community: Dr Lynn Robson discussed three women whose works are held in the Angus, Ann Askew, Martha Gurney and the unknown compiler of an antislavery commonplace book; while Dr Julian Thompson and I spoke together about Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and its links with the work of the Baptist Missionary Society in Congo.

2021 saw the launch of the William H. and Kathryn E. Brackney Angus Travel Bursary, awarded to Landon Adams of William Carey University in Mississippi. Landon will be joining us in 2022 to work on William Ward (1769–1823), one of the first Baptist missionaries in India. Last year also witnessed a significant bridging of the gap between the 17th and 21st centuries, when thanks to a generous grant from the Baptist Historical Society, the records of Cripplegate Baptist Church and Hexham and Hamsterley Baptist Church were digitised and made available to view on the digital library JSTOR. We hope to digitise more material in this way and plan to carry out a number of conservation projects. 2022 promises to be another fantastic, interesting, and busy year!

The Oxford Centre for Religion and Culture DR ANTHONY G. REDDIE, DIRECTOR OF THE OXFORD CENTRE FOR RELIGION AND CULTURE

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he highlight event of 2021 has been the online day conference ‘Dismantling Whiteness: Critical Whiteness’, organised by me and colleagues through the Oxford Centre for Religion and Culture.

This conference, the very first theological conference of its kind in the UK, was attended by over three hundred participants from across the globe.

As a part of the follow up, I am coediting a book with SCM Press entitled Deconstructing Whiteness, Empire and Mission. Including academic scholars from the UK and internationally, the volume will offer a critical look at Christian mission, its history, and the ways in which this legacy has unleashed notions of White supremacy, systemic racism, and global capitalism on the world. My co-editors on this project are all Council for World Mission colleagues: Carol Troupe, my research associate on the ‘Legacies of Slavery’ project, Revd Dr Michael Jagessar, CWM Mission Secretary - Europe-Caribbean, and Revd Dr Peter Cruchley, Mission Secretary - Mission Development. The book should be published in the summer of 2023!

In 2021, the OCRC planned a series of remote and in-person events exploring decolonial theological education, mission, and ministry. These collaborative events were organised in partnership with Ripon College Cuddesdon and looked primarily at initiatives related to decolonising the theological curriculum in a variety of perspectives. The culmination of these smaller events was the conference ‘Will the Sun Ever Set? Decolonising Theological Education in Anglicanism and Beyond’.

Details of this event can be found at: www.rcc.ac.uk/events.

The OCRC seminar series for Michaelmas 2021, ‘Creative Arts, Performance and Religion’,

provided the first opportunity since the OCRC relaunched to invite audience members into College as well as streaming the talks live online. This proved very successful, and it was wonderful that people were able both to engage in-person and watch remotely.

In November 2021 not only was the annual Nicholls Memorial lecture held for the first time since 2019, but the speaker was myself and the title of my talk was ‘Dealing with two Deadly D’s: Deconstructing Whiteness and Decolonising the Curriculum’. Again, this event was able to be held in-person at Regent’s Park College, with thirty people in Helwys Hall and even more people accessing the event remotely.

I am indebted to colleagues who assisted with the technology and the layout of the room, as well as the hospitality and the meal afterwards.

The Oxford Centre for Prospects and Global Development Institute DR SHIDONG WANG, FRSA, DIRECTOR OF THE OXFORD PROSPECTS AND GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE

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or the Oxford Prospects and Global Development Institute, Hilary Term 2021 brought a continuation of our online ‘In Conversations’, inaugurated the previous Michaelmas to cross-culturally address Covid-instigated concerns. In a special ‘Restoring’ series, Professor Sir Malcolm Evans (University of Bristol Law School), Professor Dennis Snower (Blavatnik School of Government) and Professor Ian Goldin (Oxford Martin School) each engaged in conversations with counterpart experts on revitalising global cooperation through

international law, reversing degradation of the ecosystem, and reforming the global trading system, respectively.

A fourth conversation, on rebuilding trust in law and order, engendered a Restorative Justice seminar series led

by Dr Myra Blyth, with intensively participative online sessions that will continue into 2022, as the foundational stage for an in-person Symposium planned for late 2022 – so stay tuned for updates! Criminal justice scholars and practitioners in the UK, Europe and China have entered a year-long collaborative discussion and deliberation on this important socio-legal topic.

The year’s highlight was the inauguration of the Oxford-Beijing Normal University Creative Writing Award, under the auspices of the OPGDI’s Mo Yan International Writing Centre, chaired by Regent’s Honorary Fellow and Nobel laureate Mo Yan. This competition for a short story attracted seventy highstandard entries from students across the collegiate University. Twenty-two pieces were submitted to the UK Judging Panel, chaired by Boyd Tonkin (FRSL) and including judges Liz Trubridge (Executive Producer of Downton Abbey), Regent’s Dean Dr Lynn Robson and author Davis Bunn. The winning stories will be published by OPDGI in due course.

Several the OPGDI’s research efforts came to fruition of scholarly publication in 2021. Two of the Covid-themed ‘In Conversations’ – on ethical, legal and social considerations in using technology for pandemic response management, and on blended learning in higher education were published alongside an introductory article in IEEE Technology and Society Magazine. We were immensely proud and privileged to dedicate our new book, Technology, Society and Ethics, to outgoing Regent’s Principal Rob Ellis – this volume features contributions from cross-global scholars on sociotechnology, equitable vaccine distribution, cybersecurity, digital currency, modern slavery, all addressed within a framework of conceptual ethical values.

As within the College as a whole, the OPGDI sustained its undergraduate exchanges throughout an otherwise inhospitable year. Our Visiting Students Programme brought twenty-seven students to the University for the current academic year, five of them joining Regent’s Park College!

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The Revd Beth Allison-Glenny Regent’s alumna Revd Beth Allison-Glenny tells us about her return to Regent’s as the new Chaplain, Head of Welfare and Tutorial Fellow in Theology, and shares her passion for pastoral and welfare issues.

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hen I was asked to write about my return to Regent’s, I’ve found myself reflecting on all the ways I have never quite left.

I did my ministerial formation and MTh in Applied Theology here a decade ago. I wore out the M40 as I travelled in from a little Free Church chapel in Leicestershire each week and spent two days with the rest of the ministerial cohort thinking, learning, praying, debating and - I’ll be honest – testing out a few of Oxford’s finest watering holes. As I finished at Regent’s, John Bunyan Baptist Church in Cowley called me, and so I found myself only a mile away, which was extremely handy for the Bodleian access whilst finishing off my dissertation.

I remember spending an afternoon in the ‘RadCam’ reading womanist critiques of feminism for failing to comprehend fully the privileges of ethnicity, class and education.

As I was trying to make sense of what I

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had read and how to assimilate it into my work, I went to chair a deacon’s meeting.

We were having a conversation about doing a bible study in multiple languages; I was determined to be inclusive and accessible.

