Zahra Hankir, a Lebanese British journalist and the editor of Our Women on the Ground, writes about the intersection of politics, culture, and society, particularly in the broader Middle East. Her work has appeared in publications including Condé Nast Traveler, The Observer Magazine, The Times Literary Supplement, BBC News, Al Jazeera English, Bloo…

Rana Mitter is Professor of the History and Politics of Modern China at Oxford University, and will shortly become S.T. Lee Professor of U.S.-Asia Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School. He is a celebrated British historian, a published author, and a regular presenter for BBC Radio 3. In this episode, he shares his view on how China's relationship…

We invite Luisa Leme, who has a decade's worth of experience heading multimedia projects in the Americas Society/Council of the, to share her experience with reporting on South America. Leme is interviewed by our South American Events Officer, Pippa Linden-Howes.

Suzanne Kianpour is an Emmy-nominated BBC journalist. She has reported on the frontlines of conflict all around the world, with her recent work including coverage of the protests in Iran following the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini. Additionally, Kianpour is the creator and host of “Women Building Peace”, a BBC series that connects women tr…

Regional economic/political unions are some of the most important organisations in our world today. We invite Fandi Achmad to discuss how unions like ASEAN, African Union, Mercosur, etc. can shape individual member states economically, politically, and socially. He is interviewed by marketing director Brandon Sambrano. Fandi Achmad is a DPhil candi…

Brian is a geopolitical strategist and advisor publishing extensively on Sino-American relations, statecraft in Asia, and the intersection of nascent technologies, political philosophy, and public policy. Currently pursuing a DPhil in Political Theory at Balliol College, Oxford, Brian graduated with a Distinction in the MPhil in Politics (Theory) a…

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander International Engagement Organisation (ATSIIEO) is a pioneering international development group founded and led by Jesse T Martin of the Wagadagam and Yuin peoples and Jack Collard, a proud Nyoongar man with cultural and ancestral ties to Whadjuk and Balladong country. Joined with them is Adam Hegedus, a Ma…

In recent years there has been a rise of right-wing extremism and radicalisation which has had an effect on mainstream politics and attitudes in society. Are our governments doing enough to combat this? What does it mean for the development of our societies? In this episode we discuss the topic with Dr Daniel Koehler, the co-founder of the first pe…

The Refugee Crisis has been an ongoing phenomenon these past few years especially, which continuously makes the news in various formats. But what are the implications of being a refugee, and how does Britain especially deal with this? In this episode, Sara Al Soodi interviews immigration and asylum barrister Colin Yeo on this topic, including a dis…

Marnie speaks with Andrea Filippi who works for PeaceWomen Across the Globe. Started in 2005 this organisation is committed to the active participation of women in peace processes and to a peaceful and secure world for all. In this episode we discuss their projects in Palestine and Ukraine as well as looking at their campaigns in their home country…

Is Democracy under threat? In this episode, Esther, our Europe Events Officer, speaks with Niheer Dasandi, a senior lecturer in Politics and Development at Birmingham University and author of ‘Is Democracy Failing?’ Throughout the interview, they talk about the challenges that contemporary democracy is facing as well as recent trends. There are dis…

On this podcast, our Events Director, Zilun, speaks to Prof. Julien-François Gerber about the viability of degrowth for developing countries. They discuss in depth how changing the way we measure and understand development beyond measures of economic growth can help tackle important issues developing countries face. Podcast by Zilun Lin. Music by L…

This week, our Co-President, Helena, speaks with Steve Killelea about the topic of his latest book, Peace in the Age of Chaos. The book is available at a 40% discount to OxSID members. Send us a message to receive the discount code! Expect discussion of the application of systems thinking to sustainable development; the relationship between peace, …

In this week’s podcast, our event director, Zilun, talk about ‘degrowth’, the radical idea which tries to understand development beyond economic growth. Instead, degrowth focuses on sustainability, equality, fairness and justices alongside simple measures of economic prosperity. To supporters of degrowth, it is the way to understand development hol…

How can people be empowered through community-led development? In this episode, Esther, our Europe Events Officer, speaks with Naomi Muando, the regional manager of ACET Uganda in Mbale. During the interview, they talk about ACET as an organisation and Naomi’s role there. There is a discussion about the community-led initiatives designed to prevent…

We need to look deeper into the coverage of COVID-19 in Africa. From vaccination rates to incentivising policies, is there a disconnect between the coverage and what is happening on the ground? Even for journalists working within Africa, there is a delicate balance between maintaining the integrity of news and taking into account the impact of news…

