These two days of the Festival provide a packed schedule for all ages, to explore the theme of power and resistance with a closer focus on politics and technology. Taking over the University’s Sidgwick Site, Saturday’s amazing line-up of 70 events will kick-off from 11am.
One of the founding pillars of the European Union was to prevent another war in Europe. Has it done the job or is it yet to be tested? With high-calibre experts; Professor Alan Sked, Professor Robert Tombs, Professor Montserrat Guibernau, Chris Bickerton and chaired by Assistant Editor of The Guardian, Michael White, the panel will discuss whether Europe can keep the peace.
A special Festival edition of the popular and respected politics podcast, Election Live!, led by Professor David Runciman, will cover the new Labour leadership and current European issues. The recorded podcast, with a live studio audience, will reflect on how much has changed since the general election and how quickly. The event will also look at the US elections and what parallels there might be between maverick candidates here and there.
The question of what role artists play in radicalisation is put forward in, Can writers and artists ever be terrorists? Exposing how anti-terror legislation has been used in several countries to gag free speech about sensitive political issues, the event will consider whether writing or painting can really be considered a terrorist act. Speakers include Pelin Basaran, researcher and co-director of the project Siyah Bant-Freedom of Expression in the Arts in Turkey and Director of Performing Arts' Research and Creation; Professor Anthony Glees, Professor of Politics at University of Buckingham; Sara Silvestri, Director of Studies in Human Social and Political Science at St Edmund’s College and a Research Associate with the Von Hügel Institute; and CEO of Index on Censorship, Jodie Ginsberg.
Speaking about her position in this debate on freedom of expression, Ginsberg said, “As governments worldwide respond to threats from terror, I will be considering the impact this has on civil liberties, democracy and the way terror legislation is being used to stifle free expression, not only overseas but also here on UK soil.”
Moving further into the afternoon, maritime responsibilities are questioned in, Claiming rights at sea: Sovereign and private negotiations. Recent tragedies of migrants at sea have raised the public awareness of inadequacies in the maritime governance framework for international and national responsibilities for safe passage. Experts in maritime history and international relations explore innovative diplomatic and legal approaches.
Of related international significance, The Arab Spring could serve as an example to how unusual suspects, in the form of football players and fans, can turn out to be of crucial importance to resolving many socio-political issues. With an introduction by sociologist Dr Hazem Kandil, author and sports journalist James Montague talks about football fans as a political force, and POLIS PhD candidate Sophie Roborgh shows how doctors turned into medical revolutionaries.
The weekend of enquiry continues on Sunday. Question everything, will be an unconventional, unwieldy and disruptive day of talks, art and ideas and will feature a broad range of speakers drawn from popular culture, the arts and academia. The Festival partners with the Cambridge Junction to ask challenging questions and interrogate the ways we see the world encouraging dissent among speakers and audience alike.
Are you a data nut or a data sceptic? The power technology possesses in society today is constantly under scrutiny. The power of data invites everyone to join our panel to hear how data enthusiasts are using personal and public data for social purposes, how citizens can access and use data relevant to their area, and how governments and researchers are drawing on huge datasets to drive policy and behaviour change.
Shifting perspectives will draw focus to the inherent roles visual media and the environment play in our lives and bring to light how effectively conservation issues can be communicated when they are combined. Light After Dark and University of Cambridge Conservation Institute artist in residence, Toby Smith, joins Susan McMillan, TV producer and writer (including work on BBC The Human Planet and The Natural World), Patrick Di Nola, Director of Photography at Getty Images and Cheryl Campbell, Executive Director for Television Trust for the Environment.
Delving deeper into how new forms of resistance grounded in technological change, Technologies of revolution: how innovations are undermining regimes everywhere, focuses on whether these movements are emerging at a pace faster than regimes can quash them. Three University of Cambridge researchers discuss how these innovations are supporting revolutionary struggles worldwide.
Other events across the weekend include:
What do we owe The Universe? Humans are already making a difference on a planetary scale. If we or our creations spread to other worlds, our impact may be greater still, by many orders of magnitude. How should we think about the responsibilities and opportunities that these futures afford? What do we owe our distant descendants?
Arena at 40 – the past, present and future of public service broadcasting Following the filmic inundation of Cambridge by Arena: night and day, Alan Yentob (Creative Director, BBC) and members of the Arena team discuss the secrets of its success and the future of public service broadcasting with Cambridge University film experts.
About
Established in 2008, Cambridge Festival of Ideas aims to fuel the public’s interest in arts, humanities and social sciences. The events, ranging from talks, debates and film screenings to exhibitions and comedy nights, are held in lecture halls, theatres, museums and galleries around Cambridge. Most of the 250 events are free.
The Festival sponsors and partners are Cambridge University Press, St John’s College, Anglia Ruskin University, RAND Europe, Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Cambridge Live, University of Cambridge Museums and Botanic Garden, Arts Council England, Cambridge Junction, British Science Association, Heritage Lottery Fund, Heffers, WOW Festival, Southbank Centre, Collusion, TTP Group, Goethe Institut, Index on Censorship and BBC Cambridgeshire.
http://www.festivalofideas.cam.ac.uk/
Image: Question everything © Duncan Hull via flickr
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