MAGAZINE The Record of Hertford College 2019-20

THE RECORD OF HERTFORD COLLEGE 2019-20

Hertford College Magazine 2019-20 Editor: Professor Ian McBride Sub-editor: Alicia Povey Design: www.dougdawson.co.uk

Produced by: Development Office, Hertford College, Oxford OX1 3BW 01865 279428 | [email protected] | www.hertford.ox.ac.uk

Hertford College Magazine is published for members and friends of the college. The opinions expressed are those of the writers and not necessarily the official views of Hertford College.

Hertford College is a registered charity in England and Wales, number 1137527. CONTENTS

CONTENTS

EDITOR’S NOTE 4

PRINCIPAL’S REVIEW 2019-20 6

HERTFORD HIGHLIGHTS 15 Principal Will Hutton’s Valediction – Professor Tony Wilson 16 Virtual John Donne Lecture 2020 – Susie Orbach 18 Law’s Power – Dr Kate Greasley 28 Before the Storm – Professor Martin Maiden 32 Ten Years as Hertford Dean – Professor Alison Woollard 36 Hertford Bookshelf 38

HERTFORD YEAR 43 The Hertford Society – Graham Jones, Secretary of the Hertford Society 44 Academic Office – Lynn Featherstone, Registrar & Director of Admissions 48 The Bursary – Jamie Clark, Bursar 52 The Library – Professor Emma Smith, Fellow Librarian 54 College Archives – Dr Lucy Rutherford, Archivist 56 Chapel – Mia Smith, College Chaplain 60 Development – Frances Wheare, Director of Development 64 Subjects and Research 68 Student Life 102 JCR Annual Report – Rebecca Simpson (2018) 104 MCR Annual Report – Samuel East (2018) 106 Music – Nathan De Giorgi (2018) 108 Politics And Economics Society – George Priestley (2018) 109 Sport – Sofia Baldelli (2018) 110 Environment and Ethics – Laura Watson (2019) 113 Arts – Eve Dickie (2018) 114

AFTER HERTFORD 115 Hashim & Family Shahnaz Ashan (2006) 116 The Black Peril ‘Quarantour’ – Soweto Kinch (1996) 120 Alumni Announcements 124 Obituaries 126

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 3

EDITOR’S NOTE This has been an extraordinarily difficult year. The following pages reveal some of the many ways in which the fellows, staff and students of Hertford have kept calm and carried on. The editor would like to thank all those who have helped put together this issue, especially Olga Batty, Alicia Povey and everyone in the Development Office team. PRINCIPAL’S REVIEW 2019-20 Will Hutton writes:

he shelves in my office have role of stressing the need for caution in been emptied of books and the the University’s plans. One member of Tremoval men have descended our COVID-19 group joked I must have on the wonderful Principal’s flat with sounded like Cato the Elder with my its breathtaking views over Radcliffe repeated warnings that face-to-face Square. This, my final review of the year teaching was never likely to succeed. The (and the nine before), comes in the experience of Trinity Term proves that, 100th edition of the Hertford Magazine. pedagogically, online teaching should This anniversary, 2020 and my 70th never be considered second best. The birthday all align to bring my very happy real problem, as everyone knows, is and fulfilling years at Hertford – filled that it’s the entire Oxford experience with bike rides, Hertford Conversations, that the virus is extinguishing – from innumerable Principal’s Collections and the Union to the River, from the College High Table dinners – to a close. Thanks Bar to the Chapel Choir. to so many of you who have shared If those are Oxford’s eternal verities, such generous messages about what what has changed over the last nine the college has achieved under my years? There are three broad clusters of leadership, and how you feel about me. activity where I detect real change. The Believe me, I return the affection to you first is the commitment to innovation. – with interest. Hertford is a very special I recall my very first heads of house place. meeting with the then Vice-Chancellor Of course, this academic year in 2011, when it was proudly announced will always be remembered as the that two innovation officers would year COVID began. Michaelmas and be recruited. My ears pricked up. Six Hilary seem like dreams. Did we really months earlier I had co-founded a welcome the freshers at a 120-strong think tank, the Big Innovation Centre, dinner last October, and hold a lecture and become an apostle of Open series on the Constitutional Crisis Innovation, the transformative impact without a thought of social distancing? of General Purpose Technologies and Then, students could move freely in the urgent need for universities like and between colleges, and the idea of Oxford to reproduce the high-tech giving a tutorial in a face mask would revolution spearheaded in the US by its have seemed risible. Now it is the new universities. normal. What would the criteria be for their It’s been a surreal way to finish my selection, I asked, and what were the Principalship: round after round of Zoom markers for success? Could Oxford calls, and playing the unaccustomed rebalance the UK economy in the

6 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 PRINCIPAL’S REVIEW

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 7 PRINCIPAL’S REVIEW wake of the financial crisis, and look ideas that could become start-ups. for business partners to transform This has now become All Innovate, a emergent ideas into high-tech goods pan-University scheme. We have also and services, from medicines to become one of the hot spots for the robots? I was firmly rebuked. Oxford study of Computer Sience and Artificial had no such responsibility or aim. The Intelligence and, with the arrival of our University certainly welcomed financial new Philosophy Fellow, Carissa Véliz, contributions from business, but within the accompanying ethical issues. very strict terms: business must support The second area is access. We all pure academic research, untroubled by know Hertford’s proud record with the commercial applications. Afterwards Tanner Scheme, but when I arrived just only one head of house said she 59% of our offer-holders were from supported what I had said. state schools – certainly above the That exchange would be impossible University average of 55%, but nothing now. Professor Ian Walmsely and particularly special to boast about. Professor Chas Bountra have led a Neither Hertford nor Oxford could transformation as successive Pro Vice- really say we were scouring Britain for Chancellors of Innovation, supported the very best. I leave with Hertford’s by an extraordinary culture change. Our figure at 81%, and the University’s at academics view start-up companies as 68%. Has academic excellence been a badge of success, and see no clash compromised, as some of the old guard between academic research and real- in the big-name colleges darkly warned? world applications; indeed, they actively Hardly. This year more than half our welcome the possibility . The University’s finalists achieved firsts, putting us in the achievements are spectacular. Over Norrington Top Ten. the last two years we have had more For Hertford this commitment has start-ups and pulled in more research always been in our DNA. I was lucky funding than any other university. We that the 50-year anniversary of the have three so-called unicorns and OSI launch of the Tanner Scheme fell in my (Oxford Science Innovation) is a £600 Principalship in 2014, so that fellows, million fund to support Oxford start- lecturers, the academic office and ups, one of the largest in any global alumni were all put on their mettle to university. make the Hertford tradition thrive. We The ambition is huge, and the deal now keep a firm track on our annual that the University’s Jenner Institute access metrics, reporting applications, struck with Astra Zeneca to mass offers and acceptances by subject area produce a COVID-19 vaccine is not and school to our Governing Body. Every an one-off: it is part of an innovation fellow knows their admission decisions ecosystem that now has global – and students’ subsequent academic standing. Hertford has played its part performance – will be reviewed by their by convening conferences, speaking for peers. This coming academic year we, the cause, and signalling that we are jointly with Balliol and Wadham, plan innovation friendly. At least half a dozen to report them formally in a publicly of our fellows are involved in start-ups, available document, independently not to mention some students, and it audited and reviewed, as part of our was Hertford, Pembroke and Wolfson joint access initiatives in the East of who launched Tri-Innovate back in 2015, England. a student competition for innovative Our message is to apply to Hertford

8 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 PRINCIPAL’S REVIEW if you are academically able. As far as I know Hertford offers more beds than any other college to Oxford’s My friend of UNIQ summer school, where potential applicants can sample the Oxford 30 years, Alan student experience. We have some 100 Rusbridger, Principal fully trained student ambassadors who visit schools to spread the message, of Lady Margaret and we have greatly strengthened our Hall, introduced a access and communications capacity. foundation year to give Dr Kathryn Boast, a new appointment made possible thanks to the generous disadvantaged students support of an anonymous donor, with ‘near miss’ results specialises in recruiting candidates, particularly women, in STEM subjects. the opportunity to take Nathan Stazicker combines schools dedicated exams that outreach work with great social media content. They are steadily increasing would qualify them for student interest in Hertford, and last Oxford entrance. year over 3,000 young people were touched by our efforts. We are delighted that, partly as a result of our outreach work, around 650 applied to us directly. It’s only fair to acknowledge that the University has been making great have become steadily more concerned strides as well. My friend of 30 years, with what it means to live the right Alan Rusbridger, Principal of Lady way, to embrace diversity and contest Margaret Hall, introduced a foundation entrenched inequality. I don’t recollect year to give disadvantaged students a single vegan back in 2011, and even with ‘near miss’ results the opportunity vegetarianism was fairly marginal: to take dedicated exams that would today, there are vegan options for every qualify them for Oxford entrance. It’s meal. Similarly, there is an increased been a huge success, and the University urgency about climate change and has decided to reproduce it, together environmental sustainability: the issues with a scheme pioneered by Univ cannot be dodged, and colleges must offering extra tuition to help students act to halve carbon emissions by 2030. bridge from their A-levels to their first I was a member of the University’s year in Oxford, giving admitting tutors sustainability committee, and Hertford the confidence to make offers they will continue to play its part fully. otherwise might not. That the University There is a parallel change in attitudes can scale up these two schemes reflects towards sexuality. If active acceptance that the vast majority of colleges are of same sex relationships was my now committed to promoting access. generation’s fight, one JCR executive For those admitting tutors who would member told me that today’s student prefer to play it safe, the Office for generation is engaging in the same Students insists that Oxford do better. fight over accepting the fluidity of The final and third change is the gender identity. Sex may be biologically culture and attitudes of students. They determined, but gender is not.

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 9 PRINCIPAL’S REVIEW

10 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 PRINCIPAL’S REVIEW

Oxford’s prevailing whiteness is no longer remotely acceptable, a concern turbo-boosted by Black Lives Matter. In 2015 the campaign to persuade Oriel to take down their statue of Rhodes fizzled out: in 2020, its Governing Body has agreed to an independent report about how to properly decommission and contextualise it. In 2020, we can and should choose who we venerate. Britain needs to look the sins of its Imperial past in the eye. There are obvious dangers in becoming intolerant of any who fall outside the new consensus, or those whose views are deemed to be unacceptable. Here a tightrope is walked. The Prevent legislation requires all universities and colleges not to invite speakers who in any way might incite terrorism, but at the same time we must respect freedom of expression. It is a tension which I congratulate students not only at Hertford but across the University for navigating well. The Oxford Union emphatically voted in favour of free speech in a 2019 debate, and I am confident it would do so again. So to the last year. October 2019 seems an epoch away, but along with our new Law Fellow Dr Aruna Nair, and Management and Accounting Fellow Dr Anette Mikes, we also welcomed the first Porter Fellow for Academic Skills, Dr Catherine Sloan, thanks to the support of John Porter (1971). This is the first fellowship in any Oxford college to support students in developing their learning and pedagogic skills; demand for her services is huge and growing. Sir “Olly” Robbins, Teresa May’s Brexit negotiator, joined us as the first Heywood Fellow, created in celebration of the life of alumnus Sir Jeremy Heywood, and gave a number of illuminating talks and dinners. Our Academic Visitors were Dr. “PJ” Thum, who gave a great talk on “Singapore –

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 11 PRINCIPAL’S REVIEW a model for post-Brexit Britain?” (he and Julia all played a vital role in building thought not); Professor Judith Herrin contemporary Hertford. My thanks to (her new book on Ravenna is a must) them all. and Susie Orbach, whose spirited online But every year is a beginning too. This John Donne Lecture emphaised that academic year we welcome Professor humans still need the touch and feel of Dawid Kielak (Maths), Dr Lambros real-life contact, especially in the midst Malafouris (Arch & Anth), Dr Federica of a pandemic. Romei (Economics), Dr Carissa Véliz Academically there is lots to report. (Philosophy) and Dr Vladyslav Vyazovskiy Professor Zhanfeng Cui led a team (Medicine). One of my last acts as Principal developing a new rapid test for was to induct them by Zoom: they are COVID. Dr David Dwan followed up his an impressive and enthusiastic bunch. wonderful book on George Orwell with Our tally of women teaching fellows has a week-long event investigating the doubled during my Principalship to 18, impact of 1984. Professor David Greaves one of the highest in Oxford. Our roll won a teaching award from the Medical call of Honorary Fellows was increased Sciences Division, while the University by alumnus and distinguished physicist has agreed the Miles Vaughan Williams Dr Roderich Moessner (Physics 1991), Prize for the best performing clinical Director of the Max Planck Institute in student. Professor Emma Smith became Dresden. a lockdown star with her Shakespeare Our undergraduates have excelled webinars, while Professor Pat Roche themselves, COVID notwithstanding. gave live commentary of the first bright A special mention to Lucas Tse (MPhil comet for two decades. Professor Mike Economic & Social History), who was Wooldridge published the masterwork awarded one of only two notoriously of the AI story, The Road to Conscious difficult Examination Fellowships at All Machines (one of the FT’s summer reads). Souls College. In March second-year Our chaplain, Mia Smith, explored the medic, Rafee Ahmed, was one of only ethical and theological implications of three medical students to represent plant-based diets in her new book, The Oxford at the National Undergraduate Plant-based Diet: A Christian Option? Neuroanatomy Competition (NUNC), Honorary Fellow Richard Fisher became winning a distinction. Sixth-year inducted into the Texas Business Hall of medic Chloe Jacklin was awarded the Fame. Matilda Tambyraja Prize in Women’s Of course, there are always sad & Reproductive Health 2018-9 by the goodbyes. Our academic administrator University’s Medical School for her written of 30 years, the redoubtable Sue Finch work. In sport we are proud of third-year and a Hertford rock, retired. The wise Physics student Alexander Hampshire and no less doughty Dean of ten years who secured a bronze medal at last Dr Alison Woollard – my sure-footed year’s under-21 Commonwealth Judo expert on welfare affairs throughout my Championships and later represented Principalship – stepped down to general England, the only Oxford student to be acclaim and thanks. And Development selected for the team. Our students are Director Julia Thaxton, who transformed great ambassadors for outreach: this year our fundraising activity, chose to move Carina Williams, Amelia Fantham, Alicia on the art world at the peak of her Fisher, Nina Turnbull, Emma Rumford & powers, to be succeeded by Frances Rory Saitch were all awarded the Tanner Wheare. In different ways Sue, Alison Prize for their efforts.

12 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 PRINCIPAL’S REVIEW

Our alumni continue to make their impact on the world. Michael Fordham QC (Law, 1983) has been appointed a Our undergraduates High Court Judge. Professor Gideon Henderson (Earth Sciences, 1986) was have excelled appointed the new Chief Scientific themselves, COVID Adviser to Defra. And Khalid Jawed Khan (BCL, 1989) has been appointed notwithstanding. A the 35th Attorney General for Pakistan. special mention to Congratulations to them all. Meanwhile, Lucas Tse (MPhil Shahnaz Ahsan (History & English, 2006) published her debut novel Hashim & Economic & Social Family, inspired by the experiences History), who was and struggles of her grandparents’ immigrant generation; a transcript of her awarded one of only conversation with Emma Smith appears two notoriously later in this magazine. Benjamin Goodson (Music 2012), has been appointed Chief difficult Examination Conductor of the Groot Omroepkoor, Fellowships at All the Netherlands Radio Choir. Aaron Souls College. King (Music 2019) won last year’s Sir David Wilcocks Carol Competition with his carol, ‘A Spotless Rose’. Will Harris (English, 2007) has been shortlisted for a Forward Prize for Poetry, and his first full poetry collection, Rendang, has been shortlisted for the Felix Dennis Prize for inspiring evocation of poetry’s power Best First Collection 2020. by the founder of the Forward Prize for It was a rich year for Hertford Poetry. Then, courtesy of Zoom, Ciaran Conversations. In the Autumn we held Martin, founding CEO of the National three lectures on the Brexit-engendered Cyber Security Centre on Cybergeddon Constitutional Crisis. Alan Rusbridger or Cyberbabble (he thought more babble and Carole Cadwalladr spelled out the than geddon); environmentalist George degradation of British journalism. Sir Monbiot on whether we can feed the Olly Robbins warned how the role of world without devouring the planet the Civil Service as a crucial check and (only if we radically change what we eat); balance in an unwritten constitution was and my old friend, the impressionist being challenged. Lord Pannick QC and Rory Bremner, regretting that today’s Deok Joo Rhee QC finished by arguing events were “Beyond satire”. Professor that the rule of law had just managed Jeffrey Stewart – distinguished Professor to hold and was profoundly entrenched, of Black Studies at the University of but it could not be taken for granted. California – offered a tour de force on Great lectures – and all but one given by our alumnus and first Rhodes Scholar Hertford alumni! Alain Locke, based on his prize-winning William Sieghart delivered the last magnum opus The New Negro. Locke Hertford Conversation in the Baring suffered appalling racism at Oxford but Room before COVID struck, Poetry for still held Hertford dear. I rounded off Every Woman and Man. It was an awe- nearly 70 Hertford Conversations with

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 13 PRINCIPAL’S REVIEW

reflections of my own, some of which a portrait of yours truly, completed began this article. by Bob Tulloch, gracing the Principal’s My thanks also to Professors Zhanfeng drawing room in the Lodgings. Your eye Cui and Mike Wooldridge, and Doctors is ineluctably drawn to his paunch which Steve New and Anette Mikes for their even the artist, under strict instruction great Hertford Responds webinars to use all his guile to minimise, could not for alumni – more details in Frances avoid. Wheare’s report. Our Bursar Jamie Clark So that’s it. My family celebrated two talked our alumni through our finances marriages and mourned the death of and challenges both pre- and post- my mother in Chapel. When Jane, my COVID. We will make it through this beloved wife and partner of 42 years, current crisis, but ambitions thereafter died in February 2016 the college held will depend crucially on our alumni’s me up and kept me together. Alongside generosity. the tragedies, there has been much Our programme of renewal and laughter, joy and learning. My Hertford refurbishment proceeds apace. There years rank among the best in my life. is a spanking overhaul of the Porters My successor Tom Fletcher is a lucky lodge, and we are also renewing every man, and I am sure will do a great job. bedroom, staircase by staircase. Our IT But it’s not a job, it’s a unique way of system is now close to state of the art. life. I hope I leave Hertford better than The JCR Equalities Rep, Fenella Sentance, I found it – the most you can hope for organised a remarkable photo montage as a leader. So adieu (not goodbye), and of the Hertford community going up above all, an immense thank you. It has the spiral staircase to Hall. There is also been a privilege.

14 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 Hertford Highlights HERTFORD HIGHLIGHTS

PRINCIPAL WILL HUTTON’S VALEDICTION Professor Tony Wilson writes:

ill Hutton retired after nine life to come to the college to discuss years as Principal at the various issues and to take questions Wend of August. It is hard to from the student audience. When imagine that nine years have passed COVID-19 struck, the conversations since he arrived. He came with little became virtual, and his last series previous knowledge or experience of explored how various members of either the college or of Oxford -- which the college were contributing to the could have been an advantage in the fight against the virus. One session, for guise of a drawback. He immediately example, featured Cui, the college’s threw himself wholeheartedly into Chemical Engineering Fellow, describing the job, and continued to contribute the rapid viral RNA test which he and his enthusiasm and boundless energy his colleagues had developed to detect throughout his tenure. SARS-CoV-2 infection in just under half He was elected following a somewhat an hour. Cui took the test himself during tiresome and depressing few years for the conversation; happily he turned out the fellowship, and the state we were to be infection-free. in when he arrived was, admittedly, The one desperately sad period not great. But that soon changed. Will’s in Will’s principalship came with the ebullience and energy were infectious, illness of his wife, Jane, and her death and his personality so amiable that even in April 2016. She had played a full role those who had faults to find could not in college life before being diagnosed be put out with him for long. He cheered with leukemia late in 2013, and bravely us up. fought the disease for over two years. He took the trouble to get to know Throughout that most difficult time, as many old members as he could, and Will continued to fulfil even his outside such was his enthusiasm that when one commitments, in particular his weekly of them, the late Terry Hughes, proposed column in the Observer newspaper. the idea of a fundraising bike ride from I never saw Will’s diary, but I cannot our Bridge of Sighs to that other one in imagine there were very many spare Venice, he was up to the challenge and moments. In my experience, his reply cycled the full 700 miles, which he later to the question ‘would you be free described in a splendid article published to…?’ was always yes. Along with his in The Guardian newspaper. willingness to serve, Will’s principalship Will also engaged with current was an ongoing demonstration of the undergraduates and graduates, most importance of being cheerful, positive, notably by bringing to the college the enthusiastic and supportive, which in idea of Hertford Conversations, in which many ways is responsible for The State he invited a series of people in public We’re In.

