FEATURED
You Got Me at the Burton Taylor Studio: Reviewed
“Before You Got Me, I never appreciated how unnerving it is to walk into a completely silent set.” Rohit Ghosh reviews You Got Me at the Burton Taylor Studio, staged by Silent Tape Productions. Image by Anna Ewer, used with permission.
WHAT’S NEW
Cultural Unmasking – Bestride Two Cultures, At Home in None
Arun Lewis explores the experience of cultural unmasking when faced with the difficulty of reconciling two different parts of your identity. Image by Arun Lewis, used with permission.
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Raindrop
It’s the moment before a raindrop hits the ground. The sunlight, muted as it passes through the clouds high above, is enough to make the raindrop glow a silver-blue. Through…
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Jean Cocteau’s La Voix Humaine at the Burton Taylor Studio: Reviewed
“The actress should give the impression that she is bleeding, losing her life’s blood, like a wounded beast.” The message, inscribed in both English and French across Full Moon Theatre’s…
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In defence of college food
College meals at Oxford and Cambridge certainly aren’t regarded as the pinnacle of gastronomic excellence. In fact, they have a pretty appalling reputation for being bland, sloppy, and depressing —…
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InterMEDIAte: Growing up with a Fictional Role Model
“I hope the whimsy which adds colour to my life will never leave and that your presence helps me persevere through my academic career.” Eliza Kaminska-Benadat reveals her fictional role…
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Wild Swimming Society Fundraiser Reveals Major Issues with Oxford’s Water Quality
In the UK, February consistently sees some of the coldest temperatures. At this time of year, we usually stay inside, wrapped up in blankets with hot drinks and light entertainment.…
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Oxford
The Sheldonian Series: A Discussion of Activism – Palestine Action, Public Protest, and Democracy
Hilary term’s instalment in the Sheldonian Series convened on 4 February, discussing ‘The Power of Activism’. The series is the Vice-Chancellor’s initiative, gathering a panel of differing voices aimed at promoting dialogue on the “big issues of the day”, and representing the University of Oxford’s commitment to “free and inclusive speech”. Speaking at Wednesday’s event,…
Magdalen College School to Become Co-educational
Magdalen College School, which was ranked the 20th best independent school by The Times this year, has announced that it will be transitioning to become fully co-educational. At present, it is a boys-only school, except for its sixth form which became co-educational in 2010. On 2 February, the school revealed that it would be offering…
Candidates Face Questions at Hustings for Oxford SU Elections
On Tuesday 3 February, the Oxford University Students’ Union held their hustings for the upcoming elections. Elections will be held between 9 and 12 February for a number of offices. These include 4 full-time sabbatical roles: Presidents for Undergraduates; Postgraduates; Communities and Common Rooms; and Welfare, Equity, and Inclusion. In addition, elections are being held…
opinion
Someone’s Faith is Not Your Costume: An Agnostic’s Defence of Religious Seriousness
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views, positions, or editorial policies of the paper, its editors, or its staff. The paper does not endorse any opinions or conclusions presented herein. Instagram has a wide variety of functions these days. From the…
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Who Will Support the Support Workers?
Support staff and social workers have been pushed into an impossible position: tasked with safeguarding vulnerable individuals while simultaneously managing shrinking budgets. “The story,” Josh says, “is really about the pressure social workers are under to cut funding, and where that leaves support workers.”
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Why pubs must be protected
Roughly 1,000 pubs have banned Labour MPs from their premises, revealing something about the state of British politics. When landlords resort to gestures as dramatic as this, it suggests a frightening breakdown in the normal channels of democratic dialogue. After mounting pressure, Rachel Reeves’s climbdown on business rates for pubs has prompted legitimate questions about…
Keep readingGlobal Affairs
Will Trump’s ‘Softer Touch’ in Minneapolis Work Politically?
Once again, the eyes of the world have turned to Minneapolis. This January, the killings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti by masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers have dominated the front pages. Following the strongest public backlash of Donald Trump’s administration so far, the president now claims to want a…
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Venezuela: A Brief History of Oil and Corruption
On 3 January 2026, the United States conducted a military operation named “Absolute Resolve” across Venezuela to capture President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Planning for the intervention reportedly began in August 2025, with an intention to be carried out four days before 3 January, but was delayed due to weather…
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Outside OX1 Week 3: Epstein, Costa Rica and Hungary
It’s the end of Week 3, which means it’s time for this week’s issue of Outside OX1! With the Winter Olympics officially underway in Milan and Cortina, I’m afraid that no opening introduction from me can rival the spectacle the Italians put up: celebrating the country’s legacy in the arts, the sciences and…
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COLUMNS
Borders and Belonging: Skin Tone and Social Status
“We are in a white-dominated environment but this is no reason to deem others around us as “better” and hence attempt to cosplay someone else, whether through changing our names, hiding parts of our identity, or attempting to physically change our appearance.” Saba Ahmadzadeh Noughani discusses the effects and consequences of colorism on people of…
Risk Appetite: On Asian Food and Matcha Lattes
“In this day and age, sharing food doesn’t just mean physically breaking apart food for others. It means influencers posting about food online – “sharing” food in the Internet sense with a global audience” Valerie Wu discusses how food from her culture has evolved through social media, what it means to be “trendy” and “exclusive”,…
Second Draft: It’s my Lucky Day
“I’d like to remind everyone (but mainly myself) that you do not have to spend your morning highlighting to-do lists for it to be worthwhile. You do not have to pomodoro. And you absolutely do not have to drink matcha” In the latest installment of Second Draft, Eleanor Davies discusses productivity and how she handling…
CULTURES
‘Brainrot’: An Internet Phenomenon with Real-World Consequences
“Even in one of the world’s most renowned academic institutions (no bias, of course), we use slang from the internet in the same places in which the most renowned writers,…
So Bad, It’s Good: In Defence of My Oxford Year
Arun Lewis defends My Oxford Year, and explores the satirical potential in its outdated stereotypes.
My Dead Mum’s AI Boyfriend at the Burton Taylor Studio: Reviewed
“The world of My Dead Mum’s AI Boyfriend is populated with bodiless voices.” Jas Inayat Singh Mauj reviews My Dead Mum’s AI Boyfriend at the Burton Taylor Studio, by Interrobang…
LIfestyle
Telltaylor: By a Lancashire Farm Shop, I Sat Down and Wept
“I was always a muse, a magician’s trick, bending my own image to enhance his own. He seemed to compliment me only if the words fit his rhyme scheme.” Alicia Taylor…
Telltaylor: Everything I Learnt From A Mackerel Fillet
“I suddenly became afraid of forgetting the year which may turn out to be the most important of my life.” In the debut article of her column, Alicia Taylor gives…
Proust’s Madeleine: The Hidden Power of Food.
“We have always known that food is a lot more than its taste, texture, and nutritional value. Every meal is an intense social and sensory experience that serves to nourish…
Identity
From the Inside Out: My Disability
Avani Rao reflects on how chronic back pain has affected her time at Oxford, and the stigma that is attached to people with disabilities, particularly those that are “invisible”. Image…
Oxford’s Visiting Students: Here, There, and Nowhere
Elias Mewe, a former visiting student at St. Anne’s College, reflects on the year he spent in Oxford. Image by Elias Mewe, used with permission.
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