‘That won’t work,’ a deacon pointed out to me frankly. They went on: hadn’t I noticed those individuals who were unable to read at all, and the times other people signed the cards on their behalf? The privilege of an Oxford education was a lesson I learned in my soul that day. It was a ten-minute cycle ride, but a world apart.

I returned to Regent’s each year for Repast and, even after I moved on from Cowley, I got the joy of returning to teach the ministerials on an ad hoc basis and even preaching in college Chapel. For the past three years I served as the Public Issues Enabler for the Baptist Union of Great Britain, blending together theology, politics and life in the public square. A lot of my role was to be part of the ecumenical Joint Public Issues Team, at that point the Baptist, Methodist, United Reformed and Church of Scotland Churches all working together in partnership on matters of peace

and justice. There was a deep joy in working with a group of Christians who were simultaneously so kind and so fierce in their pursuit of what is good; using their expertise, time and passion to advocate to make a better world and a better church.

The thing I missed, however, was the pastoral care. When the Chaplaincy at Regent’s was advertised, it was a sense of being called back home. I was passionate about the effects the pandemic was having on those who were at formative life stages, and I thought it would be a huge honour to work with students whose lives have been so brutally interrupted and who will have to inherit a climate crisis in their lifetime. Then Oxford can come with some huge pressures (not least from ourselves), as we bring the brightest and most brilliant of people together from across the world.

I’m a term in now, and it’s been a whirlwind of new learning and a behind-thescenes view of a college community I knew well. I’m really glad I leaned into that call to come; being here – and most of all, getting to be with the people here - remains a privilege for which I am very grateful.

Dr Tareq Moqbel

Meet the new Research Fellow in the Study of Love in Religion, and read about his fascination with the phenomenon of Scripture.

I

came to Regent’s Park from the University of Westminster where I taught English Law and Islamic finance for seven years, after completing my doctoral degree at the University of Durham. In tandem with my lectureship at Westminster, I pursued further postgraduate study in theology and scriptural interpretation at the universities of Cambridge (Faculty of Divinity) and Oxford (Faculty of Oriental Studies).

Initially I was interested in the exegesis of the Qurʾān and its reading traditions.

During my research on the ambiguity of the Qurʾānic text, I developed an interest in Bible interpretation, and was fascinated by the shared hermeneutical strategies of the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim interpretive traditions.

Although different logics are at work, I enjoyed exploring how these scriptural traditions can and do influence each other.

Using different lenses allowed me to see things in different ways, and bringing the Bible and the Qurʾān together enriched my understanding of their rich superstructures.

What fascinates me about the phenomenon of Scripture—in its different manifestations—is that it appears to resist ready-made theories. While literary theories can help us to unfold various aspects of revealed messages, I slowly understood that sometimes they simply don’t work. Scripture demands that we listen, and listen very hard, before imposing any explanation. Struggling with, and plumbing, the language of Scripture is what delights me and keeps me moving, though sometimes I will feel lost and alone.

These, and similar ideas, are what I try to articulate in my teaching and research.

At Regent’s Park, I work with Professor Paul Fiddes in the Programme for the Study of Love in Religion. Again, my passion with scriptural interpretation guides me, and so my research centres on the idea of ‘love’ and how the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim exegetes employed this idea to interpret their respective scriptures. Currently, I am examining St. Ephrem the Syrian and Ibn

ʿArabī the Andalusian and the place of love in their understanding of the Bible and the Qurʾān respectively. I am looking forward to sharing my research with the lovely community of Regent’s Park.

Outside of my work, I enjoy spending time with my family and our cat Philo, as well as speaking with my parents, Hesham and Eman, my continuous source of love, grace, and wisdom.

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REGENT’S NOW FEATURES

WIPO

In Conversation with Dr Francis Gurry

Alumnus Professor Sir Malcolm Evans sits down with the former Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organisation Malcolm Evans: Which paths have led you to significant achievements both personally and by WIPO during your time with them?

Francis Gurry: Malcolm Evans As you know better than I, international cooperation is a very difficult task. To actually accomplish an agreement - whether a formal treaty, or a practical arrangement between states - is a very difficult thing to achieve, because you have such inequalities in the world.

Just as a minor example, if you look at investment in research and development, the US invests $540 billion in research and development every year, and China invests

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about $480 billion. Those two sums are more than the individual GDP of 160 countries.

So, you have the two superpowers, - and I know I’m comparing apples and oranges - investing more in the creation of new knowledge than 160 countries have at their disposal for security, defence, health, infrastructure, and all the other public goods that we expect of the government.

So, I don’t think you can exaggerate the inequalities in this world, and those in the field of technology are exacerbated by the speed of change in technology and by these enormous sums of investment.

In that context, I think about what we managed to do in terms of formal treaties.

For example, we concluded a treaty for giving access for blind and visually impaired persons to published works. If you take Harry Potter, there was an exception at the national level to break copyright to make an accessible format

copy of the book, for example a Braille copy, where there was no commercially available copy in in the accessible format. But, the exception being national law, it meant that a separate braille copy of Harry Potter was produced in the UK, in Canada, in the United States, in Australia and in New Zealand. Well, that’s a waste – four other books which could have been made into a Braille copy. But it happened because these exceptions were national law exceptions to the nationally applicable copyright.

What the treaty did was create an international rule that you must have such an exception, and the exceptions at the national level must be able to talk to each other. That was one of my most heart-warming experiences because by the time we got through the process of negotiation, everyone was on board. Usually in international affairs a measure of success is that everyone is equally unhappy, and this was a rare instance of everyone being equally happy!

ME: What is your view on Internet regulation, where the only thing there’s consensus on is that something has to be done, but nobody knows quite what that something is?

FG: If individual national approaches are adopted, there is a great risk of a ‘splinternet’.

And that is, arguably, what is developing within the sites of China and Russia, who really don’t want to be told how to govern or regulate the Internet space by others. At the same time, you have a big push for opening, but in that push you have to deal with the catastrophes of the excesses of social media in terms of misinformation and giving a voice to arguably hate-inciting views.

ME: Here’s an example of that classic problem where two extreme ends of a spectrum between them prevent the emergence of a consensus in the middle: on one side, those in the digital industry who would want to instrumentalise digital technology, and on the other, the extreme libertarians who believe it ought to be unregulated because that is the beauty of the area. Then in the middle is everybody else who suffers because of these two extremes.

FG: I think you’re absolutely right, and I don’t know how we’re going to solve that one because it’s quite clear that the Internet is really the ‘Wild West’. And, if you follow that analogy, you can see that people have occupied spaces and are constructing their own communities in this space which is ‘no person’s land’. Out of that eventually comes California, of course! But that’s a very long process, and we don’t have the luxury of that time in this new frontier that we’re seeing now.

ME: We’ve always had other forms of entities which have been on the periphery in some regards, but are at least recognised as international actors because of both their influence and the unorthodox ways in which they relate to other actors within the international community. There’s doubtless a provocative article to be written about whether Microsoft or Facebook should be given a form of international personality.

But, at the moment, they’re not necessarily subject to the same control and restriction and responsibilities.