16 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD HIGHLIGHTS

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 17 HERTFORD HIGHLIGHTS

VIRTUAL JOHN DONNE LECTURE 2020: WHAT ARE WE TO MAKE OF BODIES IN THIS TIME? Susie Orbach

hen lockdown started, I Until the pandemic arrived, many was confused by bodies on of us were finding texting, email Wtelevision. Why weren’t they and Whatsapp more suitable to our socially distancing? Didn’t they know speeded-up lives. But now we are not to be so close? The injunction to be coming to reuse the telephone, and separate was unfamiliar and irregular, to enjoy the sounds in our ears and and for me, self-isolating alone, the rhythm of conversation, instead following this government directive was of feeling rushed and interrupted. A peculiar. It made watching dramas and few of my sessions as a psychoanalyst programmes produced under normal are now conducted on the phone but, filming conditions feel jarring. for the most part, I am spending my Seven weeks in, the disjuncture time looking into a screen, and seeing has passed. I, like all of us, am faces rather than whole bodies. Until I accommodating to multiple corporeal learned to turn off the view of myself, realities: bodies alone, bodies distant, I, like others, was disconcerted by the bodies in the park to be avoided, oddness of catching sight of myself – a bodies of disobedient youths hanging view I don’t think we are meant to see. out in groups, bodies in lines outside Conversations in therapy defy many of shops, bodies and voices flattened on the customs of social intercourse. There screens and above all, bodies of dead are silences, repetitions, reframings, health workers and carers. Black bodies, links across time, reminiscences of brown bodies. Working-class bodies. fragments, rushes of emotion, shards of Bodies not normally praised, now being dreams, things told and then disavowed. celebrated. There can be fidgeting or absolute We are learning a whole new etiquette stillness. These form the idiosyncratic of bodies. We swerve around each and personal ambience between each other, hop into the near-empty street, therapeutic couple. As a therapist, I am calculate distances at entrances to parks, also alert to how the dilemmas that avoid body contact, even eye contact, beset the person or the couple I am and keep a look out for those obliviously seeing are brought to our relationship. glued to their phones, whose lack of The conundrums that brought the attention threatens to breach the two- person to seek therapy in the first metre rule. It’s odd and disconcerting place can be replayed right here. For and isn’t quite second nature. example, a person fearful of intimacy

18 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD HIGHLIGHTS can experience the therapy relationship have absorbed. Bodies have been or the therapist as too close. Someone very much the bit player to the main else who worries they are too needy drama of the mind, even when mental may be reluctant to show their longings processes or disturbance have resulted directly to the therapist, although well in bodily symptoms such as eczema or able to talk about how things go wrong a non-biologically induced paralysis. As for them in other relationships. The therapists, we traditionally read back therapy relationship and the sessions into the mind the troubles visited on are our petri dish. The field of study the body, seeing them as the result of is the human subject (and her, his or mental conflicts. And of course, they their ways of being able to develop and often are, but I have long been keen change). to understand body troubles and body The therapist works to understand difficulties in their own terms, and to an individual’s personal psychological build a theory about the development grammar – to help the person take the of the body. risk of unlearning and then learning Bodies have always been bound anew, finding ways to not be in so and marked by social rules. Different much hurt. So too with the body. Those societies make different sense out with troubled bodies bring them to of similar bodily actions or gestures. the session. They may sit too close, The variety of body adornment and for example, or seem to be concave, transformations around the world, from or dress incongruously, as though rings around the neck to the recent presenting a different persona in each upsurge in labial reductions and penis session. In the course of therapy, such enlargements, has made it ever more an abject body experience can be apparent that the body is not simply addressed, and, in unlearning and then the product of DNA. The body we learning anew, the person finds a more inhabit develops within relationships comfortable way to sit in their body. to other bodies. Usually it is within How is the dematerialisation of the maternal orbit where, to take an bodies affecting us and going to affect obvious example, we first apprehend us? Me, my patients, you – all of us? For gender-based forms of comportment. some of my patients, their screen or When I grew up, being told to sit like a home is a prison. Their experience is full girl and not to climb trees were some of woe and worry. Therapy keeps them of the ways we were treated differently just about on the border of sane, but it’s to boys. Research across many cultures a sanity that hurts: isolation can maraud show that baby girls are weaned and all of us as we miss the interactions, potty-trained earlier, fed less at each intimate or casual, that confirm our feed, and held less, than boys. There sense of our value, our place in our may be no biological basis to this, community, our work and the world. but rather a social, unconscious basis Some of my clinical preoccupations that then informs how we personally centre on how we acquire a physical, experience our particular embodiment. corporeal sense of self. Although We have very few verified reports of psychoanalysis is a theory of mind and humans growing up outside of human body, its main emphasis has drifted culture but the feral child Victor of to the development of the mind and Aveyron, who was discovered living its structures: what we call defences, wild in the woods of southern France and the relationship patterns we in 1800, did not have body movements

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 19 HERTFORD HIGHLIGHTS that were recognisably human. The regimes, clothing and cosmetics. The body-to-body relationship that was surface body is meant to be on display. foundational for him was with the Paradoxically, the sweating, smelling, bodies of the wolves he apparently grew holding, stroking body of the other up among. He seemingly mimicked their becomes, for those socially distancing, gait and moves, their posture and their too distant – while for others, such as vocalisations. Of course, we know this those sharing a house with teenage more familiarly, and less dramatically, boys, it’s all too present. All is on show from when youngsters develop their for families and housemates, while all group identities by adopting the is hidden for those living alone during mannerisms of film actors or musicians. lockdown. Through screens, billboards and The experience of the body on photoshopped images, we reduce the FaceTime or Zoom contrasts with the wide variety of bodily expression. It’s pulsing, breathing, weeping, sighing, as though we are losing body diversity tired, achy or indeed springy and just as we are losing languages. The enthusiastic bodies we inhabit. We no digitised, westernised body image longer have social communion in the predominates, and in the last two flesh, the handshake or the hug, the decades has spawned a cosmetic pleasure of eating in a restaurant with surgery industry worldwide – from leg- a friend or lover while seated near lengthening surgery using steel rods strangers. Afraid of infection, for our in China (now banned), to rhinoplasty protection, we collapse our social space. in Iran (which has the highest rate of During the second world war, the nose surgery per capita in the world) psychiatrist René Spitz studied orphan to double-eyelid surgery and jawbone babies in care. He discovered that those reduction in South Korea. In the west, closest to the nurses’ station thrived, surgeons resculpt cheekbones, breasts while those at the end of the ward and calves, and offer day procedures did not do so well. The difference was for facial ‘thread lifts’. Cosmetic surgery touch: the nurses would casually touch tourism hubs in Hungary, South Korea and interact with those closest to them, and Singapore were thriving until the and this gave those infants the essential lockdown. food for physical and psychological One Chinese smartphone app allows development. They absorbed the will to the selfie-taker to adjust their portrait live. A decade later – in research now to bring it closer to a very specific considered controversial for the way standard of beauty known as wang in which he removed baby monkeys hon lian, or “internet celebrity face”. It’s from their mothers – the American very popular: billions of wang hon lian psychologist Harry Harlow discovered images are uploaded every month. that baby monkeys given ersatz mothers The richest Europeans are not in in the form of basic cloth puppets tech, but in the business of beautifying would find some crucial security and bodies – the owners of fashion, luxury comfort even in this simulation of and cosmetics brands such as LVMH, maternal touch; those baby monkeys L’Oreal and Zara. Increasing automation deprived of any kind of maternal touch has led us to move from using our at all became highly disturbed, and bodies to make things to turning our many died. bodies the site and the product of Touch, feel and proximity are central our labour, through diet and exercise to survival. Consider the genius of

20 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD HIGHLIGHTS premature infants’ capacity to regulate their own and, extraordinarily, their parent’s body temperature, if they are The experience of the held skin-to-skin in a pouch. The gaze – the search to be seen, to recognise and body on FaceTime or to influence the other – is also crucial Zoom contrasts with to human subjectivity. In a fascinating video made by the developmental the pulsing, breathing, psychologist Edward Tronick, he weeping, sighing, tired, instructs a mother playing with her achy or indeed springy baby to keep a still face and refrain from interacting with her infant for a and enthusiastic minute or two. We observe as the infant bodies we inhabit. We girl seeks to engage the mother. When she is unable to, the baby collapses no longer have social psychologically and physically until communion in the contact is restored. What is so shocking is how fast the collapse is. flesh, the handshake or I’ve been thinking of how impossibly the hug, the pleasure of difficult and challenging our quasi- eating in a restaurant dematerialised life through the Zoom screen is, whether chatting with friends with a friend or lover or being in a meeting. Conflict and while seated near harmony become cartoonish as subtle gestures collapse and the conversations strangers. we have with our eyes are shut down. Reading each other well enough is a new skill in the therapy room, too, for both people. By now we are used to the screens and the telephone, and the McCarthy and Brian Keenan have all occasional technical blips. We are seeing written and spoken eloquently about a physical interior – a study, bedroom, solitary confinement and their struggles shed or kitchen, and being surprised to find a way through and back – or by an occasional child that floats in. should I say forward – to familial and We hear the suddenly hushed voice of social life. It was tough. And although someone not wanting their partner to many of us are not self-isolating alone, get a drift of the conversation we are unless one is able to do interesting or having. It illuminates aspects we didn’t valued work during this period, or have see before. Is it better? No. Is it worse? enough people to hang out with, we Marginally. I miss noticing how people can expect considerable psychological enter the therapy room – the subtle difficulties to follow as we come out difference from the session before, or of lockdown. How will we re-establish the way they may hold their face and social interaction with other bodies? body; above all, the animate body in What kind of rhythms will we want and the room. I suspect that I am more be able to have going forward? animated to make up for the loss of that Many have been ultra-busy with precious physicality. home schooling, working from home, Former hostages Terry Waite, John managing three generations and so

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 21 HERTFORD HIGHLIGHTS

on. Time has bent and contracted Indeed, many public places – from in perplexing ways. Busyness has Eurostar trains to the streets of New increased for some, while others, York, Prague, Dubai, Havana and many for whom slowing down is a foreign more – now demand it. Meanwhile, concept, have had idleness forced on much of society is now paying attention them. Empty time feels alien – or at to bodies that had been scandalously least did at the beginning. For many overlooked. The bodies of working it has been an unexpected pleasure. women, the carers who go in and No need to rush to social occasions. out of the houses and homes of the No need to dress. No need to get people they look after. The faces of vast everything done and more. Being numbers of black, Asian and minority- wanted, being needed, being in demand ethnic bodies, particularly in the health have been psychological supports that service, who are finally being recognised have melted away. Finding new ways to for their value, and the shockingly nourish one’s needs in this new reality – disproportionate number of their losses. especially in the absence of touch and Before COVID-19, the ruling party gaze, which we unknowingly rely upon were happy to slash social and health to recognise ourselves – can be tricky. funding, to put money into management Today, there is a frightened, wary, in the NHS, and not into professional social body. A body that is tense, in carers, doctors and nurses. Now society which avoidance is the watchword. is waking up to the value of care and The covered face, whether by a hoodie medical expertise that comes from the or a veil, which formerly some found hospital floor – that is to say, from the challenging, now offers reassurance. doctors and nurses who are reorganising

22 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD HIGHLIGHTS

what occurs there. The people keeping society going in every sector – transport workers, small shopkeepers, workers in food production and delivery – are often first-generation immigrants. More people are seeing a more nuanced social landscape. The opportunity is here for reframing how we represent the social body. It is of necessity differently hued, Today, there is a and that needs acknowledging, as does frightened, wary, the shame of our previous marginalising. COVID-19 is cleaning the lens, so we can social body. A body see more clearly. that is tense, in From the individual to the social body, and how it is being challenged by which avoidance is the pandemic, we turn to the corporate the watchword. The body – the body of state – and what covered face, whether we have been learning about how it has functioned. On 17 April, Professor by a hoodie or a veil, Anthony Costello, a former director of which formerly some the Institute for Global Health at UCL, told the select committee on health found challenging, now and social care that he feared Britain offers reassurance. might have the highest number of

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 23 HERTFORD HIGHLIGHTS deaths in Europe, which has now been an eventuality. The exercise showed confirmed. Costello had estimated hospitals and mortuaries being quickly 40,000 deaths; on 5 May the official overwhelmed, and shortages of critical UK death toll was just over 32,000, care beds, ventilators and personal but the Financial Times reported the protective equipment for hospital staff. same day that the true figure had likely Cygnus, and other such exercises, are already surpassed Costello’s estimate. meant to show the government what London and the north-west of England they need to do to be prepared – which are showing higher rates of death than was not, as Hunt was doing, cutting other regions, while according to the beds. On 28 March of this year, when ONS, people in the most deprived areas the Cygnus debacle came to light, we of England and Wales are dying at twice were told that the projections were not the rate of the most affluent areas. remedied because of worries that beds, Costello argued for this figure ventilators and PPE would become because we were slow off the mark to outmoded or obsolete and that the take precautionary moves early on. He government had worked on securing spoke to the chair of the committee, reliable supply chains. (As we have seen, Jeremy Hunt, who has spent this period in a pandemic, reliable supply chains appearing to stress about the lack of become very quickly overwhelmed.) testing, ventilators and PPE equipment. A 2018 Red Cross conference report This is the same Hunt who, as the on Cygnus and infectious diseases longest serving health secretary in stated: “The financial and human cost British history, also had social care in of an outbreak can be staggering and his portfolio, and the pay of doctors, early response reduces the cost.” Our nurses and social care workers. Even government chose not to act. more damningly, he was the minister The Fund for Peace, the Washington- in charge during Exercise Cygnus, based NGO that publishes the annual the UK government’s drill to test our Fragile States Index, lists criteria for preparedness for a pandemic, carried a failed state. I think we have come out in 2016. dangerously close to fulfilling two of The full review of Exercise Cygnus their criteria: the inability to provide has never been officially published, but public services for the poor, and the leaks have revealed that it showed the inability to interact with other states UK’s health system and local authorities as a full member of the international were woefully unprepared for such community.

The full review of Exercise Cygnus has never been officially published, but leaks have revealed that it showed the UK’s health system and local authorities were woefully unprepared for such an eventuality.

24 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD HIGHLIGHTS

As these last months’ farcical developments show – the question about the independence of the Scientific Plans for British Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), the alleged missing communications companies to design with the EU on PPE, the political new ventilator decision not to cooperate with the EU, machines, detailed by the posting out of tests without return envelopes, and the expired dates on the Financial Times, PPE equipment – the government is in went belly up. Our Fawlty Towers territory. Plans for British companies to design government chose new ventilator machines, detailed by to source new ideas the Financial Times, went belly up. Our government chose to source new rather than build to ideas rather than build to the existing the existing plan under plan under licence. Why, one must ask? licence. Why, one must Could it be Brexit hubris? I don’t want to contrast the UK’s ask? Could it be Brexit response with that of the EU, because hubris? the latter has not always covered itself in glory during the pandemic. The ethics of cooperation in Europe and the ethics of transparency and honesty have been mightily tested in the past months. Perhaps now though we can be Tom Moore or the many making masks encouraged by the joint project of the and contributing 3D printers keep on European Investment Banks and WHO going. And the programme Feed NHS, to bolster global healthcare systems. in which the restaurant chain Leon Will the UK state be contributing? I think and other chefs are prepping to feed not. So much depends on the actions of patients, doctors, nurses, hospital citizens now to move things forward. In porters and ambulance workers, is this light, it is encouraging to see the now in train. This voluntary work, in formation of a new independent panel which groups of people self-organise, of experts – a “rival” to Sage – led by the is outstanding, and yet it is in contrast former UK government chief scientific to the inability of our state to mobilise adviser David King, whose deliberations those who wanted to help. are on YouTube for us to watch. The Gates Foundation’s contributions I am not sure how we characterise the to seven different vaccine programmes, following failure of the state, because it and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s donation is in part the expression of public good: of $1bn, are impressive. Will hedge funds of the 750,000 people who signed up in the UK such as Ruffer investment, to volunteer to help the NHS, invited which pocketed £2.4bn in March, or by the government, fewer than 100,000 Somerset Capital (the fund Jacob Rees have been deployed. As citizens, we Mogg used to run) who see COVID-19 want to contribute. This squandering as a “once or twice in a generation” of people’s generosity is disturbing. opportunity for investment, make a Fortunately, people such as Captain contribution, too?

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 25 HERTFORD HIGHLIGHTS

There are several dozen UK-based project on to other people’s bodies hedge funds managing assets worth £1bn and the fears we have about our own or more. Could the mood of the country vulnerabilities. We will need all the help be such that hedge fund investors we can get in reshaping our relationship and managers might be persuaded to to our own and each other’s bodies, to donate some of their obscene profits to find a way to build bonds of attachment the coronavirus response or to sponsor and respect. migrants from beyond Europe (who What started with the work here as cleaners, carers, drivers), dematerialisation of the individual who do not earn the £30,000 currently body has now morphed into the demanded for a work permit? dematerialisation of the body of state. COVID is a sad story. It is also a The economist Joseph Stiglitz reminds story of resilience. The body of state us that, with the stripping back of has failed us. We need to grow up the state under Ronald Reagan and and recognise that. COVID-19 has Margaret Thatcher, we lost capacity. exposed unforgivable systemic failure. This needs to be addressed. In the years leading up to this, we’ve There is a lively debate from a range seen a reduction in the status of civil of economists on how to get to a servants and a downgrading of health more equitable economy. MoneyWeek workers. We have seen teachers, editor-in-chief Merryn Somerset doctors and academics hidebound in a Webb’s call for a sovereign wealth fund, managerial economy. At least it seems with the government owning shares in that micromanagement has been bailed-out companies, is interesting, as temporarily overturned in hospitals, is political economist Will Hutton’s idea thank goodness, because right now of expanding the British Business Bank doctors and nurses need to be running and the Future Fund. UCL Economics the show. Professor Mariana Mazzucato insists And to return to our bodies – the that the state must invest in innovation. live ones, so many devoid of touch and We began trying to make a different gaze, facing a long period of isolation, kind of society after the second world and frightened. How can I conclude? war. We will have to do that again. In a way, I can’t. We are far from the Principally, we will need to recognise other side of this crisis. Psychological the contributions and the losses of the therapies are going to have a huge UK’s minority and working-class people, part to play in the remaking of body above all. Our governments have and soul. I don’t much like the word shamed themselves through creating trauma, because it has become so divisions in society, particularly since overused, but we are a society that austerity was imposed under David is in trauma. A societal trauma gives Cameron’s government. Now we have opportunities for people to go through an unexpected chance to redress the things together, rather than suffer divisive fallout of Brexit. alone, as long as we don’t bury or make The impact of remote working and light of what we have experienced and the need to balance domestic and work continue to experience. We will have life, allied with dire warnings on mass to find new ways to live with our fears unemployment, gives us an opportunity and discomforts, to overcome Covid- to write a social contract in which we minted social phobias, with what we divide work more fairly. At both ends

26 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD HIGHLIGHTS

In a way, I can’t. We are far from the other side of this crisis. Psychological therapies are going to have a huge part to play in the remaking of body and soul. I don’t much like the word trauma, because it has become so overused, but we are a society that is in trauma.

of the pay scale, people overwork. managers and owners. Doctors, nurses, The evidence for a more balanced carers and delivery people have things relationship between work and home is to say about how their institutions could compelling. be better run. The body politic and the Since the crisis began, the outpourings politics of the bodies that make up our of artists, musicians, programmers, world must be reconfigured, and we cultural and scientific workers at all need to start thinking about that now. levels has been outstanding. The I conclude with Freud: “The aim of talent, the will, the desire is there to psychoanalysis is to turn hysteria into remake our world. The urgency is not ordinary human unhappiness.” That is in question. Globalism can’t simply be a an accomplishment for an individual celebration of “just-in-time” deliveries. and for a society. We cannot escape It will need to be recast as mutuality – unhappiness. It is constitutive of being local and global mutuality – so that we human, just as are creativity, courage, learn from each other, including those ambition, attachment and love. Let’s who’ve been in lockdown in the war embrace the complexity of what it zone. means to be human in this time of Our institutions will need to be sorrow as we think and feel our way to rebuilt with transparency, with heart come out of this, wiser, humbler and and by learning from the people who more connected. have been staffing them, not just the