Why is sustainable development important? How can business mentoring and entrepreneurship be used to support refugees from post-conflict regions? In this episode, our Europe Events Officer, Esther, speaks with Zufi Deo, the co-founder of BizGees. Throughout the interview, they talk about Zufi’s motivation behind setting-up BizGees and how his backg…

How does change happen? In this episode, one of our events officers, Marnie, speaks with Dr Duncan Green, a strategic advisor to Oxfam GB on the topic of “What’s wrong with aid and other topics of debate in International Development?” Throughout the interview, they talk about how following a linear pattern is not the best way to go about approachin…

Why have only 9% of people in Africa been fully vaccinated when other countries are offering their citizens booster jabs? This lack of access to vaccines arguably points towards greater infrastructural issues which have led to underdeveloped healthcare systems across Africa. On this podcast, Africa Events Officer, Sam, speaks to Ade Adeyemi, global…

Eric Zhang interviews Mr. Huang HongXiang to discuss his journey from being a wildlife journalist featured in the Oscar nominee documentary ‘The Ivory Game’ to establishing the social enterprise ‘China House’ that strives to present a fuller image of China on international platform. China-House is a social enterprise set up in 2014 which, through v…

How can developing countries ever develop if so many of their doctors, nurses and engineers are moving abroad seeking higher pay? This asymmetric movement of skilled workers is called 'brain drain' and has spurred intense debate in recent years. On this podcast, Zilun talks to Kelsi and Haley, lead researchers from Stanford's Walter H. Shorenstein …

In the recent months, Afghanistan has undergone a series of political and social changes. In this podcast, we take a step back and start by looking at how this all began with the US invasion in the 2000s, as well as wider implications of this today and what this means for the future of Aghanistan. Joining Sara al Soodi on this podcast, is Craig Whi…

If development is to mean more than economic growth, then language should be on top of our agendas. The preservation of minority languages and the building of lingua franca is crucial for the cultural, social and civil well-being of societies. Development which values culture is inseparable from policies which preserve and languages. In this conver…

Is censorship ever effective? What methods do the Chinese government use to censor the internet? Why does the Chinese government believe in censorship, and why do so many people in China agree? In the second half of this two-part series on internet censorship in China, Jemima talks to Rongbin Han about social, political, and economic factors that l…

What happens if you criticize the Chinese government on the internet? Can the government censor any opinion that it doesn’t like or is there a line which it cannot cross? In this half of the two-part series on internet censorship in China, Zilun talks to James Griffiths about the anatomy of censorship in China and its implications on internet world…

What laws exist in Bolivia to combat violence against women? Where did they come from? How are they used by the women that they exist to protect? In this episode of our podcast series, our South American Events officer, Maddie Whitehead, speaks to Dr. Ashley Rogers about her PhD on Violence Against Women in La Paz. Dr. Rogers completed twelve month…

When we think about those who are involved in the drug trade in Latin America, we often think of men such as those featured on shows like Narcos and El Chapo. In reality, there are lots of women who take on key roles in the drug trafficking business whose stories are often overlooked. In today’s episode, one of our South American Events officers, M…

Diana Fox Carney is an Oxford alumna and an expert in development and climate policy. She is known globally for her work with a wide range of organisations, from UK and Canadian think tanks to charities such as Save the Children, as well as pioneering the climate cause with her husband Mark Carney. In this podcast, Helena interviews Diana about her…

Yemen is currently undergoing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. The most recent conflict, which has now progressed for more than 6 years, has claimed many lives and continues to deprive civilians of basic rights and needs. Our Middle East events officer Sara Al Soodi explores the reasons behind both the conflict and crisis, looking at b…

Is there more to development than economic growth? Why are East Asian countries experiencing worrying rates of depression and suicide despite their drastic improvements in GDP? In this episode, our Asia Events Officer, Zilun Lin, speaks to Dr. Kent Schroeder and Prof. Jeremy Brooks about Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness model as an alternative dev…

Dr. Lina AbiRafeh is the executive director of the Arab Institute for Women at the Lebanese American University. She specialises in working against gender based violence across the world. She is in conversation with Jaimini, the North America Events Officer, and Sara, the Middle East Events Officer, about her experiences helping women stricken by c…

Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) has recently gone from a reformist figure of the Middle East, praised by leaders worldwide, to a suspect in the murder of a journalist, raising questions about the true nature of the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. Our Middle East Events Officer, Sara Al Soodi, discusses the complex nature of MBS and what that means for the …