FG: It’s quite clear that the Googles, the Microsofts, and the Amazons of this world have a financial and economic power which translates into a political, soft persuasive power which is much greater than most of the least developed countries. Whether we like it or not, since the mid-90s, there has been this great emphasis on privatisation, which has led to a situation in which we see that there

has been an enormous transfer of financial resources from states to the private sector. At the same time, since commercial activity was first authorised for the Internet in 1995, there’s been a transfer of information resources from the public sector to the private sector.

I was struck when the Charlie Hebdo incident occurred in Paris to see a photograph published in the media of Francois Hollande, then President of France, watching the events unfold on television. That’s a head of a government, of a major power, and he’s getting his information from CNN or whichever the equivalent was.

The consequence of this enormous transfer of information and financial resources from the public sector is you have to bring the private sector somehow into the formulation of the rules that are going to constitute our governance structure. But then, of course, you have the classic problem of governance: dealing with multiple conflicts of interest.

On the part of developing countries you have a great deal of resentment about this.

They say, ‘We don’t have a private sector so how can we be represented within such a government structure? We don’t have companies that can compete in this sphere’.

This is part of the inequality equation that is rapidly developing. Inequality is usually measured in terms of financial or economic capacity; but, these days, you also have to measure it in terms of technological, data or information capacity.

ME: In intellectual property, the struggle of ownership over technology has become key. Do you think intellectual property has become too politicised?

FG: In many respects, yes. I don’t see that being changed very easily. To put it very crudely, technology is a source of economic and military power, and intellectual property controls access to the latest expressions of technology. A major factor for its politicisation is the relationship between the two major powers in the world, China and the United States. We have a situation which is very deeply concerning, because the measures of containment that the United States are imposing on China - and again I’m trying to observe rather than to make judgments - risk causing a closure in the world that is a reversal of one of the beneficial effects of globalisation over the last forty years, namely that of opening.

I know globalisation is not without its difficulties, but a benefit I’m personally very much in favour of is openness; and this closure would be a massive failure, I think,

of an instrument which has many problems, but which also has such extraordinary benefits to give.

ME: To what extent is it possible to change the often backwards-looking culture that besets international organisations in order to get this new dynamism that one is looking for?

FG: It’s great challenge. Getting people to realise that they’re just a small cog in a massive, complex architecture of wheels that’s the big culture change that’s needed.

One of the helpful things that’s happened in the last twenty to thirty years is what they call in our world ‘open innovation’. To some extent the model of the 20th century was that each corporation had its own research and development department, and then it produced its innovations out of that. Then they realized, partly because of networking possibilities and greater international collaboration facilitated by globalization, that it’s unlikely that in one laboratory, no matter how big the company, they’re going to have all the brain power in the world. So you have to reach out and establish collaborative relations with a range of other people, including your competitors. And you create this open innovation network where the objective is to profit from the innovative work that’s going on in a great many different instances.

That’s what the UN has to do, I think. It has to realize that it’s just one player amongst many, that it’s got no special status and, let’s be frank, that nobody listens to it these days. It has to reach out and establish the collaborative relations which will bring it down off its pedestal and give it a more innovative culture.

Dr Francis Gurry is a Visiting Fellow of Regent’s Park College. From 2008 until 2020, Dr Gurry was Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), the global forum for intellectual property services, policy, information and cooperation. We were delighted to welcome Dr Gurry in October 2021 where he met with staff and students to discuss themes around intellectual property and the role of international organisations.

Professor Sir Malcolm Evans KCMG, OBE is an alumnus of Regent’s Park College (Jurisprudence, 1979), and member of the Governing Body. A legal scholar with expertise in the law of the sea and the international protection of human rights, he is Professor of Public International Law at the University of Bristol.

With grateful thanks to Kevin Fitzgerald CMG (Modern History, 1980, Greyfriars)

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New Approaches to Human-Animal Relations:

Revealing the connections between animal liberation and human emancipation Professor Alice Crary

H

aving previously taken up the role of Fellow in Philosophy and Christian Ethics at Regent’sPark College from 2018-2019, I am delighted to return as Visiting Fellow. I am very pleased that Kate Kirkpatrick has joined Regent’s, and I look forward to working with her on finding ways to help philosophy flourish at the College. During 2021-2022, I will be finishing two books about human-animal relations, along with several more or less related co-edited projects. Both of the books place questions about the treatment of animals in larger contexts with an eye to addressing the urgency they have today, in the midst of unfolding environmental catastrophe and at a time when it is undeniable that the human use and devastation of animals, and their habitats, represent a threat to the continued existence not only of animals but of human beings, and of a living earth.

A guiding thread of the two projects is that destructive practices which directly or indirectly kill animals are to a great extent integrated into institutions that also marginalise and subject human outgroups. This suggests not only that meaningful attempts to respond to the plight of animals have to engage with political and economic systems that harm and subjugate vulnerable human beings, but also that meaningful attempts to resist some entrenched oppressive structures that harm humans have to address systems that devalue the lives of non-human animals. The pair of books I am completing, both written for a general audience, approach human-animal relations from each of these two directions.

One of the books, Animal Crisis, co-written with American philosopher Lori Gruen (Wesleyan University), is an appeal to fundamentally reconceive animal ethics insofar as it has, over the course of its roughly half-century in existence, grown up in isolation from social theories devoted to exposing damaging social structures affecting humans and the non-human animal world.

A central theme of the book is that the failure of some traditional approaches to animal ethics to register and challenge these structures lets animals down. In moving towards a more helpful vision, it draws on resources from ecofeminism, theories of racial capitalism and related critical theories.

Each of the text’s seven chapters opens with a narrative that illustrates the suffering of particular animals in particular

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... the failure of some traditional approaches to animal ethics to register and challenge these structures lets animals down ...

settings, together with the subjugation of humans in those same contexts. We talk about orangutans and habitat destruction in Indonesia; about pigs and human workers in meat-packing plants in Iowa; about a pair of cows who escape from a small-scale dairy in New York State; about a humanoctopus relationship; about rats as creatures both reviled by humans and endowed with their own peculiar dignity; about parrots captured, traded and caged; and, finally, about ticks, together with mosquitos and other insects, as both harmful to humans and vital for the world’s ecosystems.

By the time you are reading this article in Regent’s Now, Animal Crisis will be weeks away from publication at Polity, and I will be focused on completing a second book, which I started writing before taking a break to join up with Gruen to write Animal Crisis, arguing that meaningful responses to many entrenched modes of human oppression have to include revaluation of the lives of animals.

The starting point of this book - Radical Animal - is the prevalence of dehumanising practices that compare maligned humans to pigs and dogs, as well as to rats and other animals seen as pestilential, thereby making way for horrific violence.

Two other co-edited projects I care deeply about are now in, or almost in, the pipeline.