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 27 HERTFORD HIGHLIGHTS

LAW’S POWER Dr Kate Greasley

he power of the law is ubiquitous. instance, through compulsion. I have a Nowhere was this more publicly on greater interest, though, in law’s power Tdisplay, of late, than in Lady Hale’s to determine features of human life by lacerating rebuke, in the Miller 2 decision authoritatively declaring certain things of last year, of the UK government’s use to hold not just as a matter of legal, of a prerogative power to prorogue but also of moral reality. Here are two parliament for an unconventional length examples from the purview of my own of time. Landmark decisions about work. questions of fundamental constitutional The first is the famous (or, rather, importance such as were at issue there infamous) case of R v R (1992). The are of course among the flashier displays case was an appeal of a conviction for of the power of the law—specifically attempted rape, and the facts accepted there, the power of judicial review—at by the House of Lords were briefly work. Like many cases of constitutional as follows. After a period of marital significance, the Miller 2 decision drew its strife, the defendant’s wife had left the import from partly shaping and refining family home, along with their son, to the very boundaries of legality within return to live with her parents. She and which the government is obliged to act. the defendant had been living apart But the law’s ability to shape and direct for a matter of some weeks, the wife features of the environment we inhabit, having communicated her intention sometimes, in transformative ways, is by to initiate divorce proceedings, when no means limited to judicial decisions the defendant forced his way into her bearing so much constitutional clout. parents’ home (in their absence) and In many ways, the power of the law is a attempted to rape her. The question very trivial truth. As a practical authority, for the House of Lords was whether, able to deploy coercion if necessary, the despite the victim’s refusal of sex, the law can prohibit, regulate, and restrict fact of their being married precluded a in any domain of human conduct. It can conviction of rape or attempted rape. also empower, legitimate, and stipulate Up until that point, the common law the terms on which a power, a right, had operated on the presumption or a status will be underwritten by the that a woman’s consent to a marriage force of law, thus constituting such equated to indefinite consent to sexual powers, rights, or institutions as the intercourse with her husband, so that very things that they are. There is no it was legally impossible for a man to such thing as a property right, a binding rape his own wife: the notorious ‘marital contract, a will, a divorce, or a tortious exemption rule’. In R v R, the court finally injury outside of a system of law which overturned the marital exemption rule, defines the associated duties and rights declaring the idea that a woman, upon and is willing to back them up, in the last marriage, gives advance, indefinite

28 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD HIGHLIGHTS consent to sex with her husband as consent, even if honestly held, suffices never anything more than a fiction. to meet the culpability standard of rape. Every year afresh, I shock a new crop Every year afresh, I shock a new crop of first year Law undergraduates when I of first year undergraduate students tell them that ‘marital rape’ was a legal when I tell them that until 2003, an oxymoron until as late as 1992. But R v R honest belief in consent, even if totally did not only change the juridical concept unreasonable, borne of blind optimism of rape; it made a pronouncement about or reckless indifference, was enough to what always had been rape, whether dislodge a rape charge. the law had recognised it or not. The Like R v R, the legal change ushered law’s definition of rape, we take it, is an in by the 2003 Sexual Offences Act ongoing attempt to track an extra-legal did more than just amend the law. phenomenon: the moral reality of what By authoritatively proclaiming that rape is. R v R ruled that earlier courts an honest but unreasonable belief in had abjectly failed to track that moral consent could not shift culpability for reality, and in so doing, made a crucial rape, it also, arguably, helped to shape statement about what counts as rape how rape culpability is conceptualised outside of the law. in the public imagination outside of My second example is also drawn the law. In this area, as in others, one from the back catalogue of shocking might think that the law is deeply historical rules about sexual offences. implicated in stipulating the standards DPP v Morgan (1976) concerned the we are called to live up to by decreeing culpability standard required to be a certain factual matrix to constitute convicted of rape. The low-life at the rape—or discrimination, harassment, centre of this case was a man who had or defamation—including when that invited a few of his friends back to his appraisal is not yet embedded in our house to have sex with his wife. On the common consciousness. dubious facts as they were assumed for the sake of argument, the man had instructed his friends, falsely, that any show of resistance by his wife was only an act and not to be taken seriously. Though the physical injuries sustained As these examples by the victim made this ludicrous, for the purposes of the legal appeal, it reveal, law does not was assumed that the men honestly, only reflect back the if unreasonably, believed the woman’s conventional morality husband as to the fact of her consenting. On appeal, this honest belief was taken of its age; it can do to be a bar to conviction, since, as the much to improve court held, a genuine and honest belief in consent was enough to preclude the that morality, or to crime of rape; there was no requirement deteriorate it. Since that this belief be reasonably held. This time, rectification came only by way of law has such power, it statute, when the 2003 Sexual Offences matters greatly what Act explicitly reformed the law of rape we make of it. to hold that an unreasonable belief in

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 29 HERTFORD HIGHLIGHTS

Some legal revolutions in the realm advocate for the law’s recognition of this of sex equality have proven to be distinctive wrong, when they without cataclysmic for how we frame certain question could have been doing more aspects of human life. When American reliably profitable things. feminist legal scholar Catharine As these examples reveal, law does MacKinnon first advocated for the not only reflect back the conventional law to recognise sexual harassment morality of its age; it can do much to in the workplace as its own ground improve that morality, or to deteriorate of legal redress, there was as yet no it. Since law has such power, it widespread appreciation of sexual matters greatly what we make of it. harassment as a distinctive wrong, or Undergraduate students in law typically of the utterances and behaviours now arrive entrenched in the view that unequivocally recognised to constitute liberal values demand banishing all sexual harassment as being a veritable questions of morality from legal practice practice of sex-based discrimination. In and thinking. The deprogramming can this recognition, the law got there ahead be arduous, but starts by pointing out of the rest of us, and arguably, was just how inescapably shot through the instrumental for the broader revelation law is with moral concern. Even the of sexual harassment as the thing that famed liberal philosopher John Stuart it is. There was nothing inevitable, Mill’s popular ‘harm principle’ of legal though, about this legal turn. It took restraint—according to which legal actual, particular people to argue and interference with human conduct is only licit when in the service of avoiding harm to others—is first and foremost a moral principle, premised on the badness of harm and the virtues of freedom. A system of enforceable property rights presupposes the legitimacy of private It is ultimately these property, a value-laden position we practitioners in a legal know is not universally shared. The idea that there are civic wrongs which system—those who warrant forcible compensation is a claim write the law, deploy it, about what ought to be the case. There is certainly one type of interpret it and argue relationship between morality and law about it—who will that does not hold: nothing about the determine its value, fact that a standard or rule is a legal one means that the content of that standard including whether it or rule is necessarily morally laudable. helps to improve moral This idea, very roughly expressed here, is the gist of what has been called the behaviour in certain ‘legal positivist’ school of thought in legal domains (even against philosophy to which I subscribe, and the run of play), erodes which is also crudely captured by Jeremy Bentham’s oft-quoted adage that ‘the it, or simply safeguards existence of law is one thing; its merit the status quo. or demerit is another’. Moral soundness is not part of the validity conditions for

30 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD HIGHLIGHTS law; thus it is that we can have laws that does, is the second main thing I hope are odious or discriminatory without law graduates of Hertford will always these deficiencies detracting in any way bear in mind, although it is not on the from their legality. Once we appreciate curriculum. When studying for their law that nothing about the forms of legality degree, the form of accountability with guarantees that it will work to the good, which law students are most concerned the responsibility to be vigilant in our is accountability for their academic moral appraisal of the law becomes standards. It is, hence, mercifully even more sharpened. If nothing else, shortlived. For those who go into legal this is one thing that I hope my own practice, though, accountability for what law students will always remember they do to shape the law into what after having been forced to study legal it is, and for how their own practice is philosophy. While the law might be instrumentalised, for good or ill, is, I distinctively well positioned to secure hope, a form of accountability they will certain goods, it is also distinctively well always carry with them, cognisant of positioned, by dint of its power, to do the reality that Catharine MacKinnon serious harm. Which potential is the alluded to in an address whose title I one realised in a given instance is down shamelessly ripped off here. to the law’s framers, interpreters, and practitioners. It is ultimately these practitioners in a legal system—those who write the law, deploy it, interpret it and argue ‘When I say law is about it—who will determine its value, power, you are thinking including whether it helps to improve moral behaviour in certain domains “them”. Of course, it’s (even against the run of play), erodes also us. And for you, it, or simply safeguards the status quo. the graduates, now or The accountability of legal practitioners for what the law is, and hence what it soon, it’s you.’

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 31 HERTFORD HIGHLIGHTS

BEFORE THE STORM: MARTIN MAIDEN’S TERM AS HERFORD’S SENIOR PROCTOR, MARCH 2019 -MARCH 2020 Professor Martin Maiden

n the morning of Wednesday in reality they do not admit of such a 13 March 2019 the Principal and cursory explanation. The Assessor is OFellows of Hertford assembled relatively recent, for Oxford, but the in OB Quad dressed to a person Proctors date from the very earliest elegantly, if uncharacteristically, in sub times of the University. By University fusc. They processed the short distance statute they are elected for one year to the Sheldonian Theatre, joining only and any one person can serve only similar processions from Balliol and St one term. All three officers represent John’s, the Vice Chancellor, the outgoing Congregation on the executive of the Proctors and Assessor, the Bedels, and University: they are trustees of the various colleagues and guests. All were University and ex officio members of assembled for the annual demission most committees, including Council. and admission ceremony for the two They have a right of attendance and Proctors and the Assessor. Colleges speaking at any University meeting and nominate these positions in turn so, for also have a right of access to ‘all persons each college, this event comes around and all papers’ in fulfilling their oversight only every 13 years or so. After the role. If this were not enough, the ceremony, as Hertford’s newly-installed Proctors are in charge of examination Senior Proctor, I returned to college regulations, student discipline and with the Vice-Chancellor, the Principal, appeals, and they or their deputies, the the former Senior Proctor, and the pro-Proctors, have to be present at all fellows for a celebratory lunch in Hall. official occasions – quite a portfolio. The whole college rose to the occasion Although viewed in some quarters as magnificently to make the event a fitting at best an anachronism and at worst a celebration of Hertford’s contribution meddlesome irritant, the Proctors and to the collegiate University. the Assessors are an expression of one Any discussion of the Proctors of Oxford’s fundamental aspirations: and Assessor requires at least some to be a self-governing community of description of these ancient officers of scholars. In my view, Oxford’s long-term the University. Most undergraduates strength and success is a consequence think of them, if they think of them at of its democratic structures with all, as archaically-dressed kill-joys, but, Congregation at its centre. This

32 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD HIGHLIGHTS

constitution is founded on the In his demitting oration, my contention that individual academics predecessor reflected that his had been are best placed to make decisions about a quiet year for the Proctors. That could teaching and research, a model that not be said of my year in office, with serves the University well. In general, the University taking a number of major over-centralised administrations are steps including the foundation of a new inherently prone to error and being college, the receipt of a major donation thrown off course by ‘events’. By for the Humanities, and entering a ‘joint contrast, devolved structures can be partnership’ for developing staff and resilient, fleet-of-foot, adaptable, and student housing. Much of this activity innovative (remember Tanner?). The was consequential on the University’s Proctors and the Assessors have an ‘Strategic Plan’, an ambitious document increasingly important role as ‘coal- with a wealth of priorities (many face’ academics, fresh from teaching unfunded, but that is another story), and research, at the heart of University which foresaw the continued expansion governance. They are guardians of of the University, especially in graduate the academic institution who, all too numbers. Having observed them close frequently in my experience, are the to, I have to say that the administrative only active teachers and researchers overheads of these activities were very in the room when weighty matters are far from negligible. As we laboured considered. over the multiple meetings and

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 33 HERTFORD HIGHLIGHTS voluminous ‘paper work’ involved, staffed by an excellent team of clerks, little did we know how much would fall it is up to the Proctors to make final into question as soon as we demitted. decisions and they have very wide In their time Proctors can achieve powers and discretion in this respect. relatively little, rather like the ghost Again, on reflection this is a strength, the of Christmas Present, but one change clerks provide continuity and detailed that Sophie Marnett, the Junior Proctor, knowledge of the regulations whilst and I achieved was the introduction the Proctors adjudicate on the basis of of ‘Proctoral iPads’, to ensure that their academic experience and insight. seemingly endless reams of paper Working through difficult cases with the were not expended on our behalf. In clerks is a simultaneously challenging retrospect this proved to be a very wise and stimulating task and arriving at a legacy to our successors, who will have fair and just outcome is highly satisfying. had to work exclusively electronically Less enjoyable are those occasions and via ‘Zoom’ and ‘Teams’. when a student has to be disciplined, In their second role, it is up to the perhaps having to leave the University Proctors to investigate and adjudicate without an award. While the Proctors, on a wide range of student-facing by their very nature, see some of the issues, including appeals, complaints, worst side of the University and its and breaches of discipline. Although members, being a Proctor affirms that the investigations are undertaken and the great majority of the University’s briefs prepared by the Proctors Office, members are hard-working and diligent and that most of its processes work well. Just as with my year in office, this article is swiftly drawing to its end, and I can add only few words on the ceremonial aspects of the role. Oxford’s Any discussion of the ceremonial tradition is a characteristic, Proctors and Assessor and in the case of the degree ceremonies a joyful, part of University life, which requires at least some involves tremendous amounts of work description of these for everyone involved, from the Vice- Chancellor down. I was very fortunate ancient officers of in having two very forbearing and the University. Most accommodating Hertford Pro-Proctors, undergraduates think Jieun Kiaer and Sam Henry, to assist throughout the year. As a Proctor one of them, if they think develops great respect for the Bedels, of them at all, as Proctors’ Officers, and administrative colleagues who keep the ceremonies archaically-dressed running flawlessly year after year. Oh – killjoys, but, in reality and yes – another of my achievements they do not admit as Proctor was to secure University- issued coats to protect the Proctors’ of such a cursory Officers whilst performing their duties explanation. in inclement winter weather. The morning of the 18 March 2020

34 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD HIGHLIGHTS

saw a very different ceremony in the deputies, can retain their academic Sheldonian; indeed, it was the last caps in Congregation. On demission the Congregation to be held for very many Proctors instantly become ‘ordinary’ months. Everyone wore sub fusc, of members of Congregation, without the course, but only the principal actors particular privileges, influences, and were present, all suitably ‘socially powers of the office of Proctor. This is an distanced’. The ceremony was curtailed annual reminder that University officers and the Senior Proctor’s demitting hold authority from Congregation by oration was not given, although it had virtue of their office, not their personal been written in collaboration with the qualities. In a wider society, which Junior Proctor and Assessor and was is ever-increasingly dominated by subsequently published in the Gazette individuals and personalities, it is as as usual. There were no processions well to reflect that our University is a and certainly no celebratory lunches. society, a democratic community, and What remained was the symbolism that leadership is a service. The offices of the ceremony, which is important of Proctor and Assessor are not always if somewhat brutal. As soon as the popular, not least with those who incumbent Proctor demits office, actually hold them, but in our University they lay aside their authority, and are they are a vital service and long may obliged to remove their cap as only the they continue. Chancellor and Proctors, or their acting

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 35 HERTFORD HIGHLIGHTS

TEN YEARS AS HERTFORD DEAN: SOME REFLECTIONS Professor Alison Woollard

on them, both now and in the future? Will they be anxious about friends, family, job prospects? My ten years as College Dean, with primary responsibility for managing overall student support, has taught me many things. I’ve learnt to listen without dispensing advice all the time, to try not to be judgemental, to take advice from others who know much more about student mental health than I do. I’ve also learnt how incredibly resilient some of our students are, and taken huge personal inspiration from many of them. My long-held philosophy, that we are, all of us, just a few questionable decisions and a bit of bad luck away from disaster, has certainly been proven on many occasions. I’ve been incredibly, wildly, have to confess to a certain relief at proud of some pretty mediocre (from stepping down from being Hertford’s a strictly academic standpoint) degree Dean at this particular moment I classifications over the years, because in time. I see huge challenges ahead they have represented the most for the coming academic year as the extraordinary triumph over seemingly college navigates the extraordinarily impossible odds. fine lines between safety, scholarship More than anything else, I’ve learnt a and fun in the time of COVID-19. There huge amount about how communities is no doubt that we will find our way work, or at least how they can work, at through it, bursting as we are with their best. And how they can sometimes talent, resourcefulness and goodwill. It’s go wrong. I think the role of college exciting, too, to be part of a University Dean can be best summed up as “chief- that is front and centre of the global holder-of-relationships” – between efforts to create a vaccine. But it’s also students, academics, members of a time of unprecedented uncertainty for staff, external professionals, and so our students. What will University life on. There are tricky balancing acts to be like this year (especially for Freshers)? be had. It’s almost impossible to get How will wider economic issues impact anything completely right. I could often

36 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD HIGHLIGHTS be accused of both overreacting and student services have become highly underreacting to a situation by different professionalised, allowing silent running constituents, often within the same to be the norm. It feels like everyone hour! Advocating for students can risk is pulling in the same direction. In the irritation from fellows, and yet pointing welfare team, I’ve been blessed with out when “college authorities” have an extraordinary mixture of talented, a good point, can trigger a very large dedicated and life-affirming individuals inbox from angry students! The only way – Yo Davies, Leanne Roberts and Mia I’ve survived is to try to occupy all the Smith, to name but a few, as well as different mindsets involved (not for too numerous resourceful junior deans, long in some cases…) and to attempt always on hand to help out with huge to apply the principles of fairness and patience and goodwill. Just as well, natural justice. And be willing to accept because the demand for student with good grace when it turns out I was welfare and support services has gone completely wrong. through the roof. Many experts have When I took over the role, being Dean ideas about why this is the case – social meant being in charge of both student media, parenting styles, elongated welfare and discipline. This always adolescence, too much assessment, the seemed an uneasy combination to me. list goes on – but whatever the causes, In my view, student “discipline” ought our students are definitely hurting more not to be a thing. We’re not a boarding than they used to. Whether we think it’s school, after all, we’re a community of justified or not, their pain is real, and we adult scholars, thriving on shared values must respond. And we do. But I suspect and mutual respect. It turns out that this the need will continue to grow, and is mostly correct, although on occasion the college will need to put even more the more hedonistic-minded did enjoy resource into this area in the future. the odd roof incursion, or full-on rave It’s an extraordinary privilege to share (usually in Leckford Road – or “Leckbiza”). a part of the journey with so many of So, I was delighted when my wonderful our students. So, it can be frustrating at colleague Steve New volunteered to times not to know what happened next. be the first Student Conduct Officer, It’s a bit like starting so many intriguing taking charge of the odd miscreant novels, only to have them snatched and generally ensuring good order. away after the first chapter. So, if you’re Community self-policing is the name out there and have some updates, get of the game at Hertford, though – so in touch! We never forget you, you much more compelling for students know – and the more difficult you think to learn about community spirit and you might have been then, the more endeavour from each other than being pleased we’ll be to hear your stories lectured by old fuddy-duddies like me now, whatever they are. and Steve. Our mantra: don’t go looking I wish all the luck in the world to my for trouble….! successor, Dr. Oliver Noble Wood, and Hertford has changed a lot over the I know that I’m leaving the Deanship in last ten years. Governing Body have excellent hands. For myself, I’m looking encouraged significant investment in forward to some exciting new projects in the academic office, bursary, welfare science, education, public engagement and domestic teams, with the result that and writing. I’m even planning to work in the lab again!

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 37 HERTFORD BOOKSHELF

1

5 6 2 3 4

7 8 9 HERTFORD HIGHLIGHTS

1 3 A FORGET-ME-NOT SUMMER THE PROBIOTIC PLANET: JOHANNA GRASSICK USING LIFE TO MANAGE LIFE (MODERN LANGUAGES, 1992) PROFESSOR JAMIE LORIMER, It’s taken years, but Natasha Brown’s life TUTORIAL FELLOW IN is finally on track. Running a florists in GEOGRAPHY the quaint village of Willowbrook, she’s Most of us are familiar with probiotics put her short-lived marriage to Luc added to milk or yogurt to improve Duval far behind her. That is, until he gastrointestinal health. In fact, the unexpectedly walks through her shop term refers to any intervention in door, three years after their divorce. which life is used to manage life— from the microscopic, like consuming fermented food to improve gut health, 2 to macro approaches such as biological pest control. In this ambitious and THE EDWARDIANS AND original work, Jamie Lorimer offers a THE MAKING OF A MODERN sweeping overview of diverse probiotic SPANISH OBSESSION approaches and an insightful critique of KIRSTY HOOPER (MODERN LANGUAGES, 1993) their promise and limitations. Set against a background of unprecedented emotional, economic 4 and industrial investment in Spain, the book traces the extraordinary INDIAN SUN: THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF RAVI SHANKAR transformation that took place in OLIVER CRASKE (PPE, 1990) British knowledge about the country and its diverse regions, languages and Oliver Craske paints a vivid picture of cultures between the tercentenary of a captivating, restless workaholic, who the Spanish Armada in 1888 and the lived a passionate and extraordinary outbreak of World War I 26 years later. life – from Shankar’s childhood in his brother’s dance troupe, through intensive study of the sitar, to his revival of the national music scene; and from the 1950s, a pioneering international career that ultimately made his name synonymous with India.

40 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD HIGHLIGHTS

5 8 JOURNALISM AND EMOTION CLIMATE CHANGE, A VERY PROFESSOR STEPHEN JUKES PECULIAR HISTORY (MODERN LANGUAGES, 1972) DAVID ARSCOTT (ENGLISH, 1971) How can we understand the complex Climate Change: A Very Peculiar History relationship between journalism and arms you with an introduction to the emotion? In a world of live-streamed scientific concepts behind climate terror, polarised political debates change, then hits you hard with the and fake news, emotion has become bizarre and, at times, disputed facts central to our understanding of that go along with the theory. contemporary journalism. 9 6 PRIVACY IS POWER WHO ENTERS POLITICS AND DR CARISSA VÉLIZ, TUTORIAL WHY? FELLOW IN PHILOSOPHY DR JAMES WEINBERG The first book to call for the end of the (HISTORY, 2009) data economy. Dr Carissa Véliz exposes Exploring unique survey and interview how our personal data is giving too data on the personality characteristics much to big tech and governments, of British politicians, this book provides why that matters, and what we can do a timely psychological analysis of about it. those individuals who pursue political careers and how they represent their constituents once elected.