In what sense can it be said that indigenous people are ecologists and poor people environmentalists? How are continuities and discontinuities between humans, living kinds and other objects in the world established? How have people from different cultures perceived and acted upon the material properties of the biophysical world, and how do differen…

In 2008, the unemployment rate in the Gaza Strip reached 71%. The Palestinian economy is endemically weak, in part due to its split geography between Gaza and the West Bank, and its challenges have been exacerbated by political instability, conflict, and the COVID-19 crisis. In this episode, our Middle East Events Officer, Shariq Haidery, speaks to…

In this podcast with Dr Hla Kyaw, the chairman of the European Rohingya Council, we seek to understand more about the ethnic cleansing campaign against the Rohingya Muslims and discuss the potential solutions to this devastating crisis. Interview by Lisa Sitoh. Music by Lorcan Cudlip Cook. Learn more about the Oxford Society for International Devel…

The Oxford Society for International Development President, Caitlin Smith, speaks with Ruby Weaver co-founder of Our Generation for Inclusive Peace — a new youth-led research and advocacy initiative seeking to revolutionise how we conduct peace and security negotiations. Find Our Generation for Inclusive Peace's website at ogiporg.wixsite.com. Inte…

In this episode, our Middle East Events Officer, Caitlin Hennessy, speaks with Dr. Sa'ed Atshan Assistant Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at Swarthmore College and who is currently on sabbatical a Visiting Scholar in Middle Eastern Studies at University of California, Berkeley about his recent publication 'Queer Palestine and the Empire of …

Our Africa Events Director, Priyan Selvakumar, speaks with Matthew Page, Chatham House Associate fellow for the Africa programme. He is also the former US intelligence Nigeria expert as well as former Deputy National intelligence Officer for Africa on the National Intelligence Council. Since this interview we’ve seen a major development in the situ…

Europe Events Director, Timea Iliffe, speaks with Catherine Woollard, Director of the European Council on Refugees and Exiles. Interview by Timea Iliffe. Music by Lorcan Cudlip Cook. Learn more about the Oxford Society for International Development at oxsid.org

In this podcast with academic and author Professor Cathryn Costello, we discuss the significance of refugee and asylum law for human rights, and investigate the ways that systems of international law have been put into question during COVID-19. We use migration as a lens of analysis to interrogate assumptions that law is fixed in order to recast it…

Join us for a conversation with Jonathan Watts, the Global Environment Editor at The Guardian Newspaper. Jonathan has been a journalist at the Guardian for 24 years, taking up roles such as North Korea visiting reporter, Asia Environment correspondent, East Asia correspondent, Disaster coverage, and Latin America correspondent, writing extensively …

In this episode, we speak to Kolbassia Haoussou MBE, co-founder of Survivors Speak Out a national network of torture survivors connected with the charity Freedom From Torture. A survivor himself, Kolbassia has been through the journey of life after torture and shares his insights about policy issues surrounding torture survivors and asylum seekers …

Join us as Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, an activist for women, peace and security, consultant to the UN, and CEO and co-founder of the International Civil Society Action Network, talks us through the role of women in peace-making. We’ll be drawing on her work with women living in conflict zones who are fighting without weapons for stability, to help us…

In this episode we’ll be talking to Jordan Schneider, the host of the ChinaTalk podcast about Chinese social media, how information is controlled and disseminated in China and what the advent of COVID-19 has meant for the CCP. Along with unpacking all that, we’ll explore the potential changes this might bring about to China’s position on the world …

In this podcast with Liberian academic, activist and author Dr. Robtel Neajai Pailey, we discuss the intersections between her recently published Al Jazeera English commentary, “Africa does not need saving during this pandemic”, and Development and Change journal article, "De-centring the 'White Gaze' of Development". We use race as a lens of analy…

Join us in a conversation with Gita Parihar, former Head of Legal at Friends of the Earth and current freelance environmental and human rights lawyer, as we consider the intersection of environmental and human rights law. We'll also be discussing the future of the climate movement, exploring questions of inclusivity and diversity, and how to mainta…

Join us as co-founders of Uncomfortable Oxford, Olivia Durand and Paula Larsson walk us through the history of international development and its entanglement with colonialism. We’ll be exploring the legacies that colonial practices have left behind, and the ways in which these legacies continue to be perpetuated by our institutional structures. In …