Together with Matthew Congdon, last year I guest edited an issue of Philosophical Topics entitled Social Visibility, bringing together the work of a number of social philosophers, political theorists and public intellectuals (David Beaver, Dwayne Betts, Susan J. Brison, Matthew Congdon, Robert Gooding-Williams, Lori Gruen, Sandra Laugier, Karen Ng, Anika Simpson, Jason Stanley, Paul C. Taylor, Shatema Threadcraft and myself) who are thinking about what ideology critique amounts to in original and politically pertinent ways. Due to pandemic-

members of Indigenous, racialised and colonised groups- - who do the work of social reproduction. Now ‘progress’ is conceived so that it is premised on understanding living and non-living nature as free resources and devaluing the contributions of socially susceptible people. We are led to see practices that destroy animals and the natural world as interwoven with those that marginalise human groups, laying the groundwork for recognising how and why the revaluation of animal life is essential for finding more just forms of life.

While finishing the story of Radical Animal, I will be completing another co-edited project. As part of the project of reshaping animal ethics so that it has more political traction, I have been developing a critique of Effective Altruism or EA, a philanthropic movement begun by two philosophers here at Oxford ten years ago. (The most worked-out version of my critique to date is here: www.radicalphilosophy. com/article/against-effective-altruism.) Although many EA adherents are sincerely pro-animal, their increasingly ubiquitous interventions in animal advocacy are undercutting the valuable work of many animal defenders, sometimes in intensely damaging ways. Aiming to showcase the views of those who are actually doing the work of animal and human liberation, I am working with animal rights advocate Carol Adams and Lori Gruen on an edited collection, The Good It Promises, the Harm It Does: Critical Essays on Effective Altruism, which contains, together with pieces by activist academics, essays by animal activists who lead or work in proanimal organisations. This collection, due out with Oxford University Press in 2022, highlights harmful aspects of EA while also shedding important light on meaningful ways to contribute to animal advocacy.

Photo by Simone Millward on Unsplash

For instance, in the US, human beings identified as Black were dehumanized through modes of animalization that were partly constitutive of chattel slavery and that, despite having taken different forms over time, are still integral to structures of antiBlack racism today.

People who set out to fight dehumanisation often take it that the best approach is to insist on the superior humanity of those targeted, thus reasserting the abjection of animals, a strategy that is traced out within prominent contemporary discussions of dignity and human rights, and that is sometimes locally effective for purposes of human liberation. Yet, emancipatory efforts that thus rehearse or reaffirm the subjugation of animals, without contesting social mechanisms that hurt animals alongside socially vulnerable humans, risk perpetuating practices that treat some human beings as disposable.

At the heart of Radical Animal are three chapters that comment on historical episodes in which people were animalised on the basis of cognitive disability, race and gender. One chapter, e.g., traces the use of disparaging animal comparisons in memoranda, speeches and propaganda films related to T4, the 1939-1945 Nazi program in which 300,000 cognitively disabled and mentally ill individuals were killed. A second chapter focuses on related mechanisms of animalisation in Nazi antisemitism. The narratives of both chapters explore tension between some contemporary animal defenders’ misappropriations of these historical episodes and efforts by some advocates for those targeted by animalising ideologies to organise resistance around the idea that the oppressed are humans, not animals. The goal is to trace out the complexity of these dialogues with a view to bringing out how as an approach to agitating for human liberation - even setting aside the human costs, and wrongness, of treating animals as disposable - reinscribing the subjugation of animals remains problematic.

The opening chapter of Radical Animal sets the stage for this intervention with a story about major contributions to ecofeminism, a now fifty-year-old theoretical frame and political project that grew out of overlapping concerns of the women’s and environmental movements. Ecofeminist theorising centres on a multifaceted critique of capitalist modernity that in some ways can be seen to build on and deepen the early work of Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer. One strand of ecofeminist thought involves intellectual histories, reaching back to the early modern period, that describe how the exercise of reason comes to be understood as involving a commitment to value-neutrality.

This image of reason becomes influential together with tolerance for new destructive interventions into nature and new forms of exploitation of people - above all, women and

Professor Alice Crary is Visiting Fellow in Philosophy and Christian Ethics at Regent’s Park College and University Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at The New School for Social Research in New York.

The exchange with Professor Crary printed above is from November 2021.

related delays at the press, our “Spring 2021” issue is not yet out but we hope to see it very, very soon.

Over the same period of time, I worked with two other advisors to American philosopher Stanley Cavell’s literary estate, Nancy Bauer and Sandra Laugier, to bring out the first volume of Cavell’s Nachlass. Here and There: Sites of Philosophy, a marvelous collection of Cavell’s unpublished and uncollected occasional pieces that captures his distinctive voice and characteristic philosophical procedures, due out with Harvard University Press spring 2022.

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REGENT’S NOW FEATURES

Old Faces in New Frames:

The past, the present, and our college portraits Dr Leif Dixon

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t must be a confusing time to be a portrait or a statute. For decades you sat there, largely ignored, just part of the metaphorical furniture. And yet today your existence is either a profound affront to all modern values, or conversely your removal from public view would represent the end of civilisation as we know it. It is no less confusing to be a watcher of these historical representations. The Victorian scientist, Thomas Henry Huxley – long lauded as a progressive advocate of evolution, secularism, and women’s education – has been publicly disassociated from a London university building because he was about as racist as most other Victorian academics.

Four protestors have just been acquitted for toppling a statue of the slave trader Edward Colston – an action which, they cleverly argued, has actually increased its historical and monetary value. And yet Rhodes still stands, larger than life; and yet is now accompanied by a tiny plaque describing him as a ‘committed colonialist.’

Compromises are sometimes good. And sometimes not.

When a professional historian thinks that a person in the past is not as significant as was once thought, the result is that they stop being written about. By an osmosis of scholarly neglect, they simply recede from view. But it is not so easy with historical commemorations because they are already here, demanding to be seen in a way that books never demand to be read. They therefore create a pointed cultural problem for us because inaction represents a value judgement and decision in itself. To actively remove these representations of (or lightning rods to) historical values and narratives that we may now find offensive or simply no longer relevant, risks charges of historical vandalism. To stick with them, however, prompts the accusation that we are still celebrating things that we now know to be sexist or racist. There are no easy solutions.

Along with several colleagues – most prominently Drs Chris Joynes and Kate Kirkpatrick – I’ve been asked to help us to review our portraits and, more to the point, to help us to achieve a shared framework for thinking about what is and isn’t appropriate for historical commemorations in the future. Unfortunately, though, the wider cultural debate about these issues has become polarised.

Two extremes, in particular, need to be challenged.

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... the past has always been moulded by the present: that is simply how history is made.