7 GLOVES OFF LOUISA REID (ENGLISH, 1994) A page-turning and immersive young adult novel in verse, telling the story of Lily who is mercilessly bullied at school and who turns to boxing in an attempt to fight back; a story of hope and resilience breaking through even the most difficult situations.

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 41 HERTFORD HIGHLIGHTS Hertford Year HERTFORD YEAR

THE HERTFORD SOCIETY Graham Jones, Secretary of the Hertford Society, writes:

(Modern History, 1963) for taking on this important and onerous job. We commenced with champagne in the OB Quad at 6.45 pm. This went extremely well with all 60+ members and guests conversing vigorously. At about 7.15 pm I wanted to address the throng but such was the crowd noise that I was rather at a loss to get their attention. At this point our former President General Sir Roger Wheeler was able to demand their attention with a voice honed by his lengthy army career. I was then able to call forward Kenny Lewis, the college’s loyal staff member who had retired the previous year after 40 years of service to the college. Kenny had previously been given a fine portrait of himself by he last report was composed in the college, and it was now the Society’s August 2019 and appeared in the turn to make a gift on behalf of all the THertford College Magazine which former undergraduates and graduates was distributed in January 2020. Putting that Kenny had looked after in various it mildly, a great deal has happened ways in his time The gift was a framed since then! print of the Hertford Bridge flanked by On Saturday 7 September 2019 the the adjoining buildings. It was inscribed Society had its AGM and its triennial “To Kenny Lewis, from the Hertford black-tie dinner in Hall. We had the Society 2019”. Kenny gave a greatly AGM at 5pm in the Ferrar Room which appreciated few words in response. was the MCR in my day and even further We then moved into the Old back was known as “Pollicott’s Room”, Lodgings to hear a delightful rendition named after the battels clerk whose from the College Choir of Like as the domain it then was. The AGM went Hart desireth the Waterbrooks. This smoothly and reasonably briefly. Most was commissioned by the Society in noteworthy was the fact that we were 2011 from Samuel Pegg in memory of able to elect a Membership Secretary Brian Galpin (Law, 1940), a founding for the first time for some years. We committee member and also a member are grateful to Christopher Mockler of the London Bach Choir. We are

44 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD YEAR most grateful to Charlotte Corderoy, Senior Organ Scholar, for arranging the performance and also accompanying Quite a few of the the choir on the grand piano. Next came the main item on the Society attendees programme when we went up to the were able to recall the Hall for an excellent dinner, presided over by our President, Rt Hon Jacqui Octagon as the JCR in Smith. Simon Robinson, the new Head their day. When the of Catering Services pulled out all the Holywell Quad was stops in the appointment of the Hall with much college silver on the tables opened in 1982, the surrounded by flower arrangements and JCR transferred to a candelabra. The quality of the food and drink and the smartness of its service purpose-built room were all widely praised. Simon Brewster, in that quad, and the the College Cellar Master very kindly recommended and sourced the wines MCR came down from for the evening. In the run up to the the Ferrar Room to the dinner Mrs Jordan Davies, the college Octagon. Events Manager, put in sterling work in printing the programme booklet, table plans and place settings and name badges. A number of guests on entering the MCR members and provided a great staircase up to the Hall remarked on the opportunity for both to mingle and newly installed handrails on either side compare college experiences. Quite of the very first few steps up from the a few of the Society attendees were Quad. Handrails had long been fitted able to recall the Octagon as the JCR on either side of the main staircase, in their day. When the Holywell Quad but these first few steps had no such was opened in 1982, the JCR transferred aid for disabled and elderly persons. A to a purpose-built room in that quad, few years ago John Wells (Physics, 1970) and the MCR came down from the approached me for advice on whom Ferrar Room to the Octagon. We were to contact as he wished to fund the delighted to see Sir Walter Bodmer at addition of the extra handrails. I was the party. As principal from 1996 to 2005 able to direct John to the right college and also now a vice-president of the department and the handrails were in Society, Sir Walter has been a staunch due course installed – strong, and in supporter of the Society throughout. keeping with the style of the building. On Thursday 5 March we held John was as good as his word and paid the annual committee dinner in the for the rails and their installation. Oxford and Cambridge Club. This The Society’s next event was the dinner is attended by past and present MCR/Hertford Society joint party in committee members and past and the Octagon. This was organised by present officers of the Society. We Liisa Parts from the Society and Sam always invite the current presidents of East, President of the MCR. It was well- the JCR and MCR and on this occasion attended by Society members and both were able to join us – Rebecca Simpson (JCR) and Sam East (MCR).

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 45 HERTFORD YEAR

The dinner is traditionally informal but Lodgings. These outline arrangements I was allowed to say a few words of were announced to the Society welcome and to point out that at the membership at that time. However, table we had three presidents and two like many such events throughout the past presidents – Jacqui Smith (Hertford country, we were obliged to postpone Society), Rebecca and Sam, and then the AGM and lunch to an unspecified Roger Wheeler and Roger Westbrook date. With the progress of the pandemic (both Hertford Society). still uncertain, we have not been able to Little did those of us at dinner that arrange another date. evening realise how much everything A farewell party in college for Will in our lives was going to change in less Hutton was arranged for Saturday than three weeks. 25th July. This event did go ahead, but Back in January we had booked the not in the format originally planned. Hall for the usual summer buffet lunch In place of a jolly party with all invited on Saturday 27 June 2020. This would be participants physically in college we had preceded by the Society AGM in the Old instead a Zoom party from 5pm to 6.30 pm, equally jolly in is way. The party was chaired (if a party can be chaired!) by Professor Emma Smith, Tutorial Fellow in English. She called on thirteen persons in turn to speak fairly briefly By the time this about the Will Hutton that they knew. reaches you, our The coverage was quite comprehensive – Fellows (Tutorial, Emeritus, and new Principal, Tom Honorary), JCR presidents past and Fletcher CMG (1994, present, a former MCR president, History), will have and a range of alumni with particular connections with Will. I was privileged been in post for about to be asked to speak on behalf of the four months. The Hertford Society and the Geoffrey Warnock Society. I did of course pay Society did of course tribute to Will’s characteristic cheerful send him a message of and friendly approach to all alumni that warm congratulations he encountered. I had also been asked to recall a couple of anecdotes which in January 2020 and might be of interest. In response to this received an equally I recalled the Hertford Bridge Centenary event in 2013 when impresario Will warm message in brought his brother and his rock band return. He said that he over from Italy to bring the event to a rocking conclusion in the marquee in was looking forward to the OB Quad. Not many heads of house a challenging decade could have done that, I ventured to and looked forward suggest. By the time this reaches you, our to working with the new principal, Tom Fletcher CMG (1994, Hertford Society. History), will have been in post for about four months. The Society did of

46 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD YEAR course send him a message of warm congratulations in January 2020 and received an equally warm message in return. He said that he was looking forward to a challenging decade and looked forward to working with the Hertford Society. I am confident that by the time you read this report, the Society and the new principal will have already cooperated in various ways. I must of course finish with some thanks. In January 2020 the college’s Director of Development Julia Thaxton, stepped down after a number of years in post. There is no doubt that a close cooperation between the Society and the Development Office is essential and Julia fostered that cooperation in a most helpful and friendly way for which the Society is very grateful. Other members of the Development team have also been most helpful, in particular Olga Batty, Jason Fiddaman and Alicia Povey. Julia’s successor is Frances Wheare. I have had the pleasure of meeting Frances a number of times. I much look forward to the Society cooperating with Frances in the same way as in previous years. More generally of course, I must thank the Governing Body for their support in many ways within the college. I will finish close to home. The Hertford Society is run by its officers and committee as a team. Alumni mostly read my words in its various communications, but I must emphasise that everyone in the committee contributes to the Society’s work.

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 47 HERTFORD YEAR

ACADEMIC OFFICE Lynn Featherstone, Registrar and Director of Admissions, writes:

Alice supported tutors and students by moving reading lists online and supplying electronic versions of key texts. Where only a book would do, online purchases and postal deliveries were made to students at home. Catherine transferred the academic skills programme online, and also tailored materials to reflect the unusual circumstances in which students were having to study and revise. Whilst most Prelims and Mods exams were cancelled, Finals papers were set as remote, open book examinations. The Hertford students performed exceptionally well in such challenging circumstances, with 61 students achieving a first class degree and a t’s been quite an eventful year in further 58 securing a 2.1, representing the Academic Office. As academic 97% of our final year cohort. A number Iactivities were adapted and moved within the cohort were awarded online on account of the pandemic, so coveted University prizes. These has the supporting administration. phenomenal results are the college’s Following national restrictions in best in many years, and are a testament March, it soon became clear that to the students’ hard work, resilience students would remain at home for and determination. Trinity term, with all teaching and Whilst finalists had the opportunity revision entirely online. Whilst having to sit their exams, for many of our to adjust to the challenges of remote undergraduate offer-holders school- working themselves, the Academic leaving exams were cancelled. In the Office team for on-course matters – Sue unusual circumstances, subject tutors Finch, Julia Howe and Kim Jones – as were keen to provide a first ‘virtual well as our indefatigable Librarian, Alice reading list’ designed to be a broad Roques, Porter Fellow for Academic collection of media relevant to the Skills, Dr Catherine Sloan, and Director subject (including ebooks, webpages, of the Visiting Student Programme, Dr YouTube videos, podcasts) to encourage Josephine Reynell were quick to adapt. continued and wide engagement with

4848 | | HertfordHertford CollegeCollege MagazineMagazine | | 2019-202019-20 HERTFORD YEAR their subject. We also ran a number of staff on each day – no mean feat at only webinars which included information a few weeks’ notice! The virtual college and advice from Catherine and Alice on tour proved particularly popular – you virtual study. can watch it online to hear directly from Nathan Stazicker and Kathryn Boast our students about why they love life at in the outreach team were also quick Hertford. to move activities online, recognising Unsung Heroes of Science the importance of our continuing competition, which challenges students engagement with younger students in to make a short video sharing and the midst of school and college closures. celebrating those scientists who The open days, when we would usually have hitherto been excluded from welcome thousands of visitors through conversations and history books, goes the Catte Street entrance, became from strength to strength. This year’s virtual events. This was very much competition, opened up to students a collective effort of tutors, student from around the world, saw a record ambassadors, and our admissions and 56 submissions from students living outreach team: Nathan, Kathryn, and as locally as Oxford and as far away as our Admissions Officer, Caitlin Kennedy. New Zealand. This year’s winner, Drishya We produced 29 pre-recorded videos from Canterbury, was announced in and ran live-streamed Q&A panels with a special virtual awards ceremony by student ambassadors and admissions Professor. Alison Woollard. Drishya’s

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 49 HERTFORD YEAR

50 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD YEAR entry promoted the work of Howard Florey and Ernst Chain. The videos of shortlisted entrants have since been viewed on the college YouTube channel over 50,000 times. A suite of resources for teachers based on last year’s videos are available to download from the college website. In July, we said a fond farewell to Sue Finch, our Academic Administrator, who retired after 30 years at Hertford. Since joining the college in January 1990, Sue had guided thousands of students through their academic careers. Sue was also the right-hand woman to a succession of college officers, fellow and lecturers, and has been instrumental in building Hertford’s reputation as an open and welcoming community. To celebrate her retirement, fellows, lecturers and staff came together for a special Zoom send-off, with the principal leading the tributes. Sue regaled us with stories of her three decades at Hertford, from the fax machine, electric typewriter and multi-coloured paper forms she relied on in 1990 to the new technology we’ve all been getting used to during the pandemic. She emphasised how her motivation has always been to help our students and support them to achieve their best. We thank Sue for her long service and wish her all the very best for her retirement. Last year, I wrote that the college owed a debt of gratitude to the Academic Office team. That’s never been truer than in 2020. We are very fortunate to have such a dedicated team willing to go the extra mile to support teaching and learning, examinations and assessments, and admissions and outreach.

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 51 HERTFORD YEAR

THE BURSARY Bursar Jamie Clark writes:

going on too! So I wanted to take this opportunity to report on what else has been happening. I have written in the past about the development of our estates strategy. That strategy is now becoming a reality, and we have been making some very good progress, with some key achievements under our belt. One of the most noticeable of these is our brand-new Lodge. At least, it would be have been noticeable had lockdown not struck pretty much just at the point that we opened it. Still, the next time you visit, I hope you will be impressed by the difference. With a sleek new design, three entrance doors, a brand-new post room and extensive office space, it s I write, we are on the verge of represents a major upgrade. launching into a new academic For those of you who remember living Ayear. Ordinarily, this would be in Holywell, you may be pleased to hear an exciting time, with the expectation that we are in the final stages of a full of new challenges and an element of refurbishment project. Every student the unknown. If one thing is certain this room will, by the start of the new term, year it’s that we have lots of the latter, benefit from new paint, carpets, sinks, but excitement has been replaced with and brand-new fitted furniture. A set of a universal anxiety. We have made our new student kitchens have also been preparations, and believe we are in created, and we shall top it off with good shape. Only time will tell. an overhaul and remodel of all the Given that it has consumed almost bathrooms. all our waking hours for several months We have successfully completed now, it would be easy to stick with news competitions to select architects for about how we are planning to deal with two of our flagship estates initiatives. any challenges that COVID may yet The library project is now in full swing, a throw our way. However I’m conscious c.£15m state-of-the-art new facility (and that, although it has loomed large over despite some reservations, I don’t think the best part of the last year, the topic that is a wholly inappropriate term in the has reached saturation point. And, context). The plans include a large new believe it or not, other things have been area under OB quad, and bring some of

52 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD YEAR the most impressive rooms in our Catte I offer only a mild apology for including street buildings within the scope of our them. We were joined a few months ago future student experience. We will also by a new Head of IT, Stewart Tolhurst, restore some of the distinctive features under whose auspices our IT provision of the old chapel. Our Winchester Road will continue to improve. development is also firmly underway, Looking ahead, we are clearly going where Hertford is leading a joint project to have our challenges. Directly out of with the University to establish over my window I can see our new marquee, 150 new graduate rooms (our share which covers about 80% of the quad. is approximately half), as well as two It would have been more, but for brand-new departmental buildings. the tree. This will be a social hub for On both these projects, we hope college members for the next term and to be submitting detailed planning possibly longer, offering nearly 300m2 applications within the next six months. of “social distancing” and “ventilation Our IT strategy has taken a leap mitigation” – two terms that I could not forward, and we have been able to have predicted being part of everyday make some significant improvements language six months ago. It is certainly over the last year. Our new payment going to be a rather different year. card system (using BOD cards, an online However, if the last six months have portal and mobile apps) has worked done anything, they have confirmed very well, and established a pay-as-you- to me that Hertford is exactly the sort go approach for all student catering. of place that one would want to be Over the summer we have replaced our when something like this comes along. entire WIFI network (around 150 brand- Testing though it has been, the recent new access points) to support what we past has revealed our latent strength, expect to be a year of major demand and ability to work together. Our staff on our virtual infrastructure. We have have been fantastic, and our students also just commissioned a purpose-built understanding and supportive. I new student and staff data system that have worked in a range of teams, for takes a direct feed from the University, a number of organisations, over my and updates our internal accounting career. The current situation is far from and catering systems automatically. what one would wish for. But if it has Admittedly, these changes are perhaps to be, I couldn’t have wished to be in a less interesting (and invisible) for many, better place. but they are close to a bursar’s heart, so

We have successfully completed competitions to select architects for two of our flagship estates initiatives. The library project is now in full swing, a c.£15m state-of-the-art new facility.

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 53 HERTFORD YEAR

THE LIBRARY Fellow Librarian Professor Emma Smith writes:

collect their things and say a strange goodbye. And we spent time preparing for Michaelmas, with click and collect services, quarantining of returned books, limited access to our physical collections, and a makeshift study space in the Baring Room. Fresher inductions and dissertation resource workshops have been done by Zoom. Even Simpkin’s routine of sleeping in the library and biting the unwary has been disrupted. Current circumstances have given us the opportunity to take stock of what’s most important in the library’s provision. Epitaphs for the book have been intoned at intervals since Amazon launched the first iteration of the Kindle in 2007, but urely there are things to report they continue to be premature. After from last Michaelmas and Hilary, years of growth, e-book sales seem to Sbut it is the closure of the college, have stalled. Although we have invested and the library, for Trinity term that in more e-books as part of University looms largest in our sense of this year. purchasing consortia, the majority of Under the expert direction of Librarian our resources continue to be required Alice Roques, the priority was to in physical form. And we all miss study continue to make materials available spaces. during lockdown, especially to those So alongside the changes to support taking exams or finishing dissertations. students during lockdown, we have The library shifted towards digital continued to develop plans for our new resources: Alice was a wizard at library. The experience of going virtual tracking down e-books (many of has reinforced our belief in the central them temporarily available and so not importance of a physical library space at centrally catalogued) or alternatives, the heart of the college. We will soon suggesting journal articles in place of be able to share with you this exciting print books, and sending some new project, which will provide much acquisitions direct to students in their improved and expanded accessible homes. We collected loans on behalf of study and shelf space, exhibition and department and faculty libraries from display areas, high-spec storage of those finalists who visited Oxford to the college archives and rare books,

54 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD YEAR

and new office space for library and and women’s rights will eventually collections staff. Long-desired facilities be shelved within their respective – loos! lifts! water fountain! – are all part disciplines (I’m looking forward to of the new plans. seeing Audre Lorde’s Sister Outsider in It’s not all coronavirus, though. Books between Vorticist Wyndham Lewis and continue to be at the centre of cultural Elizabethan playwright John Lyly.) They and political debates, and libraries are are also searchable as a collection via never neutral spaces. We are grateful to SOLO, Oxford’s library database. bit. JCR members, especially BME rep, Caleb ly/hertfordliberation. As Caleb says, Bram, for devising a new ‘liberation ‘the new collection is a promising step collection’ in the library in collaboration forward in Hertford’s commitment with Alice and with Dr Elizabeth Baldwin, to proactive and continual education Tutor for Diversity and Equality. These on issues of social inequality’. The new academic texts cover topics such library will continue to embody that as race, class, empire, gender, sexuality commitment.

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 55 HERTFORD YEAR

COLLEGE ARCHIVES Archivist Dr Lucy Rutherford writes:

restricted access to the collections mean that it may take longer to give an answer than usual. The priority is to provide as normal a service for college staff and external researchers as possible, so we will have to develop new ways of enabling access to our collections and of making information available to our users. We are still able to answer queries for college staff; and Professor Tyerman has been able to continue his research for the College History. Although on- site access to the archive for external researchers is not currently possible, we are still able to answer many enquiries through other sources of information. We will spend time during the next his has been an unprecedented year planning how to improve access year for the College archives. to the archives for our researchers. TAlong with the rest of the college In particular we will aim to provide departments, the archives were closed more online resources to support to external researchers in March 2020. their research; and a key activity in We have been working primarily from the coming year will be to photograph home and will continue to do so while our most frequently used records and the current COVID-19 restrictions to develop more user-friendly ways are in place. The physical care of the of making these accessible. Work archives has clearly been more difficult on our online archive catalogue has to manage during this period (although continued throughout this period, and the porters have done sterling work on we plan to make this publicly available monitoring environmental conditions during Michaelmas term. This will give in the store rooms) and plans for larger researchers access to vital information scale projects such as re-boxing the about our collections and allow us to collections have had to be postponed. provide digital images of key documents. Although the archive will remain Keep an eye on the archive webpages closed to external researchers for the at https://www.hertford.ox.ac.uk/and- foreseeable future, we still welcome more/rarebooks-archives/archives research enquiries, which we do our for further information about our best to answer if at all possible, although catalogue launch.

56 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD YEAR

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 57 HERTFORD YEAR

Another key project during the an efficient platform for managing coming year will be the rationalisation departmental records which are and preservation of the college’s increasingly in a digital rather than digital archives and modern records. paper format. The DigiSafe platform We are delighted to have been able can be accessed remotely so the to participate in a new University- implementation of this essential wide platform (known as DigiSafe) for project will be able to continue over managing digital records and archives. the next year regardless of external This will provide secure, long-term circumstances. storage for our digital archives and In spite of the college closure, this year has seen some 53 accessions into the archives. Much of this consisted of recording previously unaccessioned records which were already in the custody of the archives, but it also In spite of the college includes some very welcome external gifts. One small but significant closure, this year donation in March 2020 was a folder has seen some 53 of correspondence and notes kept by accessions into the the Hertford College Music Society in the early 1970s. This covers the college archives. centenary concert that was held in Oxford Town Hall on 25 May 1974; at

58 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD YEAR which Sir Peter Pears performed with the Wilbye Consort. The folder contains a single letter from Pears, outlining his arrangements for the concert but no further information; and it would be lovely to discover some more detail about this event. In October 2019 we received a wonderful donation from Annabel Howland, a relative of Principal Henry Boyd, consisting of watercolours and drawings made by Principal Boyd. Boyd was a painter of some note and the college already has a number of his paintings in its collections; this has been added to with a further donation by Oxford resident Richard Hewar of another Boyd watercolour which had belonged to his father. The college archive holds a small set of Boyd’s personal papers, which includes two volumes of his travel diaries recording an extended journey through Greece, Egypt and Turkey in 1854. It would make a fascinating future project to look at Boyd’s papers in more detail and to examine whether the paintings might tie in with his travels. We are always delighted to consider new accessions to the archives; so please contact us on [email protected] to discuss any potential donations.

