This year the Festival, which runs from 17 – 30 October and is organised by the University of Cambridge, features a number of leading thinkers and innovators, including Professor of International History David Reynolds; Skype Developer Jaan Tallin; Europol Director Rob Wainwright; Director of the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime Tuesday Reitano; Director of the UK Intersex Association Dr Jay Hayes-Light; and award-winning Guardian correspondent Luke Harding.
At the heart of this year’s Festival is the theme of ‘movement’, which encompasses some of the great movements in history, technology, art, politics, music and people. The movement of people and in particular migration has been a major topic over the last year, making the headlines of every major newspaper on a daily basis. Several events across the two weeks examine associated issues.
On 18 October, journalist and author, Matt Carr is in conversation with activist and author, Natasha King, during the event ‘Hard borders, soft borders, no borders’. Between them they will discuss whether we have already arrived at Fortress Europe. Also on 18 October, a further debate considers the kinds of spaces formed when the movement of displaced people is suspended, such as controlled refugee camps and detention centres, together with makeshift encampments and spontaneous settlement. Attitudes towards migration are further explored during the talk, ‘Walking a mile in their shoes: an exploration of attitudes towards migration’.
In a related event, the complex issues relating to human smuggling and trafficking are examined by experts from across Europe who debate how countries can work together to stem the trafficking of human beings across the continent in a high-profile panel discussion on 22 October. Taking part are Director of Europol, Rob Wainwright; Andrew Boff, author of Shadow City – Exposing Human Trafficking in Everyday London; Philp Ishola, Former Director of the Counter Human Trafficking Bureau; Fiona Hill, lead author of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and author of A Modern Response to Modern Slavery Report; and George Papadimitrakopoulos, advisor and UK Liaison to the Greek National Rapporteur for Trafficking in Human Beings.
In addition immigration, another concern that has dominated headlines over the last few months is Brexit. Following the extraordinary results of the EU referendum, a panel discussion with the Guardian's economics editor, Larry Elliott; Sonia Delesalle-Stolper from Liberation; and Chris Bickerton and Catherine Barnard from the University of Cambridge tackle the issues as well as the future of Europe and the United Kingdom. In another related event, Lucy Delap, a historian of modern Britain at Cambridge University, looks at the history of political movements including Brexit and how the world of politics has been transformed by the power of the disaffected.
Transformation of a different kind is also debated at this year’s Festival. Gene editing and human enhancement have often been seen as something from the pages of a science fiction novel. However, the reality is that we are at the start of unprecedented advances in human biotechnology. But such progress brings ethical questions. Professor John Harris, University of Manchester, discusses the ethical and policy dimensions raised by gene editing, the creation of human/animal hybrids and chimeras, artificial intelligence and human enhancement, be it cognitive, physical and moral.
Speaking ahead of this year’s Festival, Coordinator, Malavika Anderson said: “The role of the Festival of Ideas is to challenge people’s thinking and the status quo. With movement and changes across the globe now happening at a dramatic rate, we want to ensure that areas which affect our lives are being properly questioned and explored. A core aim of the Festival is to share with the public, in a two-way process, some of the incredible research and thinking that is happening in Cambridge and beyond across disciplines and institutions. We very much encourage audience participation and their questions.
“Every year, we welcome thousands of people to hundreds of events, including talks, debates, performances, films and exhibitions. This year, we look forward to doing the same.”
Other highlights of the Festival include:
- Professor David Reynolds, University of Cambridge and Dr Kristina Spohr, London School of Economics, discuss their new book Transcending the Cold War. It is 30 years since the most dramatic of the superpower summits: Reagan and Gorbachev at Reykjavik. This talk brings to life the personalities and the arguments. Was this, they ask, the great missed opportunity of the nuclear age?
- Roberto Simanowski takes us on an unsettling tour through the psychological and political implications of mobile media discussed in his new book, Facebook Society. ‘Sharing’ every moment, he argues, is a flight from solitude and from society in a digital nation whose only actual shared value is desiring to ‘share’. But can social media prepare us for dissent? Can there be robust, anti-essentialist perspectives without real-world engagement?
- Does the development of new digital technologies and instant access to the internet provide new opportunities or present new dangers? How can good journalism thrive in these new circumstances? With Professor Jane Singer, Mary Fitzgerald from OpenDemocracy.net, Roxane Farmanfarmaian from the University of Cambridge and Buzzfeed's Luke Lewis. Chaired by journalist Julian Clover.
- Guardian journalist Luke Harding, author of A Very Expensive Poison: The Definitive Story of the Murder of Litvinenko and Russia’s War with the West, is in conversation with international relations expert Ayse Zarakol, University of Cambridge, as they discuss the state of play in Russia and what it means for the rest of the world.
- An expert panel comprising John Wyatt, the Faraday Institute; Abigail Sellen, Microsoft Research Cambridge; Adrian Weller, machine learning researcher; Margaret Boden, cognitive scientist; and Jaan Tallinn, founding engineer of Skype and co-founder of the Future of Life Institute, answer questions from the audience on the implications of artificial intelligence.
- From gender and sexuality to religion, race and nationality, are fixed identities a myth? If so, why do so many cling on to them? With Baroness Afshar, Nira Yuval-Davis, Sally Hines and Jay Hayes-Light. Chaired by Lauren Wilcox from the University of Cambridge.
- A panel discussion, presented with RAND Europe, examines how effective body cameras worn by police officers are. A recent study involving the largest set of trials in criminal justice research found that assaults against officers wearing body cameras were 15% higher than against those without cameras. What does this tell us about the effectiveness of body cameras and how they’re used? With experts including Alex Sutherland, RAND Europe, and Barak Ariel, University of Cambridge.
Bookings for the Cambridge Festival of Ideas open on Monday 26 September.
Further information can also be found at: www.festivalofideas.cam.ac.uk
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