The first error is to say that the present has an automatic obligation to preserve the past, that we cannot impose our values on it, and so whatever is done should never be undone. This argument is fundamentally flawed in three ways. One, no past society to my knowledge has ever done this: the present continually re-makes the past – it cannot help itself. Even societies which have spent a very long time apparently idolising the same historical figure, event or era can be found, on closer inspection, to be emphasising, forgetting, and re-writing different parts of the story as they go along. Second, I actually have no idea how this continuity argument is supposed to work in practice – do new things get added but nothing ever taken down? Does a 4th rate portrait have to stay in a gallery even if new and exciting artists could make better use of the wall space? Was it wrong for Iraqis to topple the statue of Saddam Hussain in 2003? Are we simply supposed to become a society of history hoarders? Third, professional historians simply do not engage with the past in this way. We make judgements about the significance of things all the time. We also do not study the past wholly on its own terms – the reason that historical approaches change is that our study represents a mediation between the realities of the past and the values of the present. This is why histories of non-elite, non-male, and non-white people are written so abundantly today, but were not written by the – equally good – historians of a century ago. In sum, the argument that historical commemorations must be eternal strikes me as so historically illiterate that it seems primarily to serve as a smoke-screen for culture-war-making against ‘woke’ opinion.

The opposite view is that we should give commemoration space to nothing that disagrees with our current values. My concern is that the admirable moral concerns which underlie this argument are offset by a determination to turn the historical past into a set of abstract ‘universal’ values, uprooted

from their original contexts, designed solely to serve present agendas. If historical figures are simply discarded because they shared the social values of an age that we now find distasteful, then how can we hope to tangle with the complexities of our own day? And where does this search for moral purity end? Can any potential role model survive a quest for perfection? And how would we like thoughtful, morally-conscious people in the future to judge us? Would we want them to learn nothing positive from us as they wrestled with the complex similarities and differences between their worldviews and ours?

Clearly then, this is an issue that demands a nuanced response. But above all it does require a response: it simply is not justifiable to let portraits hang just because that’s what they’ve always done. In my view, we should keep the following guiding principles at the centre of our thinking: Consultation. The College’s portraits belong to all of us. We have already conducted some surveys among the JCR and MCR communities, but we want to hear from everyone who has a view. We are currently thinking about how best to engage with all parts of our community.

Clarity. What are our historical commemorations for? Are they more like museum pieces which serve as a neutral, if incomplete, record of our college’s heritage, or are they things which should be expected to interact more directly with the present, for instance to inspire or to create a sense of belonging?

Education. As a centre of learning, the very least that we can expect is to be given important information upon which to base our own judgements. Every historical commemoration in college, without exception, should carry some basic biographical information: and I would argue that more is better than less.

Accountability. Every contextual plaque should also present a reason why that person is being commemorated. It doesn’t have to be a reason that everybody agrees with, but there must be an accountability so that in the future it is possible for decisions to be revisited if the reason given simply ceases to be a good one.

Empathy. This is both about listening and imagining. We need to listen to those who stand in different places from us, and to think about why their view might differ from ours. This also goes from the present into the past. We need to try to consider things from the perspective of the historical subject we’re discussing. What was the relationship between their worldview and that of the culture from which they stemmed?

And not only ‘what did they do?’, but ‘why did they do it?’ What power did they have (or lack), and what possibilities were open to them?

The future. As a historian I’m always going to struggle with the idea that less history is a good thing: often there is too much focus on what should be stripped away, but much less on what should stand in its place. I would like to re-frame this debate therefore, to focus on what we want our collection to include in the future. This project has already started: the faces of Professor Pamela Sue Anderson, Professor Jane Shaw and Nobel Laureate Mo Yan, for instance, speak to a fresh and contemporary understanding of our college. Let us think creatively about the possibilities inherent in commemoration, and about the ways in which the past, present and future can be made to interact.

These are the conversations that we need to be having. And they are important and positive conversations for us to have, even – perhaps especially – when they are also difficult. We owe it to ourselves – and the subjects of our portraits – to do better.

Dr Leif Dixon is Supernumerary Fellow & Director of Studies in History at Regent’s Park College.

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REGENT’S NOW STUDENTS

A Year in the JCR ROSIE WALSH

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t has certainly been a strange year for the JCR across 2020/2021, as for everyone, but despite the difficulties faced across this period, our student community has risen admirably to these challenges, demonstrating the close sense of community which characterises College as well as the resilience of our undergraduate cohort.

Michaelmas term started with a socially distanced Freshers’ Week, presenting new challenges to those responsible for organising events.

Despite this, the week was a success, with a number of inventive ideas which enabled our new students to be welcomed to the Regent’s community. The second half of Michaelmas saw the JCR come together to celebrate Advent in inventive ways, including a switching on of the Christmas Tree lights and Christmas biscuit decorating within social bubbles. We also held a Christmas raffle, complete with mulled wine and mince pies, which raised over £350 for the mental health charity, Mind. The online Advent

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service also saw a range of wonderful contributions from the College community with JCR members singing, playing the guitar, and drawing on a range of other creative ways to maintain festive traditions.

Hopes for Hilary term were for a move to normality, but instead we experienced an extension of remote learning and many of our students, unable to return to Oxford, remained at home for the term. The JCR once again demonstrated great resilience and creativity in adapting to a remote term, and despite the increased restrictions found ways of connecting online to retain our sense of community. Across the term there were a number of online socials,

Rosie Walsh was President of the Junior Common Room (2020-2021) and an undergraduate student reading for the BA in History and English (2019).

Brews, and Welfare events, enabling members of the JCR to come together from across the world. In addition to this, the beginning of Hilary saw an online Burns Night celebration which brought the common rooms together to celebrate what is normally one of the term’s highlights. The JCR also used this opportunity to reflect on how we can make Regent’s Park a more inclusive and welcoming space, involving a number of student consultations and work with the College Equalities Committee.

The JCR was pleased to see a staggered return to college in Trinity term for some students and were grateful to be able to host some in person events and start to return to the ‘normal’ way of college life. Socials, Brews, and other events were able to resume in a limited capacity and, come rain or shine, saw members of our community come together. Towards the end of term, we were able to celebrate a number of Regent’s traditions, including a Finalists’ Formal, a birthday celebration for Emmanuelle to raise money for Meningitis Now, and a Recognition evening to celebrate those members of the JCR who have represented Regent’s Park within the wider university with activities which spanned sports and journalism to drama and charity work. Weekly college barbecues, introduced at the start of Trinity, were popular with the JCR, another enjoyable addition to college life that allowed the common rooms to come together.

The term ended with a Valedictory service in the Quad, a lovely end to the year which celebrated the hard work and achievements of those who were graduating.

Although this year has certainly presented challenges to the undergraduate community, the array of activities and events in which our members have partaken are testament to the initiative and resilience of our JCR community.

The JCR has continued to contribute to college life and across the wider university, and despite the turbulent nature of the past year continue to demonstrate the best of Regent’s Park College.

A Year in the MCR STÉPHANIE GERRITSEN

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ast year was an extraordinary year, a year like no other, and we are only now starting to realise that we have had a one-of-akind Oxford experience.

Michaelmas 2020 started with lots of hope. Everyone hoped the academic year would slowly change into a normal one. Thankfully, the MCR was made up of enthusiastic students who were determined to make the best out of the current situation.

The MCR committee looked at the possibilities instead of the problems when faced with organising another year of virtual or socially-distanced activities. We hosted several online events and we organised a weekly walking scheme that allowed us to meet new people and get out into the fresh air for much-needed walks during the lockdown.