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 59 HERTFORD YEAR

CHAPEL Reverend Mia Smith writes:

loan from the Bate Collection. Music finalist Testu Isaji treated us to some wonderful recitals by candlelight, which showcased the recent adaptations to Chapel – updated heating, and new choir stall lanterns. Our theme for Michaelmas was ‘Living Well’, highlights included the principal addressing us on the importance of religion in public life, comedian Reverend Ravi Holy sharing his story to encourage us to live well beyond chaos, and Rabbi Debbie Young Somers shareing the wisdom of Sabbath. In Hilary term the MacBride sermon was preached by the Bishop of Truro, the Right Reverend Philip Mounstephen. We did not have to look very far to ‘Find n my pre-Hertford life as a nurse, I Wisdom’, our theme for the term, with was inspired by Sister Calista Roy, an all-Oxford cast of speakers including Ia nun and Professor of Nursing. Michael Ward (the wisdom of C S Lewis), Roy promoted an ethos of health as and Bethany Sollereder (on wise study). adaptation, in which we bio-psycho- One of the highlights of the year was social beings constantly interact with a the exhibition ‘James Parkes and the changing environment. We use innate Age of Intolerance’. Parkes, an alumnus, and acquired mechanisms to adapt to was an Anglican clergyman who from change, and we do so in groups, families, the 1920s onwards fought against organisations, and communities. antisemitism, in particular challenging Wellbeing occurs when people respond the Church’s role in this. Remembering positively to environmental changes. activists such as Parkes is partly to Adaptation has been an apt honour their work, but also illustrates description of this academic year. the failures of their contemporaries to Michaelmas Term began with a bit of act during an age when intolerance was upheaval and adaptation in Chapel, all too common. as we moved around the icon, the Sadly, with the growing threat of prayer boards, and the votive stand COVID-19, some of our international to make space for a harpsichord. Built students experienced racist treatment in the 1670s by Flemish artisans, the on the streets of Oxford. A tea party, beautifully painted instrument was on ‘Solidaritea’, was arranged by the

60 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD YEAR

Our choir concert this year comprised a creative programme based on the nine Greek muses, compiled by Senior Organ Scholar Charlotte Corderoy. As pandemic fears increased, we had a small but faithful group of parents and supporters to enjoy what for most of us, was the final live concert before lockdown.

Director of the Visiting Students Clerk Nathan De Giorgi brought along Programme, Josephine Reynell, and his band Rai Kah Mercury to perform the Chaplain, to which all members of their refreshing and experimental college were invited. Hertfordians were sounds. encouraged to chat to those whom they Our choir concert this year comprised had not already met, and the principal a creative programme based on the addressed college, saying that each nine Greek muses, compiled by Senior member of our community is valued, Organ Scholar Charlotte Corderoy. As and that racism and intolerance is not pandemic fears increased, we had a the Hertford way. small but faithful group of parents and In our Eucharist services our book supporters to enjoy what for most of of the term was We need to talk about us, was the final live concert before Race by Ben Lindsay. This led to some lockdown. Following our service of interesting discussions highlighting our passion carols, we had to shut down goal of anti-racism. services. In Hilary we also hosted an Trinity Term took place in lockdown. ‘atmospheric gig’ in our ‘unexpectedly The prayer board became an online perfect venue for a rock show’ document, exam carnations were of a (Cherwell), as music student and Choral virtual ‘click and like’ variety, and Chapel

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 61 HERTFORD YEAR

became Chapel at Home, as Zoom lockdown, cancelled weddings were re- Compline and pre-recorded video booked, taking place with a handful of Evensong became the norm. Evensong guests, but hundreds from around the comprised some pre-recorded music world joining in on Zoom, and offering from the catalogue of Hertford student some very 2020 photographs! Faaris Zaki, along with our exciting This year our charitable giving adaptation ‘Choirantine’, our remote has supported the international choir, directed by Junior Organ Scholar humanitarian efforts in Syria through Andrew Liu. Our theme for the term the Hands Up Foundation, a local ‘Looking forward to normal’ included a charity called Home Start, supporting short interview from a college member vulnerable children and families, and each week, and remote sermons from the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust, Ben Lindsay, Chaz Howard (speaking supporting the mental health of young from Philadelphia, USA), and others. people. Chapel drinks continued by Zoom, and Thanks must go to Charlotte Corderoy. instead of a Chapel Dinner to mark the Our Senior Organ Scholar has brought end of the year, we had a black tie party flair and talent to her role, and to Andrew via Zoom, ending with the customary Liu, whose remarkable adaptability as singing of Locus Iste by Bruckner and a director of Choirantine has brought Compline service. stability and community in a time of As we began to slowly emerge from uncertainty. Thanks too to Torrance

62 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD YEAR

Chen, Chapel Welcome Assistant, for three years of faithful service in Chapel. In particular, our gratitude goes to Will Thanks must go to Hutton, the Ordinary of the Peculiar, for his wisdom and support over Chapel Charlotte Corderoy. matters. We wish him well as he adapts Our Senior Organ to retirement. As the COVID-19 crisis engulfs the Scholar has brought planet, our country, and our community, flair and talent to her we have seen in Hertford that kindness role, and to Andrew and community are at the heart of adapting to thrive. Your chaplain thanks Liu, whose remarkable you for sharing that journey. adaptability as director of Choirantine has brought stability and community in a time of uncertainty.

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 63 HERTFORD YEAR

DEVELOPMENT Director of Development Frances Wheare writes:

taken place through a screen. The physical environments with which we are so familiar have now become remote, almost totemic; we reminisce over our favourite spaces, and post or like images on social media. For me, I take some comfort from the picture hanging on the wall in front of my makeshift workspace on the dining room table: a view of the Bridge of Sighs, painted by my mother-in-law to mark my husband’s graduation from Hertford in 2004. It’s a nice sight to gaze upon when in need of inspiration! Buildings give us a place to work or study, and they bring us physically together. Often, they are inextricably linked with our happiest and most started writing this article at my treasured memories, such as the lifelong desk in my office in college. Not the friendships our alumni made at Hertford. Imost noteworthy occurrence in an So what happens when some of those ordinary year, but as this is the first time spaces are no longer accessible? How I’ve spent more than about ten minutes do we, an institution which prides itself in the office since March I thought it was on high-quality, small group teaching, worth a mention (it’s now September). adapt to a world in which face-to-face Indeed, by my calculations, I will have interaction is discouraged? How do we sat at this desk just 20 times in my first maintain our outreach activity, ensuring six months in post! It’s good to be back that Hertford continues to attract and in college, if only infrequently for now, welcome the most talented students but the silence takes a bit of getting from all backgrounds, when we’re used to – being opposite Dr Benjamin unable to bring people to the site? How Skipp, I’d got used to hearing occasional can our academics undertake research bursts of music during my working day. when labs and libraries are closed? And We have all, over the past nine (most importantly for me and my team) months, had to adjust to a new virtual how do we react when all of our events world. Our day-to-day life – meetings, have had to be cancelled? socialising with friends and families, In all cases, the answer has been shopping, even visits to art galleries or to direct our resources online. Trinity the theatre – have, until very recently, term has been deemed a success, with

64 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD YEAR

fellows and students quickly adapting It’s strange to think that there was a to online teaching and learning. In early time when we could gather together July, we held our first online open days, in large numbers, and be in the same complete with filmed tutorials, Q&A space as scores of people from outside sessions and virtual college tours, and our households. Nevertheless, I’d like to these will be repeated in the future. highlight a few events that took place in Despite the increased demands that ‘the before’ – both before COVID-19 and come with planning and delivering before my time. We welcomed alumni online learning, research continues from 1969, 1994, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001 apace, as demonstrated in the latest for gaudies; we hosted our Maths alumni, issue of The Bridge. with speeches from Professor Alan Lauder And, although no substitute for and Professor Martin Bridson; we teamed real-life interactions, we’re proud of up with the University’s Social Sciences the virtual alumni community we’ve Division for a panel discussion, chaired by created. To date we have had over the Vice Chancellor Louise Richardson, 2,000 attendees across our online on Information, Security and Democracy events, including those who viewed at the Royal United Services Institute; recordings after the fact. Our online we gave a presentation on college gatherings included a reunion for finances; and we held our usual round Philosophy graduates, and a networking of drinks events in Oxford and London. event for our graduating students and We’re grateful to Jonathan Eyal, Jonathan recent alumni. We also instituted a new Kewley and George Panagopoulos for webinar series, Hertford Responds, in hosting us at RUSI, Clifford Chance which our fellows talked about how and Reed Smith respectively. I’d also their research intersects with the like to give an honourable mention to challenges caused by COVID-19. We’re Rob Lusardi, who would have hosted thrilled that those of you who may not a wonderful event for our US alumni in ordinarily be able to get to Oxford have New York in April had circumstances not been able to participate online. intervened.

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 65 HERTFORD YEAR

On 28 February I attended my first event before the world ground to a halt. (and, at least for now, my last) event At the time I was busily planning trips at Hertford. Diversifying Careers to the US and East Asia, and we were in Government and Politics was preparing for our annual John Donne organised by two alumni, Dr James Lecture, to be given by Dame Jocelyn Weinberg and Josh Platt, with the Bell Burnell. Many of us (and many of intention of encouraging students of you!) were also starting training for the all backgrounds to consider a political 500-mile Venice to Oxford Bike Ride career. We welcomed 60 students from in July. But only a few weeks later we Oxford, Reading, Oxford Brookes and Sheffield, who enjoyed a programme of talks, teamwork exercises, networking opportunities and practical advice on writing a CV or application. The event was a huge success, and presents a model for future activities. We’d like to thank Josh and James for organising it, as well as all the speakers, including Hertford alumna Rt Hon Jacqui Smith, former Labour MP and the first female Home Secretary. At the time, none of us had much of an inkling that this would be the last

66 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD YEAR were rapidly reassessing and changing I’m pleased to say that we will be our plans. I’m pleased to say that, with continuing our programme of online a little thought and creativity, we were engagement and events during able to move almost all of our planned Michaelmas term and beyond, with events online, and we look forward to more Hertford Responds webinars as rescheduling the biannual Hertford well as regional get-togethers and more Society lunch in due course. The bike online networking events. We also ride was, unfortunately, the only have a number of events planned to casualty, but your legs may thank us for introduce you to our new principal, Tom that! Fletcher. Please do check our website, I’d like to take this opportunity to like our Facebook page, and make sure thank everyone who has supported you’re subscribed to our e-newsletters Hertford in any way over the last year. so that you don’t miss a thing. All of you – whether hosting, attending On a personal note, I have greatly or participating in events; giving up your enjoyed meeting many of you over time to attend committees; talking and the past few months, albeit virtually. I offering advice to current students; feel very lucky to have landed at what contributing to our blog; and sharing our former principal, Will Hutton, memories on social media – have describes as the ‘friendliest, funkiest’ played an integral part in Hertford’s Oxford college – I can’t speak for the community. We are also enormously latter, but the former is certainly true, grateful to our donors, whose loyalty and I already feel like a long-standing and generosity to Hertford enables us member of the Hertford community. In to achieve so much. We’re particularly these conversations, I’ve asked people grateful that so many of you – the about their memories of Hertford majority, in fact – have chosen to and what makes it special. Many have support our Unrestricted Fund, which mentioned their favourite places – the allows us to allocate your funding Bridge of Sighs, the staircase leading wherever the need is greatest. This is to the Hall, the OB quad and so on – particularly important in times such as as well as the opportunities Hertford these, which are impossible to prepare unlocked. But overwhelmingly what for and demand an agile and responsive people remember, and with the greatest approach. fondness, is people. Their favourite All in all we raised just under £1.35m in tutor, the friends they made on their donations this year – with the exception first night in college, various iterations of an outlier year, in which we received of Simpkin stalking through the quad (as our single biggest donation, these a cat owner, I’m afraid I put felines in results continue our steady upward the people category too!) trajectory. It would be foolish to think Buildings are important, yes, but if that the coming year will be plain the last nine months have taught us sailing, and we recognise that these anything, it’s that it’s what you do with are uncertain and challenging times them, and the people you fill them for us all. But I’m confident that the with, that really counts. We’re looking community will pull together, helping forward to being back together in to ensure that the future generations person again but until then, we know of Hertfordians receive the same that the Hertford community will incredible opportunities. continue to thrive.

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 67 HERTFORD YEAR

SUBJECTS AND RESEARCH

68 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD YEAR

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 69 HERTFORD YEAR

ARCHAEOLOGY AND continue to take an active part in the ANTHROPOLOGY college and invite the participation of Professor Nick Barton writes: Hertford undergraduates on his exciting fieldwork project in Pompeii. Of course, this year has been dominated by the turbulent events surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. Apart from the obvious hardships and continuing anxieties over social distancing and self-isolation we have all had to get used to a very different teaching and educational environment. Despite an extremely disruptive Trinity term Hertford’s Archaeology and Anthropology students all rose magnificently to meet the various new challenges of remote lectures and distance tutorial teaching, as well as major changes to examination procedures. Three of our third years were awarded first class degrees (Rosie Bound, Philippa Kent and Sophie With the beginning of the 2020-21 Street). Our second and first years bore academic year, Hertford welcomes the brunt of online tutorials last term a new tutorial fellow in Cognitive but these seem to have worked very Archaeology to the fold. Dr Lambros Malafouris comes to Hertford from Keble College where he was a Research Fellow in Creativity since 2010. Lambros specialises in the cross-disciplinary Despite an extremely study of the interaction between disruptive Trinity term cognition and material culture. His work critically examines many deeply Hertford’s Archaeology entrenched assumptions about the and Anthropology boundaries, ontology, evolution and uniqueness of the human mind. students all rose Lambros is currently directing the magnificently to HANDMADE project (funded by the meet the various new European Research Council ERC) looking at the process of making by challenges of remote hand focusing on the anthropological lectures and distance study of clay and the craft of ceramics. Lambros will be sharing the teaching of tutorial teaching as the Anthropology and Archaeology joint well as major changes degree with Professor Nick Barton. This to examination comes in the wake of Professor Mark Robinson’s recent retirement although procedures. we are very pleased that Mark will

70 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD YEAR Erc Handmade

Making forms and lines with clay on the island of Sifnos, Greece well and the students have said they ‘Shipwrecks around Vancouver Island’ found them enjoyable despite having (Ella Speckeen). After the academic to cope with occasional interruptions rigours of Trinity term, our first years from over-exuberant domestic pets! would normally have taken part in With the start of the long vacation, our fieldwork over the summer. This, of second years have been engaged in course, has had to be postponed due to an exciting range of summer activities, coronavirus but that didn’t stop one of and have somehow managed to their number, Liberty Hinze, exploring combine these with research on their the partially submerged petrified forest dissertations. Topics as usual are and peats on the shore between Borth very wide-ranging and this year are and Ynyslas, near Aberystwyth. The dominated by anthropology topics peats, more than 4,500 years old, show including ‘Tea drinking and its origins surviving human footprints including in colonialism’ (Iona Cargill); ‘What it those of a four-year-old child. We are means to be British today for members greatly looking forward to welcoming of the Windrush generation’ (Olivia our students back to Oxford soon to Roberts), and ‘The cult of superfood hear more about what they did this in the 21st century’ (Kate Furber), summer. with one on archaeology concerning

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 71 HERTFORD YEAR

BIOCHEMISTRY Finals were postponed for the third-year Professor Petros Ligoxygakis students to November (online) and the writes: fourth years had to start writing their project report with what data was at hand several weeks short. Everyone left and we communicated through Zoom. I continued teaching but-to keep my sanity and their engagement-I decided to do every tutorial on SARS-CoV-2. I wanted to give the students a sense of how quickly things were moving, so much so, that the international scientific community could not review it fast enough for publication in peer-reviewed journals, so it was deposited in bio or medical archives (bioRxiv or medRxiv respectively). So, we had to trawl the archives! This developed in parallel to a University-wide effort initiated by DPhil students in Immunology to What a rollercoaster of adversity this year review and present a summary of all has been. Stopping lectures and tutorials notable peer-reviewed papers and at the time when third year students were archived manuscripts on SARS-CoV2 thinking about initiating their revision for as the worldwide race to understand finals or their fourth-year college siblings the virus unfolded. One can find doing the last experiments for their these short reviews in Nature Reviews research project. If ever there was bad Immunology and in the dedicated site of timing. Not that any other time would the OxImmuno Literature Initiative. As I have been better, but at that point in the was part of that effort, I tried to connect proceedings the disruption was important our undergraduate students to the and the anxiety palpable, as well as really intense production of knowledge the sense of foreboding. The first years and how that related to their course. dropped everything just after two terms. Our first years learnt how to find the

Our students responded brilliantly. Their main achievement? To overcome adversity by producing work of great quality. Moreover, the results of the fourth year students were excellent: three firsts out of six students, including two University prizes.

72 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD YEAR question a scientific manuscript wanted BIOLOGY to address as well as the question that Dr Odile Harrison writes: the authors did answer in the end (two things that are not necessarily always the same!), what were the “holes” in the researchers’ reasoning and what was the significance of their findings. As this was happening in the backdrop of a pandemic, reading and thinking about the virus in terms of biochemistry, cell biology and genetics gained, for them and for me, a sense of urgency. As ever, the teaching team namely, our brilliant lecturers, Dr Delia O’Rourke, Dr Maria Gravato and Emily Baker as well as our mentor Professor Alison Woollard were fellow travellers in this strange journey. Our students responded brilliantly. Their main achievement? To overcome adversity by producing work of great quality. Moreover, the results of the This year the new Biology degree was fourth year students were excellent: introduced at Oxford with students three firsts out of six students, including now having the option to continue two University prizes. One of these to a fourth year and graduate with an students will be going to do a PhD at the MBiol. Thus, in MT2019, the new course Sanger Centre in Cambridge supervised began and included seven first year by Emma Davenport (who my sources Hertford students. All did admirably tell me graduated from college around well, and all succeeded in navigating life 2010) thereby taking the Hertford family at University and Oxford. This year two very seriously! The new year will bring Hertford finalists achieved firsts with more online teaching and less free-form the remaining finalists all obtaining 2.1s interaction in college. Nevertheless, we which is excellent. I wish them all the will still be able to retain our sense of best for the future, and I hope to meet wonder at and still be excited by cellular them again one day at one of the Darwin and molecular mechanisms. It will be dinners (a joint event for all Biochemists, apparent now more than ever, that Biologists and Human scientists). It has understanding these mechanisms has a to be said I think all of the students role to play in global health. showed incredible resilience and courage midway through the year when faced with the challenges of learning remotely due to the pandemic and I am looking forward to seeing some of them in person again soon. This was my first year as a lecturer on the MBiol course and, although at times very stressful and nerve-wracking, this was an incredibly exciting and rewarding experience as I got to meet

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 73 HERTFORD YEAR amazing people, both students and CHEMISTRY other members of the faculty. I have Professor Fernanda Duarte now taught in lectures, tutorials and writes: practicals and I find this invaluable as I can now see more clearly how all of these forms of teaching should align. Ultimately, I hope that some of my passion for genomics and infectious diseases will rub off on at least some students leading to future leaders in this field which has to be said, has been very much at the forefront of public health in recent times! This year, my research on the sexually transmitted bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae has escalated. This bacterium has also often been in the news due to its increasing resistance to treatment with antibiotics. My work involves the analysis of thousands of genomes belonging to this pathogen and the development of tools with This past academic year started as which to detect resistant strains usual, with busy teaching terms and directly from sequence data while also a wide range of academic and social furthering our understanding of the activities. We welcomed Thomas Fay population biology of this complex as stipendiary Lecturer in Physical bacterium. The availability of genome Chemistry and a cohort of five first data also provides a resource that years. However, all the sudden, things can be mined for both alternative changed, exams, Part II projects, and prophylactic treatment options but academic activities were cancelled, and also potential vaccine candidates. Teams/Zoom/Google/Skype meetings Asides from research and teaching, I became the norm. am also involved in outreach events We were lucky to have the Annual and really enjoy reaching out to school- Chemistry Dinner just before the age children particularly as I have two pandemic arrived in early March. For of my own. I can see first-hand how many of us, this was the last social important it is provide opportunities for activity we would have for an extended children to explore STEM activities and period. We had a great time, celebrating be shown that there is more to life than Women’s Day and all the many Instagram, Xboxes and TikTok! achievements from undergraduate and graduate students. Little we knew of what was coming. Despite the many challenges we all faced during lockdown, we continued learning, participating in tutorials, and supporting our research groups as much as we could. First and second years sat departmental collections

74 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD YEAR with solid results, third years started enjoy her sabbatical fully, Professor revisions for their final exams, and Claire Vallance continued her research fourth years successfully submitted work remotely, and was kept busy with their Part II Theses, with two students her newly formed spin-out company. gaining first class degrees. In addition The company, which develops to that, students went into exciting nanoparticle analysers for the field of new activities during the year. During nanomedicines, was recently awarded summer, Ben Church put in practice his the Business Start-up prize from the lab skills and became a cherry expert, Institute of Physics, well done! She has doing quality controls in a cherry also continued on her role as President grading factory; Maddy Buffett worked of the RSC’s Faraday Division. Looking with the Chemistry Teaching Laboratory for something different to do, she team developing outreach resources for cycled thousands of kilometres, students visiting the University and Joe including a trip to Cornwall and back Morrow and Anderson moved into PhD and took up marathon kayaking. studies in the area of Computational and During the summer, Dr Fernanda Organic chemistry. Andrew discovered Duarte worked with a group of his passion for politics and successfully researchers at Oxford and Bristol on transferred to PPE at Hertford. Outside the design of potential inhibitors for of chemistry, students kept challenging one of the key enzymes that form part themselves with sports and other of the SARS-CoV-2 machinery. Beyond activities. Iain McLauchlan has been the scientific work arising from these teaching himself German and practising efforts, these interactions have been an bouldering, and many have kept regular excellent opportunity for her team to runs as part of the lockdown routine. expand their network of collaborations Tutors had a busy summer too, and expertise. She was also busy preparing teaching for the year ahead, organising a virtual conference via doing research, but also enjoying a bit Twitter called LatinXChem which of the break either in Oxford, Cornwall showcased research by the LatinXchem or Wales. Despite not been able to community and became a huge event, including more than 1,200 posters and a closing seminar by Professor Frances Arnold, 2018 Chemistry Nobel Prize. Together with colleagues in the UK and India, she has also launched the We were lucky to have UK-India Innovation & Sustainability the Annual Chemistry Chemistry Consortium. This new academic year will bring Dinner just before more online teaching/meetings and the pandemic arrived social-distancing rules. Despite these in early March. For challenges, we will continue working hard to gain a better understanding many of us, this was of chemistry and apply it to the many the last social activity aspects of life where each of us can make significant contributions. We we would have for an wish all of our chemists all the best for extended period. 2021!