Alas! Hilary Term was more complicated as Covid cases rose and the College was forced to close. We were studying from home, wherever home was. During weekly virtual MCR formal halls, we gave online Google Maps tours of the cities where

we lived or grew up, and on one special occasion even (now former) Principal Rob Ellis virtually showed us around Cardiff. During these dinners, we also explained the local foods that we were eating, though time differences meant that some of us were actually on breakfast-time!

When Trinity Term arrived, those of us who were able to move back to Oxford were more than ready to take on the final term of the year.

The MCR committee re-organised most of the activities that were previously cancelled, which resulted in a marathon of essential Oxford things one should do while an Oxford student. We went punting, drank Pimm’s, organised a BBQ, made good on missed pub nights, visited other colleges, ate brunch, held pre-drinks before formal hall, and had lots of in-person fun.

During the final weeks of Trinity 2021, we also took a trip to Blenheim Palace, and surrounded by that palatial grandeur we realised that the interior design of our beloved MCR was seriously lacking – in addition to being rather dark because of its basement location, the purple walls weren’t helping. Redecorating the MCR had been an agenda point for over a year at MCR committee meetings, but we never actually

Stéphanie Gerritsen was Vice-President of the Middle Common Room (2020-2021) and a graduate student reading for the MSt in Modern Languages (2020).

started. But inspired by Blenheim, the first strokes of fresh paint were on the walls. Naturally, the project took a little longer than expected; but, after several adventures to B&Q and Oxfam, the MCR now has wainscoting, decorative marble elements, a fireplace, and a far more pleasant and light colour scheme.

Although the 2020-2021 academic year had its ups and downs, we certainly have made the most of it.

It really felt like the right group of people came together at the right time, allowing us to turn this academic year into the best possible one considering the circumstances. I have personally had the best year at university, and I truly hope my peers did too.

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REGENT’S NOW STUDENTS

A Year in the Ministerial Community ALEX PUGH

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s any budding ministerial student knows, a key practice in formation for ministry is theological reflection. As a cohort, we are encouraged to regularly reflect on how our beliefs and our theology impacts what we do. To put this in terms that will hopefully reassure Dr Anthony Clarke of our ongoing development, we reflect on the relationship between our espoused and operant theologies. Often, we discover that the two are not as good friends as we had hoped.

In reflecting on the past year for the ministerial community and the continued impact of the pandemic, the disparity between what we say we believe (espoused theology) and what we do (operant theology) has been exposed in ways we could never have imagined. For those of us working in churches and amongst faith communities we, like the rest of society, have been tirelessly trying to navigate through this global crisis and find new ways of being and doing ‘church’. One key message through all of this has been the reminder that ‘church is more than a building’. This phrase has appeared on church walls, been posted on social media and websites, and has even featured in newspaper headlines. Whilst many of us would agree with this statement, we have had to face the reality this might just be where our espoused and operant theologies need some reconciliation.

In speaking with the ministerial cohort about how their churches and communities have responded to the challenges of the past year, I have been encouraged by hearing

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some incredible stories of how they have adapted and transformed the way they ‘do’ church and how they have found new ways to support their local communities. The majority have transitioned to online platforms, such as Zoom, Facebook, and YouTube to enable their communities to keep connected and to continue to ‘gather’ together. The significance of this transition is that church is no longer defined by, or limited to, geographical boundaries and some have even experienced international reach. This has also

Alex Pugh is the Ministerial Association Representative (2020-2021) and a graduate student reading for the BTh Theology (2019).

transformed experiences of ‘church’ beyond that of a Sunday gathering, reinforcing that our faith is integral to everyday life. Many churches have found new ways to support and disciple their communities.

Some initiatives include open air services and events, virtual meals using Deliveroo vouchers, drive-thru charity collections, and car park socials. Additionally, the impact of social distancing has also led to an increased awareness of those in our communities who are vulnerable and isolated, particularly those without access to technology. Food parcels, phone calls, pharmacy collections, ‘dial-a-sermon’ phonelines, cards and letters, and buddy schemes are just some examples of how our churches have been keeping in touch with those who are most in need.

Now that many church buildings have reopened and people can gather again physically, for some, a hybrid approach remains. However, the challenge for those of us working in these environments is whether the improved relationship between our espoused and operant theologies will hold. Will we continue to live out the belief that church really is more than a building? As we have learned, and always knew, the Church is the people and its role now, more than ever, is to provide support to our communities in which we live. It’s our heart that it will be a place of refuge and a source of hope and healing as we continue to navigate through these difficult times together.

Student Recognition 2020/21 Each year, the College hosts a Recognition Dinner, when the community gathers in Helwys Hall to recognise the extracurricular achievements of its student members. And for the second year in a row, the annual Recognition was held with a covid-safe twist! With some restrictions still in place for Trinity 2021, students and staff eschewed a formal dinner in Helwys Hall in favour of a buffet reception under the marquees in a sunlit Quad. Outgoing Principal Rob Ellis delivered formal congratulations to students for their contributions to the wider University, and Dean Lynn Robson called for everyone to raise a glass after reading aloud the student achievements for 2020/2021, a particularly impressive list considering lock down. It is hugely rewarding to see Regent’s students excel even beyond the college walls – especially in such a difficult year!

There will have been many other student achievements in the last year besides those listed here, not to mention superb academic accomplishments – it is often, and rightly, said that Regent’s ‘punches above its weight’ in all areas of Oxford life – but this selection was singled-out by the student community for special mention.

We are delighted to recognise the achievements of: Maame Agyekum Secretary, OULGBTQ+ Society Marnie Ashbridge President, Oxford Pink Week Charlotte Baxendale Secretary, Oxford University Drama Society; and leading role in University production Caleb Brown Founding Editor, Reviews Section of the Journal of Theological Studies (www.jogts.org)

Nicholas Crompton Co-President, Oxford Forum for International Development

Natan Ornadel Committee member, Oxford University French Society

Jill Cushen News Editor, Cherwell

Jin Park Regent’s Park College representative, Oxford Inter-Collegiate Christian Union (OICCU)

Angela Eichhorst Section Editor, Culture Section of Cherwell Dec Foster Member of the ‘Out of the Blue’ acapella group Ginny Gough Social Secretary, Oxford Rugby Club Scarlett Haig Deputy Editor, Food Section of Cherwell Akshaya Kalaiyalahan Secretary, University Chess Club Natasha Mallett Marketing Director, 00 Productions Redvers Morrissey Played for University 3rd XI cricket vs Cambridge (13/05/21)

Beth Ranasinghe Member of the ‘Alternotives’ acapella group; leading roles in University productions Anna Steinbrich Vice President, Oxford Inter-Collegiate Christian Union (OICCU) Nicole Stimpson Events Officer, Oxford Junior Lawyers Against Poverty Jonathan Tevendale Student journalism - film, features, and Profile Editor of Cherwell.