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 75 HERTFORD YEAR

COMPUTER SCIENCE Game Theory course to about 60 Professor Michael Wooldridge students this year. At the same time, we writes: had a long list of appointments planned in the department for this year – 11 Associate Professor appointments were on the schedule in total. This is quite a big load, but after a year of sabbatical I felt I had the energy to dive back into things with a spring in my step. And then… well, you know what happened next. By late February, it became obvious to us from colleagues in Italy and Spain that a lockdown in the UK was inevitable, and we only just managed to get to the end of Hilary term. The week after the end of term, we started to work from home. I guess many people across the globe will report the same feelings, but looking back, the period from the middle of March to the middle of May seems like a dream: we proceeded with This year, after a sabbatical, I was remote interviews and we did teaching placed back in the hot seat as Head and examining by Zoom and MS Teams, of Department of Computer Science. I while everyday the news seemed to started the academic year with a visit to get worse and worse. Like everyone China, where I was an invited speaker at else, we had to improvise, and I have to the International Conference on Logic say I lost a lot of sleep simply worrying and Interaction (LORI) in Chongqing, about whether we would be able to followed by a week giving the Jin Yuelin function as a tutorial university when Lectures in Logic at Tsinghua University Trinity term arrived. Well, it wasn’t a in Beijing. Hilary term is my teaching conventional Oxford experience, but it term, and I gave my Computational worked. Actually, it worked pretty well.

I have to say I lost a lot of sleep simply worrying about whether we would be able to function as a tutorial university when Trinity term arrived. Well, it wasn’t a conventional Oxford experience, but it worked. Actually, it worked pretty well. Our students took their exams and engaged with tutorials from wherever they were in the world.

76 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD YEAR

Our students took their exams and ECONOMICS engaged with tutorials from wherever Professor Elizabeth Baldwin they were in the world, and our tutors writes: and lecturers found new ways to present their material and interact with their students. The end of Trinity was a huge relief, and we, like the rest of the collegiate University, have spent the long vacation so far planning for how Michaelmas will work, for a range of different possible scenarios. At the risk of tempting fate, I think we are now ready. It again won’t be a quintessential Oxford experience next year, but I am quite sure it will be a world-class education. While all this has been going on, research has continued apace. This year saw the publication of my book The Road to Conscious Machines in the iconic Pelican series. The book is a 400-page popular science 2019-20 has been a very strange year for introduction to AI, intended to economics at Hertford, as for everyone, reframe the narrative around AI, but also a successful one. The team away from dystopian robots-take- adapted quickly to online teaching and over fearmongering, to the reality learning -- making a start on this at of AI today and for the foreseeable the end of Hilary term in response to future. The timing of publication turns student concerns -- and rounded off the out to have been a disaster: just as year with a delightful online finals dinner, the lockdown started, so publicity complete with online pictionary. opportunities were very limited. Still, There was a lot to celebrate with I have been heartened by making the our finalists. All eight of those reading Financial Times summer reading list, economics and management achieved and by the positive feedback the book first class degrees, including five of the received on Amazon and Good Reads top seven degrees across the University. –although one reviewer did suggest I In PPE, we had six firsts and five 2:is. lacked a moral compass. Oh well. And excitingly, that is not the academic I was pleased to take on a group end of the story for many of these of three DPhil students this year, students: four of them are now starting and one of the very bright spots in masters programmes, three of which my lockdown schedule has been our are in economics, and another three weekly meetings. Their intellectual are seriously considering a masters in curiosity, good humour, and endlessly economics very soon. That is, nearly a positive attitude has been a continuing third of this cohort might take a masters inspiration. I very much look forward in economics! Many congratulations to to working with them over the next all of them. three years. The first and second years have also done well, adapting quickly to our new

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 77 HERTFORD YEAR learning environment. University first ENGINEERING year exams (“prelims”) were cancelled Professor Manolis Chatzis but we cruelly set them anyway at the writes: college level -- they provide a useful framework for consolidating the material we teach in this year, which the rest of the degree will build upon. We were very happy to welcome Olga Gdula to the teaching team. She is finishing her doctorate in econometrics and has taught both macroeconomics and quantitative economics in the college this year. Dr. Richard Povey continues his central role in our teaching, and also continues his work on the economics of altruism. One of his many altruistic acts was to put together a talk and workshop on Universal Credit for Wessex Public Health last July. Dr. Teodora Boneva has, among other things, undertaken a new project on the labour market impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic -- In the academic year 2019-2020, read more at covidinequalityproject. we welcomed five new engineering com. However, she has now left Oxford freshers. Despite not having the and Hertford to take up an assistant opportunity to demonstrate their professorship at the University of Zurich. progress in a Prelims Examination, all Our second tutorial fellow is now Dr. of our students were working very well Federica Romei, who has joined us very throughout the year and we are sure recently from the Stockholm School they are very well equipped as they are of Economics; her work is in monetary entering their second year. Our eight economics, fiscal policy and international second year students were having their macroeconomics. As for myself, my year postponed 2nd-year exams during MT has been slightly dominated by my of 2020 and should be complimented part in a significant rewrite of our first on their willingness to adjust to the year course -- now following the “Core new online versions of their coursework curriculum” to give a broader perspective modules and tutorials. We expect that much more rooted in practical contexts, they all have done very well and are you can look it up at www.core-econ.org looking forward to seeing their results -- and in writing a new third year lecture later in the year. Three of our third year course in environmental economics and students continue on track for very climate change. I’m currently working, good performances in the very high 2.1 with colleagues Paul Klemperer and Alex and first class regions and we believe Teytelboym, and in partnership with that they are well equipped to make the RSPB, EnTrade and DotEcon, on an the most of their fourth year. Finally, our auction which we hope will rejuvenate fourth year graduates did exceptionally the UK turtle dove population. Hopefully well. Holly and Patrick achieved first I’ll be able to explain more about this to class degrees. Yifu and Ina were very the Hertford community in due course.

78 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD YEAR

Our eight second year students were having their postponed second year exams during MT of 2020 and should be complimented on their willingness to adjust to the new online versions of their coursework modules and tutorials. We expect that they all have done very well and are looking forward to seeing their results later in the year.

near the threshold between a first and a very high 2.1, and Yishun and James achieved a high 2.1 classification. Further congratulations to James, Patrick, Holly and Ina for the exceptional performance in their fourth year project, with James being one of the finalists considered for the best Chemical Engineering project. We are very proud of the strong finish and continuous improvement of our students over the years, and we wish them the best in the next step.

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 79 HERTFORD YEAR

ENGLISH Other plaudits go to our Senior Professor Emma Smith writes: Scholar Georgina Wilson, who has been appointed to a Junior Research Fellowship in Cambridge, and to Namratha Rao, Stipendiary Lecturer, who has won a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship, to be taken up in October 2021 at University College London. Congratulations also to David Dwan, who has won a competitive Leverhulme Fellowship for 2021 to work on the idea of the public intellectual in Ireland. Charlotte held a curtailed visiting professorship at Aix-Marseille University for part of the year, and has continued work on the treatment of gender and sexuality in dictionaries, including on her Examining the OED website. David organised a week- Everything in the English school at long event in connection with his Hertford, as elsewhere, has been book on George Orwell, including disrupted by the pandemic. We are an art exhibition and symposium on proud of our students’ resilience in 1984. Ayoush has been working on taking Trinity term online. First years comparative histories of emotion, and turned to dissertations in place of her book on this subject (Emotion in cancelled Prelims exams, and produced Islamic and Christian Contemplative strong research work on a range of Texts, 1100-1250: Cry of the Turtledove) topics drawn from their studies so far; is due soon. Namratha has been second years continued tutorial work working on the manuscript of her first via Zoom. Finalists achieved great monograph, Poetics of Corporeality: results – six firsts and four 2.1s – despite Spenser and Milton. Emma’s book This the new stresses of online exams. We Is Shakespeare was published in the US, look forward to celebrating with them and in the UK in paperback. in person when we are able. Well done to all.

Finalists achieved great results – six firsts and four 2.1s – despite the new stresses of online exams. We look forward to celebrating with them in person when we are able. Well done to all.

80 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD YEAR

GEOGRAPHY domains in which scientists and citizens Professor Jamie Lorimer writes: are turning to ecology to tackle health and environmental problems. His second book, entitled The Wildways of the Oak is a collaboration with a local artist. Through text and illustrations, it details the central roles of the oak in rewilding the British countryside. Jamie is also leading a research project looking at the rise of plant-based eating and meat alternatives in Europe and North America (see www.leap.ox.ac.uk). This work is funded by the Wellcome Trust.

Louise Slater, Tutorial Fellow, has just completed her first year as the new Tutorial Fellow in Physical Geography at Hertford. In Hilary term 2019, she was appointed as the Chair of the Oxford Water Network (OWN), a multi- Hertford Geography has celebrated disciplinary research community from another productive year. In spite of the natural, social and engineering all the disruption to Trinity term, four sciences. OWN supports a diverse of our six students achieved firsts at portfolio of water research spanning finals. Students completed excellent 31 different departments, institutes, research dissertations on a diverse centres, and schools. Dr Slater also range of topics spanning atmospheric continues as editor for the journal dust in the Middle East and the place Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, of punk music in 1970s Belfast. First and and as Outreach and Education second year students responded with secretary for the British Society for equal resilience and ambition to the Geomorphology. In recent research, challenges of lockdown, with the second she has established the existence of a years generating an array of creative link between climate variability and the desk-based dissertation projects. conveyance capacity of rivers, which The academic team have been equally has implications for engineering and productive. flood modelling around the world. Her research focuses on developing new Jamie Lorimer, Tutorial Fellow, has approaches for better understanding, published two books this year. The modelling and predicting flooding in first, entitled The Probiotic Planet, the context of changing climate and draws together work he has been doing land cover. over the last five years on ecological restoration across different scales – from David Thomas, Professorial Fellow, has the body to the wider countryside. The been continuing his research on dryland book examines efforts to reintroduce environmental change although this important species like beavers and gut has been hindered by the effects of microbes to restore different ecologies, COVID-19. A new four year grant won and maps a ‘probiotic turn’ across policy from the Leverhulme Trust, aiming

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 81 HERTFORD YEAR to address how the Indus Civilisation ENDLESS CONVIVIAL responded to environmental change EXPERIMENTS: with multi-method approaches (see DOMESTICATION www.leverhulme.ac.uk/research- AND THE project-grants/collapsed-or-evolved- MICROBIOGEOGRAPHY what-happened-bronze-age-indus- OF TRANSLATED valley-civilisation), has not been able to FERMENTATION start as scheduled fieldwork has been PRACTICES indefinitely delayed. Ongoing research Josh Evans (Geography and the in Namibia and Botswana has similarly Environment, 2017) writes: been hindered. In January David took over as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal We are, it seems, microbial beings all of Arid Environments. He has also the way down. The current flurry of spent a considerable amount of time interest in the microbiome throughout as an assessor for the Hong Kong 2020 academic and wider worlds is driven Research Assessment Exercise and as not only by practical implications for the Geography panel chair preparing for health and well-being—and there the UK’s national REF assessment that are many—but also because this takes place in 2021. In March, he also revelation unravels neat notions of started work as a sustainable drylands human individuality and autonomy. environments advisor to the G20 in It is not even that we are entangled Saudi Arabia. with microbial others as humans; it is rather that we emerge as human in and Janet Banfield, Stipendiary Lecturer, has through microbial entanglements. been developing a new undergraduate option course on geography and public Food fermentation, as one of policy, due to launch in HT 2021. She humanity’s oldest and most extensive is currently awaiting publication of a co-evolutionary relationships with chapter on academic expertise in spaces microbes, offers a particularly rich site of interdisciplinarity within an edited for engaging with how microbes and volume on knowledge and space, and humans have made and remake each has extended her research into puppets other in open-ended ways. My research and puppetry, with a paper on cultural focuses on what I call the ‘translated’ constructions of ‘puppetness’ also fermentation practices of leading chefs progressing towards publication. Janet and culinary researchers in Copenhagen, organised two puppetry workshops for some at a restaurant named Noma and Hertford geographers this year, which others at a distillery called Empirical – due to lockdown – were conducted Spirits, who are combining traditional online in the long vacation, thanks to fermentation techniques of different the enthusiasm and perseverance of cultures with Nordic raw materials to participating students. She hopes to create foods that have never existed develop these activities into innovative before. Their stated goal is solely the approaches to geography teaching at creation of new flavours but based on Hertford next year. how quickly microbes reproduce and adapt to new environments, it is possible, if not probable, that these convivial experiments may also be shaping microbial life in unexpected ways.

82 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 I focus on a delicious fungus called kōji, broader multispecies ethnography, I a charismatic microbe at the heart of aim to trace how microbial and human many of Japan’s staple foods. Kōji has collaborators shape each other’s come to be a key actor in translated behaviours, bodies and appetites, in fermentation in the New Nordic Cuisine, emergent rather than deliberate ways. a culinary movement that emerged in the early 2000s that sought to articulate My research thus intersects with a shared culinary regional identity based broader ongoing cross-disciplinary on Nordic products and traditions. As debates on domestication, a key the New Nordic Cuisine evolved and concept for understanding human Noma, its leading innovator, looked agency in the evolution of other further afield for inspiration, kōji and its organisms, and other organisms’ many applications in Japanese cuisine agency in our own. The predominant became an important part of these story of domestication tends to make chefs’ pursuit of regional flavours, in significant assumptions: notably that particular Nordic expressions of umami humans are always the dominant agent, taste. They developed, for example, a and that they shape the nonhuman in range of Nordic misos, based not on rice question with intention and foresight. and soybeans as would be traditional in Here, however, the lack of intention to Japan, but on barley, yellow peas, and change microbial ecology or evolution, other regional grains and legumes. and the emergent behaviours microbes and humans are drawing out from each Building on these fermentation other without either in clear control, experiments carried out for years now make these fermentation experiments by the teams at Noma and Empirical, poised to contribute insights into I designed and conducted structured how humans and non-humans make experiments to see whether these and remake each other in loopy, translated practices might be shaping never-ending ways—whether in past the misos’ ecologies and the kōji’s domestication processes, or in the evolution. Analysing these experiments novel, unpredictable, rapidly shifting with metagenomic sequencing, and ecologies and evolutionary trajectories situating the scientific results within a of the Anthropocene.

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 83 HERTFORD YEAR

HISTORY students of all courses and year groups Professor Giora Sternberg have risen to the challenge of online writes: learning and research at a time of general and sometimes personal adversity, and the undergraduate cohort of 2017 completed finals successfully. Among those who achieved a first class result, Jennifer Coulton has also been awarded the Joan Thirsk Prize for the best thesis on Medieval History (Verba Visibilia: An Examination of Hand and Arm Flexures in Early to Final-Phase Anglo-Saxon Graves). Naomi Lloyd-Jones, our College Lecturer in British History, has received the KCL-Elsevier Doctoral Studies Prize for Outstanding Doctoral Thesis (A New British History of the Home Rule Crisis: Public Opinion, Representation and Organisation). Lucas Tse, MPhil student in Economic and Social History working on nationalism in post-WWI Republican This has been a year like no others for China, has been awarded an Examination Hertford historians. Tutors and students Fellowship at All Souls College. have faced the abrupt challenge We are saying goodbye to Bethany of adjusting to the ‘new normal’ in Marsh, who has completed her year as the midst of a busy academic year. Irish Government Senior Scholar. Besides Some have been at the forefront of working on her monograph during her broader college efforts. David Hopkin time at Hertford she has published a few has worked tirelessly as Senior Tutor pieces, including an article in History Today and member of the COVID-19 Group. on ‘Fake News’ in early modern Britain (A Catherine Sloan, who has joined War of Words: Politics, Propaganda and Hertford at the beginning of the year as Censorship during the Civil Wars). Thanks Career Development Fellow in History to generous benefactions from the Irish (specialising in the history of childhood, Soldiers and Sailors Land Trust of the youth, and education in Modern Britain) Irish Government, the Bryan Guinness and Porter Fellow for Academic Skills Charitable Trust, and the Normanby has explored new ways of extending Foundation, this Senior Scholarship these skills to virtual environments. All has now become the Roy Foster Irish history tutors have adapted reading lists, Government Research Fellowship in the teaching habits, and domestic routines History and Culture of Ireland. As the first to new circumstances, greatly aided incumbent, this year we are welcoming by the untiring initiative of our College Deirdre Foley, who has explored the first Librarian, Alice Roques. Last but not Commission on the Status of Women in least, undergraduate and postgraduate Ireland.

84 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD YEAR

HUMAN SCIENCES So it’s been frustrating to watch the Clive Hambler writes: narrow way the world reacted to this long-predicted outbreak. A more holistic ‘Human Ecology’ approach is needed – for example little has been done on nutritional deficiencies elevating risk, so I’ve published on a potential ‘zinc link’ https://osf.io/xybzr which would be easy to test. We have four freshers this year! The necessary restoration of predicted exam grades meant we have a bonus student, but I’ll still be teaching mostly one-to-one. I’d be allowed two in my room, with the windows open! My paper on false widow spiders, a lesser emergent health issue, was published online at https://osf.io/ axbd4/ and I’m going to expand this work internationally. Human scientists sailed through the After years downloading raw data peak of the pandemic to win two firsts and plotting graphs, I have two and an upper second. But it was not ‘Working Papers’ online for discussion easy sailing for students or tutors: doing (and in review). One’s on sea ice and exams on computers (‘open book’) with carbon dioxide, which links to one on revision and marking online. Everything sea ice and methane. They expand my seemed to take longer, for me at least, interests in the global influence of the as the internet crashed, screens froze, biota on atmospheric composition people gatecrashed tutes and essay – which is probably far less than was handwriting was blurred on photos thought for these two gases (in the from mobile phones. Good job Hum short term). Both are available in the Scis are adaptable – and probably more Oxford University Research Archive so now. There was one dissertation (https://ora.ox.ac.uk/) and will be even on the relationships of pandemics to more controversial than my previous attitudes such as xenophobia, one on papers – which is saying something. national borders and conservation, and This continues a critical approach one on climate change communication instilled when I was receiving tutes as a through art. student. So be careful how you use my The first years missed their Prelims teaching: it does not foster a quiet life. and the second years will miss Feedback welcome! their Presentation, so we’ll have to Looking forward to seeing you find substitutes for these exciting after liberation at gaudies, Darwin experiences! Dinners and other chances to compare Those of you I taught in the first year predictions with reality – and to may (!) remember my tute on population hearing how you are. regulation, including emergent diseases.

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 85 HERTFORD YEAR

LAW demands of their schools examination Dr Aruna Nair writes: at short notice, with a shift to open- book and online-only exams. As a new Fellow in Law, this was a daunting introduction to the academic life of the college but colleagues and students rose to the occasion remarkably well. The college librarian, Alice, made extraordinary efforts to ensure that students were not disadvantaged by their loss of access to Oxford’s physical libraries in Trinity term: in addition to endless scanning and sometimes re-scanning of texts, she went so far as to post textbooks to students at their home addresses. First-year students coped well with the shift to online teaching and examinations, achieving a very good set of results in Law moderations, As with other subjects, the main theme including Distinctions in Constitutional of our year in Law has been coping Law for two students. The Finalists also with the effects of the pandemic. The delivered a remarkable performance, first-year students bore the brunt of with all students achieving at least the initial disruption in March, with upper second degrees and three Law moderations being unexpectedly students achieving firsts. There were postponed from the end of Hilary term University prizes in Company Law and as usual to the start of Trinity term. Environmental Law. We are delighted Tutorial teaching shifted to online-only that one of our graduating finalists, and remote teaching, with students Eileen Casey, has returned to us for participating in tutorials from their her MSc in Criminology and Criminal bedrooms at home and sharing parents’ Justice; others have gone on to further (sometimes strained) wifi. Finalists were study at St Catherine’s College, Oxford faced with a transformation in the (BCL) and Harvard Law School (LLM).

As a new fellow in Law, this was a daunting introduction to the academic life of the college but colleagues and students rose to the occasion remarkably well. The college librarian, Alice, made extraordinary efforts to ensure that students were not disadvantaged.

86 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD YEAR

MANAGEMENT Steve were able to contribute to the Dr Steve New writes: college’s ‘Hertford Responds’ seminar series, Anette on “Risk Management During a Global Pandemic” (available at https://tinyurl.com/HertfordResponds- Risk), and Steve on “Global Supply Chains After COVID-19” (available at https://tinyurl.com/HertfordResponds- Supply) The pandemic inevitably cut short the range of extra-curricular activities in the management field, but just before the crisis emerged, we were delighted to invite our Oxford colleague Professor Colin Mayer to address the E&M students for a much-appreciated session on corporate purpose. The closing of regular teaching had a significant impact on the E&M cohort – exams for first year students were abandoned, and instead Like everyone else, Economics and Hertford students engaged in a range Management cohort at Hertford have of remotely-conducted group research faced some really difficult challenges in projects on a diverse range of pandemic- the last year; but overall, the story has related projects: excellent work was been one of tenacity, resilience – and done on the experience of home-based spectacular success. working, the reconfiguration of global The main development in the supply chains, the impact on hospitality year has been the arrival of our new and travel sectors, and effect of the Management Fellow, Dr Anette Mikes, crisis on mergers and acquisitions. The who joined Dr Steve New for the new third-years were faced with taking their academic year. Anette, formerly of final exams online, but the daunting Harvard Business School and HEC challenge seemed to only galvanise Lausanne, is an accounting scholar the spirit of teamwork and mutual with a focus on risk management. support that characterised the group: Anette was the 2017 laureate of the when the results were announced, we prestigious ACA Prize of the University found the eight Hertford E&M finalists of St.-Gallen. She has been working hard to have achieved an astonishing clean to enhance the accounting teaching sweep of first class degrees – with at college and across the University. Hertford students occupying nearly all Steve New has continued his work on the top places across the University. working conditions in supply chains, We wait with great anticipation for the collaborating on an AHRC-funded opportunity to celebrate this amazing project with the Bonavero Institute success in person, in happier times to of Human Rights on the corporate come. reporting requirements of the UK’s Modern Slavery Act. Both Anette and

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 87 HERTFORD YEAR

MATHEMATICS who was the first person to obtain a first Professor Alan Lauder writes: class honours degree in Mathematics in Oxford? The first person to write in to me with the correct answer will get a special mention next year, if I remember.) I feel cancelling Prelims was a mixed blessing for our first years, as although it has made the last few months much easier for them, they are much less prepared for what lies ahead. Our third (Part B) and fourth (Part C) year students had their exams reduced in scale from eight to six papers and taken online, with in addition a generous safety-net put in place to catch any dips in performance. The verdict so far is that this all worked remarkably well. My sympathy though lies mostly with our second year, who have had their Part A examinations postponed until Weeks 0 and 1 of the To start with some good news, we were coming Michaelmas term. The dates very fortunate in securing a brilliant for Part A exams were not decided young mathematician as the new tutor until quite late in the Trinity term, in Pure Mathematics at Hertford. Dawid which left both students and tutors Kielak studied in Oxford from 2004, in an uncomfortable limbo for some first as an undergraduate and then later time. I feel I must say though that I am completing a D.Phil. with our Hertford very proud of how all of our Hertford old member, and now honorary fellow, mathematicians have managed their Martin Bridson. I am very much looking work over the last few months. forward to working with Dawid. Unsurprisingly most of our third year Of course the pandemic has loomed are hoping to stay on to complete the heavily over everyone this year, and M.Math. next year. The employment our mathematical readers may be situation has of course been very difficult interested to hear how this has affected for our graduating fourth years, but the examinations. The headline news is three have secured doctoral positions that the first year exams were cancelled at other universities (Birmingham, and students declared to have passed. Warwick and Rice). Since 2012 these exams have been To finish, I would like to thank all of called Prelims, but before that were, you who attended the mathematics as you well know, Moderations. Now reunion last November. It seems like an passing Moderations has for centuries eternity ago now, but I do recall we all been the requirement to proceed to had a lovely evening in these innocent the honours school, and I have no idea days, and look forward to when we can what precedent the step taken this year all next meet like this again. might have in this long history. (On this note, some Oxford mathematical trivia:

88 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD YEAR

Poppy Iveson (5th year medic) MEDICINE volunteering with the Oxford Covid Professor David Greaves writes: Vaccine Trial Group.

All six years of medical students at Hertford were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Final year clinical students had their electives cancelled or cut short, they were graduated in absentia and drafted into local hospitals to help out on the wards. Fourth and fifth-year students’ clinical teaching was curtailed as their teachers were drafted in to contribute to the Oxford University Hospitals Trust’s response to SARS- CoV-2. Teaching for our pre-clinical students in years one to three moved entirely to online delivery and year one and year two BM examinations were cancelled or postponed. Despite these enforced disruptions to their studies Hertford medical students seemed to adapt well to remote tutorial teaching. In setting up remote tutorial teaching for our first year students in Trinity term 2020 I was very ably supported by Hamish Lemmey, a vascular biologist and stipendiary lecturer. Additional remote teaching support was also provided Poppy Iveson (a fifth year Hertford medic) who organised a series of informal tutorials with the first year

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 89 HERTFORD YEAR students engaging them in discussion of my lab for three months due to of different aspects of the emerging COVID-19 we have been able to pandemic. Poppy’s tutorials covered publish some of our research in peer- virus replication, transmission and reviewed journals including a paper pathogenesis and she talked about on re-purposing cancer drugs for the vaccine development for COVID-19 treatment of metabolic inflammation in drawing on her own experience of The British Journal of Pharmacology. At working as part of the Oxford COVID the time of writing we are back in the Vaccine Trial Group. Poppy took care lab doing experiments, observing social of some of the 543 volunteers in the distancing and adapting to the ‘new UK who received the ChAdOx1CoV-19 normal’. vaccine developed in Oxford and I was very proud to see her listed as one of the co-authors on a landmark paper Mr Simon Brewster, Consultant published recently in The Lancet. Urological Surgeon writes: I was impressed by how well our In 2020 we introduced the new Clinical third-year students, Amelia Bowman, Medicine prize, given to the best- Laura Hudson, Lauren Keiller, Harry performing clinical student in memory Jackson-Smith, Nathan Appanna of the legendary tutor in Medicine at and Callum Webster adapted to the Hertford, Professor Miles Vaughan changes imposed by lockdown in Williams. March 2020. I enjoyed the discussions Professor Miles Vaughan Williams (1918 we had via Zoom about a wide range – 2016) was a cardiac pharmacologist of topics in biomedical science ranging and academic. He was best known for from genome editing and cell biology the Vaughan Williams classification of to antimicrobial resistance and virus anti-arrhythmic drugs. Born in India, a evolution. This cohort of students were relative of the composer Ralph Vaughan among the first Oxford undergraduates Williams, he studied Philosophy & to ever sit open book finals examinations Classics at Oxford. He became an over the internet and they all obtained ambulance driver during World War excellent results which included a Two. Upon his return to Oxford, he Wronker Prize for Amelia Bowman. switched to study Medicine. From 1955 The complete shutdown of college to 1985, he was a fellow of Hertford prevented our getting together for College and tutor in Medicine. our TT2020 Vaughan Williams Dinner During his tenure he taught (where Antonia Lloyd-Lavery (matric. generations of medical students and 2003) would have been our visiting laboratory scientists. Apart from speaker) and our end of term Schools his teaching and research, major Dinner, robbing us of the opportunity contributions to the college included to enjoy each other’s company at the improvements to the fabric of the end of a hard term and our traditional building and the design of the Holywell fancy-dress end of year photograph. Quadrangle. He used donations from Working in the Sir William Dunn pharmaceutical companies to provide School of Pathology I continue to travel funds and bi-annual educational study the biology of immune cells events for medical students at the called macrophages in human disease. college. He attended and spoke at these Despite the near complete shutdown events until 2015. The investments he

90 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD YEAR

Chloe Jacklin – 2020 winner of the Vaughan Williams Clinical Medicine Prize made continue to support Hertford trainee interview level. Since this is the college medical students to the present inaugural year we have decided that day, under the jurisdiction of the current all three applicants will receive a small medical tutors led by Professor David sum from the VW Fund in recognition of Greaves and myself. their excellence and hard work. Application for the Hertford College I wish very good luck to all seven of VW Clinical Medicine Prize was open our newly qualified doctors heading into to students in their final (sixth) year at their professional careers. Together with the college and scored on evidence of other NHS employees I have worked achievements during years four to six, throughout the lockdown providing presented in seven domains by a panel urgent and emergency urological care of clinical tutors. Domains included for local patients using appropriate teaching experience, training in teaching, PPE. Often I consulted by phone or presentations, publications, quality video when face-to-face appointments improvement initiatives, positions were not possible or essential and this of leadership and commitment to a is likely to continue. On 20 July 2020 medical career or speciality (including the clinical medical students were medical school examination merits and permitted to return to the wards, clinics prizes). and operating theatres with limitations, For the inaugural Hertford College wearing PPE and social distancing to VW Clinical Medicine Prize, there were avoid putting patients at risk. Bedside three truly excellent applications. The teaching is still not permitted, a stance winner was Dr Chloe Jacklin, followed that is not sustainable, so I look forward closely in second place by Dr Ifan Jenkin to resuming this important learning and in third place Dr Aditi Aggarwal. activity for our students by the end of I want to say how impressed we were the year I hope. with the quality of all three applications; they would already score competitively at national core medical/surgical

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 91 HERTFORD YEAR

MODERN LANGUAGES At the same time as resuming her Dr Oliver Noble Wood writes: duties as senior subject tutor, following her sabbatical last academic year, Katherine Lunn-Rockliffe has been continuing work on her next monograph, on the poetry of Victor Hugo. The move to remote teaching in Trinity—especially when then combined with prolonged home schooling (a common experience, no doubt!)—means that the finishing touches on this project are still to be applied… She is grateful to students for being so tolerant of the frequent appearances in Zoom tutorials made by a young teaching assistant dressed as Darth Vader. Readers of last year’s subject update may recall that Oliver Noble Wood’s sabbatical plans for 2020 included a prolonged research stay in Spain. As Like their immediate predecessors, things turned out, most of his leave was this year’s finalists put in an excellent spent immured in OX4, not burning the performance at FHS, with five students midnight oil in Madrid. As a result, he achieving firsts. The whole cohort has had more time than envisaged for showed admirable calmness and writing, completing further work on the resilience in the face of disruption to drama of Calderón (notably, his play on teaching and examining arrangements the story of Alexander the Great, Apelles, (as well as to both immediate and and Campaspe). He is currently trying to longer-term post-Hertford plans). familiarise himself with lecture capture We look forward to celebrating their software, and the Dean’s job description, achievements more fully—and hearing in preparation for MT20. what they have all been up to since As we approach Michaelmas, we Trinity—when circumstances allow for a wish all those heading off on their year belated Schools Dinner. abroad well, especially in these uncertain Thanks go to everyone involved in times. In October we look forward to Modern Languages teaching this year, welcoming back the next group of especially Thomas Clark, who covered finalists, and hearing further tales of Spanish during Oliver Noble Wood’s their own disrupted time abroad; to sabbatical, Reinier van Straten, who has continuing work with those going into continued to hold the fort in German second year (who also adjusted to the during Joanna Neilly’s leave, and new regime with good humour in Trinity); Elsa Baroghel, who took over French and, of course, to getting to know the language teaching from Claire Bitoun incoming Modern Languages students. in Michaelmas. All three are now well As ever, it has been wonderful to hear versed in some of the perils and pitfalls from all those graduates who have been of online delivery, which is particularly in touch over the past year, and we challenging, it seems, in the case of oral would encourage all others who are so classes. inclined to follow suit.

92 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD YEAR

MUSIC music psychology. The third is aiming to Dr Benjamin Skipp writes: study conducting at the Royal Academy after a gap year as music graduate assistant at Charterhouse. We were also delighted to welcome in 2019 a new music lecturer, Dr Alice Barron to Hertford. Dr Barron completed her doctoral research in the exciting and evolving practice-led area of improvisation, collaboration and exchange, with a focus on Karnatic violin playing. She is also a professional violinist, having toured with Nigel Kennedy, as well as establishing her ensemble, the iyatraQuartet (see photograph). We are delighted to have her join the small teaching staff of Dr Tom Czepiel and myself at Hertford which enables us to cover most of the syllabus ‘in-house’. My research was somewhat slowed This year’s Music entry was supposed to by the COVID virus but I hope to have include the report of the music students’ completed my article on Haydn’s art of and my trip to Vienna. It was to have been gesture in solo keyboard works of the a joyous and educational trip, a chance 1770s by the end of 2021. to show our undergraduates the sites of some of the most splendid music- making and composition in the history of European art music. Alas, COVID has meant we have had to postpone until 2021. Hopefully this time next year we The music students will have photos of us standing outside had a productive year Café Frauenhuber where Beethoven is reputed to have played. and they dealt well The music students had a productive with the tuition via year and they dealt well with the tuition via Zoom. Although the Oxford degree Zoom. Although the is not a ‘practical’ course in the sense Oxford degree is not a that instrumental tuition is effectively ‘practical’ course in the extracurricular, it is still useful to play musical examples on the piano, sense that instrumental something which is not always easy tuition is effectively across a computer screen. They coped admirably. The three finalists were extracurricular, it is particularly successful in their exams and still useful to play two of them have elected to pursue their studies in musicology, one at the ‘Other musical examples on Place’ and one in York with a specialism the piano. in the (increasingly competitive) field of

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 93 Gerard Collett HERTFORD YEAR

ORIENTAL STUDIES I stayed in Tokyo until 12 January and Professor Bjarke Frellesvig towards the end of my stay there the writes: Japanese news increasingly reported on the new highly infectious disease emerging from Wuhan in China. And we all know what happened next. Towards the end of Hilary term the pandemic was in full flow; a few weeks into the vacation, lockdown came, with all the general disturbance and disruption it brought with it. Needless to say, the disruption was greatest for our finalists. Some of ours stayed in Oxford, moving into the Graduate Centre, whereas others managed to go home. For all of them, the lockdown nullified their carefully worked out revision plans for the vacation and for Trinity term. Teaching went online, and we all learned both how to do that, and also that online tutorial teaching can be As we all know, the academic year 2019- remarkably efficient. As most readers 2020 turned out unlike any we have will know, exams ended up being moved experienced before. Until the middle of online, a new and untested format for Hilary term it was pretty much business us here. as usual. Michaelmas was busy welcoming our freshers to Oxford, welcoming our third years back from their year in Japan and China, and getting the finalists started on the final stretch of their course. And it I spent about a month was going well in all of those respects. In in Japan, visiting the the vacation between Michaelmas and Hilary, I spent about a month in Japan, National Institute for visiting the National Institute for Japanese Japanese Language Language and Linguistics in Tachikawa on the western side of Tokyo, working on the and Linguistics in Oxford-NINJAL Corpus of Old Japanese Tachikawa on the (the ONCOJ), which takes up most of my western side of research time. It is the largest and most detailed annotated corpus of texts from Tokyo, working on the Old Japanese period of the Japanese the Oxford-NINJAL language (8th century AD), including the large poetry anthology Man’yōshū. The Corpus of Old Japanese ONCOJ is freely available at http://oncoj. (the ONCOJ), which ninjal.ac.jp/. I also used part of my time in Japan to continue editorial work on takes up most of my the Handbook of Japanese Historical research time. Japanese Linguistics.

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 95 HERTFORD YEAR

I would find it difficult to overstate PHILOSOPHY how impressed I was with all of our Professor Peter Millican writes: students and the way they coped with the situation. In particular, our finalists rose to the occasion with maturity and resilience, adjusting to a new and unforeseeable way of studying and revising. We had six finalists in Oriental Studies, and they all rose to the occasion most impressively. In terms of results we got four 2.1s and two first, including the best first in Japanese in the University. To round off an extraordinary year, we had Schools Dinner on Monday of 9th Week, as usual, after all the exams were done. It is always difficult to say goodbye to the finalists whom you get to know well in the course of their time here, and this year even more so, as we hadn’t been able to In last year’s Hertford College Magazine, meet in person in Trinity or before I gave an overview of how Philosophy or after the exams. Obviously we at Hertford has flourished over recent could not have the Schools Dinner years, mentioning various highlights in person, and so we held it online, such as our annual ‘Philosophy Retreat’, spanning many time zones. I would an impressive run of examination never have thought that would work results, and our considerable outreach particularly well, but it turned out to activity. I also described some of my be a highly successful and enjoyable own recent research. This year’s report evening. That warm and pleasant will be quite different, coming at the June evening in the – remote end of an extraordinary year which – company of my finalists will be a has combined both the best thing to lasting memory for me from this past happen to Hertford Philosophy in a long year. while, and perhaps the worst (namely, COVID-19). First, the good news. Last summer, after extended discussions of the utmost secrecy – and thus completely out of the blue for the rest of us – it turned out that the billionaire philanthropist Stephen A. Schwarzman was giving a huge donation to Oxford to build a Centre for the Humanities and to create an Institute for Ethics in AI. Support for the Institute was to include the establishment of several new joint Faculty/College posts, with

96 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD YEAR the first two of these to be appointed in of Privacy in the Digital Age, contracted 2020. As reported in the last Magazine, with OUP (more details can be found Hertford’s Governing Body had already through https://www.hertford.ox.ac.uk/ agreed that we should attempt to staff/carissa-veliz). Alongside Ethics, she recruit a second Philosophy fellow when will be teaching Philosophy of Mind, circumstances permitted. So when bids and we aim soon to establish together opened in November, we applied for a new course on AI Ethics for students one of these posts. We were optimistic, in both CS&P and PPE, linking Hertford’s because preference was to be given interdisciplinary strengths. to colleges having only a single fellow, I very much hope that alumni will and in particular, to those that were soon be able to meet Carissa in person. committed to supporting the degree When planning a Philosophy reunion in Computer Science & Philosophy. The dinner for May 2020, I anticipated that next week we heard to our delight that the appointment would already be we had indeed been awarded the post, made, but the same circumstances that with the faculty costs provided by the forced the reunion to go online also Schwarzman donation, and the college delayed the appointment procedures, costs later being generously supported so all I was able to report to the many by Clifford Chance. alumni who attended that enjoyable Oxford’s rigorous recruitment event was that the interviews had procedures took some months, but started and seemed promising. When finally, at the end of May, we were able genuine reunions become possible, to appoint Dr Carissa Véliz, the first it will be a great pleasure to arrange time ever that the college has had two an opportunity for you to meet our Tutorial Fellows in Philosophy! Carissa excellent new fellow. comes to us with a terrific record of Just before the online reunion, it study at Salamanca, New York and occurred to me to run some calculations Oxford, and an already impressive array on Philosophy student numbers at of publications, especially in the area Hertford since I arrived in 2005. To my of Data Ethics, in which she has a book great surprise – as I reported at the Privacy is Power shortly appearing with event – it turned out that the three- Penguin, and another book, The Ethics year averages of Philosophy fresher

First, the good news. Last summer, after extended discussions of the utmost secrecy – and thus completely out of the blue for the rest of us – it turned out that the billionaire philanthropist Stephen A. Schwarzman was giving a huge donation to Oxford to build a Centre for the Humanities and to create an Institute for Ethics in AI.