Eliott Thompson Section Editor, The ISIS magazine

20 / 21

REGENT’S NOW ALUMNI AND FRIENDS

Alumni Answers I n Alumni Answers we want to learn more about our alumni and where life has taken them after graduation - and what better way to feed one’s curiosity than asking questions! In 2021 it was reported the number of school pupils in the UK taking Religious Studies at A-level had risen 6.1%, suggesting that a

Didi (Ogede) El-Mawas

D

idi (Ogede) El-Mawas (Theology, 2009) is Research and Insight Lead at the Chartered Governance Institute for UK and Ireland, where she leads the Business and Market Research Programme providing evidence-based strategic input to develop products and services that connect to market needs and interests within the broader business environment.

How did she find herself an undergraduate at Regent’s studying for a degree in theology? ‘Regent’s was my first choice. To give a bit of background, I found myself really interested in religion and moral philosophy at secondary school, and a good relationship with one of my tutors helped me because he really pushed me even to consider studying theology and philosophy at university. He was the one who told me that it was possible for me, because I had thought Oxford was a bit out of my reach. Through his wife, who had

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past decline is now being reversed as young people increasingly recognise the value of this subject.

A topic on which we know many of our alumni would have important insight, we asked three alumni to tell us about their time at Oxford and beyond, and to answer the question ‘Why study theology?’

gone to Oxford, he had connections with Regent’s and he told me how great it was for theology so I thought, if I was going to study theology, that was the place to be.’

Despite initial reservations about fitting in at Oxford, she found that the warm and open nature of the Regent’s tutors helped her feel at ease. ‘I sort of had this image of scary Oxford dons, but they were more human and down to earth than I imagined, so that was great. I felt that I could be free to talk with them and share my ideas. I threw myself into everything that was Regent’s - I headed up the College netball and croquet teams. I hadn’t played croquet before, but then found myself captain!’

Of course, Regent’s wasn’t only fun and games, it was also a challenging and exciting academic experience. ‘The benefits of studying theology are immense because it will give you knowledge and understanding of diverse philosophies and beliefs, and of the nature of belief and where that comes from, the different types of religious faiths around the world and how they connect and the common themes that run through them... it helps you understand people because at the heart of every individual is a belief system, whether they have a specific religious belief in a higher power or not. So, it’s understanding that and being able to appreciate people, their faith and the motivation for their actions, which I think are such invaluable skills for life.’

Didi also believes that studying theology has led her to excel in her career. ‘It has really been invaluable for me and my approach to research. I take a human-centred approach that is all about connecting with the customers’ views and instilling that within product development,

and that goes back again to what I was saying about theology helping you to understand people, and it’s really important to be able to ask tough questions because that’s where you get the real insight. Being at Regent’s has given me the mindset, the confidence and the ability to be able to do that, and to think beyond the narrow box.’

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r Bradley Onishi (MPhil Theology, 2005) is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Skidmore College in New York. Together with Regent’s alumnus Dan Miller (DPhil Theology, 2003), he co-hosts Straight White American Jesus (straightwhiteamericanjesus.com), a podcast on religion and politics affiliated with the Capps Center for the Study of Ethics, Religion, and Public Life at University of California, Santa Barbara.

If you expect Brad, a professor of Religious Studies, to have a great pitch for studying theology, then you won’t be disappointed. ‘If you want to teach Religious Education or to be a scholar at the university level, then studying theology is an obvious path. It’s a privilege to think and read books and discuss ideas – that’s a very privileged life, no matter how it plays out. Now, most folks who study theology or religion aren’t going to end up teaching, so why do it? The skills of critical thinking, of analysis, of reading, of looking at systems as a whole and being able to dissect the blind spots and the weak parts of an infrastructure or an approach to a problem, these are things that everyone from Google to your local non-profit value, and a degree in theology trains you to do those things.’

Dr Bradley Onishi

For Brad, theology is a way to study the existential and, for lack of a better word, moral questions that have always plagued

T

he Revd Dr Matthew Tennant is twice an alumnus of the College (MSt Theology, 2007; DPhil Theology, 2008), and now the Senior Minister at University Baptist Church in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Before he was called to Baptist ministry, Matthew’s various job titles included ‘scuba diving instructor in Puerto Rico’! ‘Going back just briefly to the mid-90s, my girlfriend (now my wife) was in another city so I applied for any jobs that would enable me to move and, although I had no particular interest in it, I ended up in a brokerage firm and moved up that corporate trajectory.’ Several years, multiple moves, and even an MBA later, he and his wife moved to Puerto Rico for her work – hence the scuba diving. When his second child was on the way, Matthew decided he wanted to do something in ministry: ‘It was sort of a theological quest to learn more about faith.’

Matthew and his wife attended churches of various denominations, but once he started to asking theological questions, ‘The nature of freedom and the role of freedom in Baptist theology kept me coming back to it.’ He and his family moved to Virginia where he attended the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond. ‘It was in seminary that I decided I really wanted to continue to ask some of these questions.

him. ‘The questions I address in my work as a theologian were the questions that I myself was asking as a human being, as an individual. Again, this goes back to my pitch for studying theology, you get to engage with questions about what kind of world we want to build and what kind of world we should build, and you can do that in very interdisciplinary ways, in ways that are in conversation with environmental studies or gender studies or so on.’ Looking back, he feels that Regent’s ‘provided a really nice landing spot for me to explore what I thought and what I was going to end up thinking about those things.’

While at Regent’s, Brad’s MPhil research focused heavily on thinking through the theological implications of new information technologies and living in a networked age. Thanks in

One of my professors, Stephen Brachlow (DPhil English, 1974), had studied at Regent’s and suggested I apply, so Regent’s was always my first choice.’

While at Oxford, Matthew lived in College with his wife and two children.

‘We have video of our children learning to ride their bikes in the Quad. Everyone from the Fellows to the undergraduates were just so warm to my children; it was such a friendly context. And the whole academic process of turning over every stone, and having supervisors who pushed but also encouraged, was an amazing experience.’

After only two years at Regent’s, Kilmarnock Baptist Church in Virginia called Matthew to be their pastor so he completed his doctoral thesis longdistance. ‘There were times where it was really hard,’ he admits,’ but I just dug deep and finished writing the darn thing’. In 2017 he moved with his family to Charlottesville, Virginia, where he has since been Senior Minister of the University Baptist Church which has proved to be an incredible match for his interests and skills. Because of his Regent’s DPhil, for example, he has been uniquely placed to facilitate the Richard E. Myers Lecture Series, hosted by the University Baptist Church and published by the University of Virginia Press. He insists, ‘I wouldn’t have been able to go

part to this academic experience, Brad and Regent’s alumnus Dan Miller, now Associate Professor of Religion and Social Thought at Landmark College in Vermont, recognised the impact their podcast on religion and American politics could have.

‘For me, doing the podcast is a matter of getting to reach out to scholars who I might not have spoken to before, reading their books and finding a way for us as a team to communicate the very important insights of their work to people listening who don’t have degrees in theology or aren’t postgraduates in philosophy, and really just need help understanding something as it comes to scripture or ethics or politics. When you can provide some aid in that’, he adds, ‘all the stuff we do as scholars – the reading, the writing, the exams, the Greek translation – comes home to roost.’

to UVA Press and convince them to let me edit a book series, if it weren’t for my connections from Oxford!’

So, why study theology? For Matthew, whether or not you are called to live a religious life, the answer is simple: ‘Critical thinking. Theology is going to help you develop the critical thinking skills that are transferable to any job or task that you’ll be called upon to do.’

The Revd Dr Matthew Tennant

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REGENT’S NOW ALUMNI AND FRIENDS

‘For he’s a jolly good fellow, and so say all of us!’

Bidding farewell to Maintenance Officer Bob Cowley

2

021 marked the end of an era at Regent’s Park College when, after twenty-one years as Maintenance Officer, Bob Cowley embarked on a well-earned retirement. The editors recently sat down with Bob to reflect on his long career and find out how he’s keeping busy now that he’s no longer keeping Regent’s running.

When the College publically announced Bob Cowley’s last day of work in September, the congratulations from students, staff and alumni flooded in. The consensus was that Bob is no less than a ‘total legend’, and one college alumna took to Twitter to declare, ‘Bob! What a star he was. Could fix anything except our existential crises’. True to form, though touched as he was by such kind messages, he still doesn’t understand what all the fuss was about. According to Bob, ‘It’s like any job, you just get on with it.’

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When Bob started at the College in 2000, it was only his second job since leaving school. Prior to Regent’s, he had worked almost thirty years for the same building firm, the last ten of those years as partner. But when his partner retired, Bob didn’t want to carry the firm alone and instead applied to be Maintenance Officer when the job came up.

Anyone who knows Bob knows that in addition to being extremely no-nonsense, hardworking and talented, he’s also extremely likeable, charismatic and –

dare we say it – just more than a bit cheeky. As we chat together in the SCR, other members of staff who originally thought they would pop in quickly for a tea or a coffee to-go change their plans and take a seat to join us. Bob has many an amusing story to tell about life at College over the years. When pressed for the most memorable emergencies he has been called to, he laughs as he recalls an exchange with a student that has always stuck with him: ‘A student once came to me and said there was water coming out of the lightbulb in his room, and he asked me if that was normal. My response was, well, what do you think?’

For all the trouble they might have occasionally caused him, Bob admits to missing the students and, in fact, that he didn’t enjoy the job as much when the students weren’t in college. So how is he faring in retirement? ‘I thought I was going to struggle with retirement,’ he says, ‘but this just comes naturally to me.’ Of course, Bob Cowley is not one for just sitting around.

He’s using this time to do a bit of baking, he’s making glass windows (including one with the College crest, he tells us), and he’s cycling at least twice a week – twenty miles at a time. But, best of all, he’s spending more time with his grandchildren, doing the school runs every day and taking them to the playground. ‘I’m getting to know all the mums down at the playground!’ he beams, ‘But I do miss the people at Regent’s and I miss the chatter and the banter.’

Everyone at Regent’s Park College certainly misses Bob too and looks forward to welcoming him back for a visit whenever he likes…and sampling his homemade cake!

In Memoriam

Membership of any Oxford college or hall does not end with graduation. Friendships are often sustained throughout life and we are always interested to follow and celebrate the achievements of old members. At Regent’s, we are grateful for the good links we manage to maintain with many alumni and friends, often over decades.

In this magazine, each year, we list the names of those members of the community whom we know to have died. In doing so, we give thanks for their contributions to College life and seek to have fellow alumni the opportunity to recognise their passing; relatives and friends are vital in ensuring that the College receives and is able to share this news. We regret any omission and please do write to us if this has happened.

The Revd Dr John Eifion Morgan-Wynne (3 October 2021) Theology, 1958; Dean and Tutor in New Testament 1965-1987 The following excerpts are taken from the sermon preached at his funeral by The Rt Revd Dr Keith Riglin, Chair of Governing Body.

John Morgan-Wynne, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, pastor of the church, scholar, and preacher; and to me a teacher, mentor and friend, was born on 11 May 1935 and died on 3 October after suffering a severe stroke some time before.

John was a scholar all his life. Every morning of every working day John would be in his study (in the winter with gloves on and no heating!) surrounded by books in English, German, and Greek. He kept up his scholarship all his life, continuing to publish well into retirement.

His joy for his subject was infectious. John’s career as a tutor at Regent’s Park College began quite early, unusually for those days. John believed he was appointed because of the support of the then Principal and his mentor, Gywnne Henton Davies. In fact, there had been a campaign led by students of Regent’s who had so enjoyed the lectures that John had been giving as a visiting lecturer.

At Regent’s, John was simply known as The Dean. As students we knew, with all his eccentricities and knowing that no one is perfect, that with John Morgan-Wynne you had the genuine article. He was beloved in College, and he and his wife Enid were renowned for their famous hospitality towards students.

John’s life of service to the church, to the academy, and to the world, spoke of a faith in which generosity and compassion were incarnated. He will be much missed.

In 2020/21, the College has lost: The Revd Bruce Lesley Keeble (7 January 2021) Director of Pastoral Theology 1981-1992 The Revd Geoffrey C. Ottaway (18 January 2021) Theology, 1950 The Revd Dr Robert Alastair Campbell (5 June 2021) Theology, 1970 The Revd Donald B. Jones (3 July 2021) Theology, 1950

The Revd Dr Anthony R. Cross (22 July 2021) Director of the Centre for Baptist History and Heritage (now Centre for Baptist Studies) 2009-2012 The Revd Arnold A. Anderson (13 August 2021) Ministry, 1956 Mark J. Treece (November 2021) Modern History, 1982 Michael McParland QC (9 December 2021) Greyfriars, Ancient and Modern History, 1978

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Keeping connected Telethon 2022

Gaudy Dinner for all alumni Saturday 2 April 2022, Regent’s Park College Book here: www.rpc.ox.ac.uk/alumni-friends/ events

We are delighted to be holding our first telethon for a number of years in the week of 20 June 2022.

A group of our brilliant students will be calling alumni to update you on College news and find out about your life after Oxford, as well as to look for support towards projects to make student life at Regent’s the best it can be. The telethon is a great way for past and current students with shared experiences to connect with one another, and is an important fundraising event for the College.

London Drinks Tuesday 5 July (provisional date – venue to be confirmed) Invitations to events are usually sent by email.

To ensure you hear about the latest events, please update your contact details using the form and reply paid envelope provided.

To hear about Regent's news, and for invitations to exclusive Regent's events throughout the year, please: • Update the contact details we hold for you. You can either complete and send the enclosed update form or email development@regents.ox.ac.uk • Follow Regent's on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn

Regent’s Park College, Pusey Street, Oxford OX1 2LB www.rpc.ox.ac.uk • development@regents.ox.ac.uk • (+44) 01865 288119 A Permanent Private Hall of the University of Oxford Regent’s Park College is a registered charity (charity number 1181801). It is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (company number 11470540), whose registered office is at Regent’s Park College, Pusey Street, Oxford OX1 2LB.

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Upcoming events for alumni and supporters