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 97 HERTFORD YEAR

in 2007, at which point – in a delicious twist – Gonzalo came back to Oriel to These great results fill the space created (so the only two people to have held that strange joint were, of course, post have, since 2007, occupied the achieved in the shadow same two colleges as full-time fellows!). Those early days now seem an age ago, of COVID-19, with and it is wonderful to look forward to both teaching and a future in which at last Hertford has examining all done two established Tutorial Fellows in Philosophy. We are also delighted to online. be keeping Nick Tasker, one of our two excellent Philosophy Lecturers for the last three years, and although we are saying goodbye to Jonny McIntosh – who has been recruited to a larger role arrivals had increased almost exactly at Oriel – we plan to swap teaching linearly, from 7.7 in 2005-07, to 9.7 in between the two colleges to continue to 2008-10, 11.7 in 2011-13, 12.3 in 2014-16, cover the same wide range of teaching. and 15.7 in 2017-19. In the coming year we As for our students, I am delighted shall have 17 freshers (nine in PPE, five in to report their continuing success, CS&P, two in PML, and one in PhysPhil), which has been even stronger than that and we now have a total of 56 students of last year. In PPE, they achieved an overall (27 in PPE, 20 in CS&P, five in unprecedented five firsts (out of nine), PhysPhil, and four in PML). Obviously while all five of our other third and the growth of CS&P has been the single fourth years (four in CS&P, one in M&P) biggest factor here, but it is also very scored firsts. They also picked up three pleasing to note that Hertford has University Prizes in CS&P – though this become a fairly regular recruiter for the has become almost routine for Hertford joint degrees with Modern Languages – with outstanding performances from and Physics, in which for many years we Joar Skalse (fourth year) and Shashvat only had tiny numbers. Shukla (third year). I don’t know much about numbers These great results were, of course, prior to my arrival in 2005, but they achieved in the shadow of COVID-19, can’t have been high, because in 2001 with both teaching and examining all my immediate predecessor, Gonzalo done online. This was hugely disruptive Rodriguez-Pereyra, was appointed for both students and staff, and quite with only half a stint at Hertford and extraordinarily time-consuming, with so the other half at Oriel. This parsimony, many things – lectures, classes, tutorials, whereby the college employed in examinations, outreach – having to be effect only half a Tutor in Philosophy, reorganised and rethought at speed. was easily shown to be unsustainable But the burden on College Officers and during my first term, using a few graphs administrative staff has been an order displaying students-per-fellow and of magnitude greater than on the rest applicants-per-fellow. Governing Body of us, having to plan for the coming year accordingly voted to end it, though against a constantly changing situation, the arrangement continued until Oriel and negotiating various crises (including was able to work out a new structure the sudden loss of conference income

98 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD YEAR for the year, and the sudden need for PHYSICS more rooms owing to the A-Level Professor Siddharth fiasco) which have been completely Parameswaran writes: unprecedented. Observing their calm professionalism and effectiveness – and also that of other colleagues who have been combatting the pandemic in a variety of ways – has inspired feelings of deep pride in our college and its people. Through all this, Will Hutton has been an excellent leader, and we say goodbye to him with heartfelt thanks, not least from the community of philosophers. Will has been a particular friend to PPE and E&M, bringing numerous fascinating speakers from politics, economics and the media to his ‘Hertford Conversations’ and related events. He has also supported – and helped to raise crucial funding for – the growth and financing of Computer Science in the college, from the arrival of In an unusually challenging year, Mike Wooldridge, through the Tutorial Hertford physicists have responded Fellowship of Andreas Galanis and the admirably to the many changes in their Junior Research Fellowship of Andrew Oxford experience. The vast majority Cropper. Will arrived in 2011, with the of students left Oxford to head home CS&P degree yet to start and Computer for the Easter vacation at the end of Science at Hertford merely a gleam in Hilary term only to enter lockdown the eye of the Philosophy Fellow. Now, far from their classmates, their books, as he leaves, this has become a vibrant their unfinished practical experiments, and hugely successful community of and Hasan’s kebab van on Broad Street scholars and students within the college. (sources differ as to which loss was felt We now embark on another year most keenly). Sadly, the final Tanner which is probably going to be as strange dinner of the year had to be cancelled as the last, under new but still excellent and replaced with a virtual “dinner” leadership, and with a team who have gathering, so we will have much to already proved what they can do. I make up for when we can fully resume am confident that Hertford will come social interactions. through it in great shape, and hope that A dizzying array of changes to by then, our social events for alumni will teaching methods and exam rules have been fully restored so that we can followed: lectures and tutorials moved again meet up in convivial surroundings online, with students and tutors forced and chat about the college, both to adapt to Zoom tutorials and shared past and future. It will then be a huge online whiteboards. first year students pleasure to be able to introduce you were spared the stress of Prelims, but all to Carissa Véliz, who will no doubt second and third years entered summer be playing a very significant role in that with the looming spectre of exams future. in Michaelmas, while fourth-years

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 99 HERTFORD YEAR

were faced with handling take-home for September resits only for them to be assessments and completing their abandoned, and finally a decision that MPhys projects while working from the second and third year exams would home. not be sat in person as originally planned, Despite these challenges, it has been but rather would be taken remotely. On a year where we can report many stories the research front, Sid Parameswaran’s of student success. Our strong finals group continues to grow in size thanks results included firsts in mathematical to support from an ERC grant, and the and theoretical physics and in the continued attractiveness of Oxford – three-year BA, while one of our finalists despite challenging global events – as was awarded the Metaswitch Prize for a place for leading young researchers the best use of Software in a MPhys with independent funding to spend Project. Over the summer, two of our their post-doctoral years. Recently his students completed (remote) research group solved a long-standing puzzle projects supported by college bursaries; about magnetic scattering experiments one worked on statistical mechanical first done at Oxford ten years ago. While problems in biophysics, while the other the Large Hadron Collider is in Long worked in Sid Parameswaran’s group on Shutdown 2, Sam Henry is filling his a challenging problem on the dynamics head with test procedures and database of quantum magnets. Both students protocols to track construction of the did exceptional work that is likely to ATLAS detector upgrade; while also lead to publishable results in the near promoting Public Engagement, to keep future, and gained valuable research everyone informed about exciting new experience that will help them plan results like the first measurement of the their postgraduate studies. Higgs boson decaying to two muons. The impact of the pandemic has been Pat Roche’s research has also been felt just as keenly by the tutors as by the impacted by the pause in telescope students. The uncertainty in the form of operation and data collection around exams to be taken kept us on our toes the world; the backlog will take a long and lingered all the way through the time to clear, but safe operation is summer vacation, with requirements for clearly the highest priority. This summer organisation and preparation of papers has been a challenge.

100 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD YEAR HERTFORD YEAR

STUDENT LIFE

102 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD YEAR

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 103 HERTFORD YEAR

JCR The integration of freshers into Rebecca Simpson (Geography, Hertford life was further proven by 2018) writes: their evident commitment to the Sitting down to write this report, I have intercollegiate Planet Pledge (which had to come to terms with just how took place throughout November 2019). different (and at some points difficult) With an impressive 282 JCR members this past year has been for the JCR. choosing to reduce their environmental My first two terms as president have impact via giving up meat, boycotting air certainly not been straightforward, travel and avoiding fast fashion, Hertford but numerous challenges have only claimed second place behind Brasenose, enhanced the creativity and teamwork of and more importantly contributed to the the Hertford network. I would therefore crucial efforts against climate change. like to use this opportunity to reflect on Our hard work throughout the how we have been able to master the art Michaelmas was rewarded with a of ‘improvise, adapt, and overcome’. wonderful selection of Oxmas activities. As always, Hertford Fresher’s Week It was lovely to see so much enthusiasm was a resounding success, and I would for Christmas formals (with each sitting like to make a special mention to selling out before you could say Jingle Charlotte Fraser-Morris and her team Bells), and carols in the quad attracting for their creativity and commitment an audience from across the city. to welcoming all our ‘fawns’ with open Sports-wise, the Hertford ‘underdogs’ arms. Transforming Hall into a Jazz bar, took Hilary term by storm, fighting for and bopping ‘Back to the Future’ was victory in the Women’s football Plate no mean feat, but I feel confident that Cup Final and an awe-inspiring second Hertford’s reputation as the friendliest place in division 1 of Netball Cuppers. college in town remains a well-founded It was a shame to see rowing so heavily one. disrupted by high-river levels after last year’s Bumps success, but the formation of a strong squad (that have continued to train together throughout lockdown over Zoom) has set us up well for future competition. The deer is still very much As always, Hertford feared. Hilary also saw the completion of fresher’s week was a building work in both the Old Quad resounding success, and Holywell Quad, and it was great to and I would like to see the college modernise and evolve in line with its students. Our beloved make a special mention Porters certainly seemed to enjoy their to Charlotte Fraser- new ‘control centre’, and I am personally highly envious of anyone who will be Morris and her team living in any of the renovated rooms in for their creativity Holywell 2 and 3. and commitment to Before I reflect on the enigma that was Trinity term 2020, I would like to welcoming all our make a special mention to the Hertford ‘fawns’ with open arms. Ball Committee, and particularly its President Ahmed Alhussni. Setting a

104 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD YEAR date for 13 March, it was brilliant to see creative minds coming together to organise a truly memorable event to be Tutorials held held in Oxford Town Hall. Its cancellation was certainly devasting for the whole via Teams have college; however, I am confident that all demonstrated that of the committee’s hard work will not nothing will stand in go to waste, and instead will serve as an invaluable blueprint for an unforgettable the way of Hertford future Hertford Ball that perfectly students being captures the celebratory spirit of our college. involved in impressive To conclude this brief synopsis of intellectual discussion, the last academic year, I would like to focus on what I have learnt from the whilst impressive most unconventional Trinity term for results in both a long time. Tutorials held via Teams internal Collections have demonstrated that nothing will stand in the way of Hertford students and external exams being involved in impressive intellectual encapsulate the discussion, whilst impressive results in both internal Collections and external hardworking attitude exams encapsulate the hardworking intrinsic to every attitude intrinsic to every Hertford student. It was great to see our finalists Hertford student. celebrate the end of their time at Oxford with family trashings. Teamwork was in no way disrupted by physical distance created by COVID-19, with sports teams training together virtually and rehearsals and concerts enabled by the power of challenges and grown stronger as a video call. Social events were also in no collective. When we return to the City of way sacrificed, with the Entz committee Spires in October we will be without our pioneering a ‘virtual bop’, and numerous beloved graduates and retiring principal DTB quizzes and JCR Yoga sessions being Will Hutton, and university life will be held throughout the term. The charitable very different. However, I am sure that efforts of the JCR were also second to I speak on behalf of everyone in saying none, with a raffle organised by the Male that we are more than ready to embrace Welfare Officer, Rory Saitch, raising £320 the academic year under the leadership for the NHS Charities during the height of a new principal, Tom Fletcher. I look of the pandemic. forward to working closely with him It is ultimately through challenge and and continuing to foster the brilliance problem-solving that we grow as people, of college. The extended time period as students, and as young adults preparing that we have all spent away from our for life in an ever-changing world. What beloved Hertford will undoubtedly make we have faced as a JCR over the past year returning in the Autumn an especially has undoubtedly been profound, but I exciting and poignant experience, and I feel confident in saying that at Hertford cannot wait to see everyone under the we have masterfully manoeuvred these Bridge of Sighs very soon.

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 105 HERTFORD YEAR

MCR the swing of research and education. Samuel East (Biochemistry, Hertford’s graduate students study a 2018) writes: great range of disciplines; to mark this we This year, Michaelmas saw the arrival hosted regular and very well-attended of over 100 new Graduate Freshers. As Academic Soirées at which members always, we kicked off the academic year could present their findings and talk with three weeks of events designed to them through with their peers. Later on welcome new members to Hertford. We during Michaelmas, we continued our hosted a wide variety of social occasions, annual celebration of Waugh Night – including tours, meet-ups with other in honour of Evelyn Waugh; writer and MCRs, a BBQ and a welcome buffet; all Hertford alumnus – with a 1920s themed capped off with a Fresher’s Ball. New dinner and drinks reception. members got the chance to get to On Burns Night we held our know each other and also to meet the traditional celebrations – starting with returning members of the MCR, and they a meal of haggis and whiskey in the Hall, quickly became familiar faces around our before moving on to a Ceilidh in the common rooms. With Freshers’ Week wonderful setting of our Octagon, with over, students swiftly settled into daily music provided by our own students! life at Hertford. Whether their days were We were also delighted to welcome spent in laboratories, on fieldwork, or in back the Hertford Society for a third libraries, our community got back into year running, as we organised a joint wine-and-cheese tasting event, which

106 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD YEAR served as a fantastic opportunity for We swiftly evolved our style of current students to get to know people working to cope with this new normal from the wide network of Hertford – we held several fully online general alumni. meetings, and virtual hustings for this Of course, our MCR was – and year’s elections; a new committee remains – deeply impacted by the has been duly elected and they are events of the COVID-19 crisis. We found well equipped to face the undeniable ourselves needing to suspend all social challenges and uncertainties that the activities and close our common rooms year ahead shall bring. In lieu of our before the end of Hilary term, as the normal photograph, which is usually first cases became known in and around taken as a group in OB quad but which Oxford. Whilst this is certainly a sad and had to be cancelled this year, we instead frustrating turn for the year to have collected pictures which were arranged taken, I remain incredibly proud of the into a digital collage of us all, to hang on kind, caring and understanding manner our walls and remind us that we didn’t in which our community adapted to let these strange times stop us. this new way of life. From our members I’d like to extend my sincere thanks who took swift action to self-isolate to this year’s committee for all of their when they developed symptoms of hard work – through both the good the disease so as to protect others, to times and the bad! Thanks especially those who volunteered to bring food go to Matthew Lloyd (Secretary/VP) and welfare supplies to those under and Catherine Jenkinson (Treasurer); I quarantine, I was humbled to witness could not have asked for a better exec. everybody pitch in and support one It has been a real honour to serve as another through these unprecedented President, and I know that whatever times. form this upcoming year takes, Hertford College MCR shall continue to thrive.

We swiftly evolved our style of working to cope with this new normal – we held several fully online general meetings, and virtual hustings for this year’s elections; a new committee has been duly elected and they are well equipped to face the undeniable challenges and uncertainties that the year ahead shall bring.

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 107 HERTFORD YEAR

MUSIC Symphony (No. 104), a Phantom of the Nathan De Giorgi (Music, 2018) Opera Suite, the finale of Tchaikovsky writes: Symphony No. 5 and De Giorgi’s This year has been very busy for college Symphony No. 2. Our orchestra is non- music! Despite the academic year being auditioned, but thoroughly stepped up a truncated edition in comparison to the challenge of at times very difficult to its usual form, it has well and truly material. been jam-packed! We were fortunate Two concerts were delivered with to welcome exceptional new music tremendous success, raising hundreds students to our college, including of pounds for Hertford College Music our soon to be Senior Organ Scholar Society. Andrew Liu, who will replace the Jazz Band, under the excellent fantastic Charlotte Corderoy from next direction of Daniel Cubbon, proved academic year. Charlotte has been my itself once again to be one of the most college mother and I am sure that all exciting and dynamic collegiate jazz those involved with college music will ensembles within the University. As well join me in wishing her all the best in her as performing familiar standards, the undoubtedly highly promising future. jazz band also performed exceptional The same goes for Maddy Withers compositions by Cubbon himself. who has made a massive contribution Outstanding concert performances to college music, as well as Tetsu Isaji combined with a welcoming, down- who claimed glory for Hertford in Music to-Earth atmosphere has solidified our Cuppers. Jazz Band’s reputation as a first-rate Under the direction of Charlotte ensemble and a valuable musical asset Corderoy and Andrew Liu, college choir to the college. has gone from strength to strength. This Hertford College Music Society year saw the premiere of new works by has had an exceptionally successful college music students, an exceptional year, building upon its outstanding concert structured around the Nine reputation as the premiere non- Muses and a stellar choir football auditioning college music society within performance that saw us progress to the University. Students enjoyed a the semi-finals! Choir has continued thoroughly good night at our annual to see high levels of attendance and Jazz & Drinks event which once again has entertained important University proved to be a roaring success. Over figures at events such as the MacBride £200 was raised for Homeless Oxford sermon. at our annual Carols in the Quad event. Orchestra, led by Nathan De Giorgi, Both students and public alike gathered has seen an exceptionally high level of in the quad with mince pies to listen attendance. We have benefitted from to our choir sing Christmas carols. In the outstanding musical credentials of Michaelmas term, HCMS was led by both Hertford and external students, Nathan De Giorgi, who in a customary who were drawn to our orchestra manner passed on the baton to George both by the friendly environment and Palmer in January. The start that George the outstanding level of performance. has made to his tenure suggests that he Repertoire this year included a full will surely further enhance the prestige performance of Haydn’s London of our wonderful college music society.

108 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD YEAR

POLITICS AND – always an exciting and entertaining ECONOMICS SOCIETY experience. George Priestley (E&M, 2018) With Trinity Term being moved online, writes: the society had to adapt to all events Despite the unusual times we are in, and being hosted on Zoom. Although we faced the circumstances we faced in Trinity our fair share of technical difficulties, term, it has been another fantastic year we experienced some really enjoyable for the Hertford Politics and Economics discussions. This did unfortunately mean Society (HPES). One of the great that Will could not host his infamous successes I believe has been securing post-event dinners which allow students speakers from beyond the politics and to personally interact with guests and economics base and maintaining the involve themselves in the discussion. excellent calibre. This has enabled more I must thank Will for organising these members, with more wide ranging excellent dinners and the catering staff interests, of the JCR to get involved in for always being so accommodating. both the discussions and the dinners Despite being moved online, Trinity than ever, and of course, bringing new was a busy term for HPES. We had the ideas and insights. opportunity to hear from Hertford We began the year with a visit from alumnus Ciaran Martin, Director of the Academic Visitor Dr PJ Thum who National Cyber Security Centre, arguably unpacked many myths surrounding the world’s leading expert in the world Singapore and explained some of his of cybersecurity. We also heard from challenging confrontations with the Guardian columnist and environmental Singapore government. Next, there was campaigner, George Monbiot, who the Britain’s Constitutional Crisis series, passionately spoke about solutions to a three-part lecture series discussing factors of the impending climate crises Brexit & Journalism, the Civil Service, – such as how to feed the growing the Judiciary and Rule of Law. This series population. Furthermore, the term was took place in the Weston Library across capped with interesting conversations the road from college and we had the with satirist Rory Bremner and from pleasure of hosting Alan Rusbridger and Professor Jeffrey Stewart biographer Hertford alumna, Carole Cadwalladr, of Alain Locke, Oxford University’s first Lord Pannick QC and Deok Joo Rhee African-American Rhodes Scholar. QC. In addition, we got to hear from my The most popular event of Trinity, and personal favourite of the series Sir Oliver probably the year, was The Principal’s Robbins (another Hertford alumnus) Goodbye. Will gave a fascinating who brought insights from the very and amusing review of his nine-year centre of British government and its tenure at Hertford and then fielded handling of Brexit. questions from students in what led to Also in the Weston Library, we had the a memorable event. Will’s contribution, pleasure of hosting poet William Sieghart involvement and support in the HPES who brought forward his case for poetry cannot be understated. The society as a tool for promoting empathy and would simply not be what it is today dialogue. We also got the opportunity without him. I personally would like to to hear from Will Hutton about Brexit thank him on behalf of all students, past in his event The EU: Not Dead Yet!, and present, who have benefitted from which provided the opportunity for the society under his tenure as Principal lively debate between students and Will for the work he has put in, he will be missed.

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 109 HERTFORD YEAR

SPORTS strong quizzing performance from their Sofia Baldelli (Medicine, 2018) new captain Luke Saitch. writes: Women’s sport at Hertford has Although it seems an age away, the continued to grow and be of the sporting calendars of Michaelmas and highest calibre with both the success Hilary ran very much as normal and of the netball club and also Hertble. Hertford had two very successful terms. This year they strived to recreate their One of the highlights has to be HCNC’s successes of last year but struggled rise to Division 1 and subsequent success initially, having lost a few key members in the league. In Michaelmas term, after to graduation. However, with key and adjusting to the level of play, the team talented returning members such managed to secure a mid-table finish. as Eleanor Frew, Katie Chester and In Hilary term, following a gritty win Laura Eacott putting in very strong against the infamous ‘stash-loving’ St. performances, they managed to push John’s team, the team managed to win through the season to an incredible win all but one match to obtain second in the Cuppers Plate final with a 5-0 place in only their second term in the win against Jesus. This was an incredible league. Unfortunately, as with many win with a relatively new side under other things, the cuppers tournaments the bright lights of Oxford City football were cancelled this year as was the club and a huge congratulations is in annual HCAFC vs HCNC ‘Hertford for the order for the side and their captain Mia Homeless’ charity netball match. In its Gainsford. place a virtual quiz was hosted in which The men’s side of the football club the netball, football, rugby, and rowing also enjoyed a good season. The 1sts teams competed against each other went on a six-match winning run in to win an IOU prize from DTB. Football JCR first division with everyone in the managed to come out on top with a team contributing but particularly the new freshers impressing. Their Cuppers

110 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD YEAR run was not to be, but the team have were chosen to represent Glouster and a very successful future ahead with Tolouse respectively during a match such a strong backing of players. The review, and other members of the squad second team also enjoyed a strong were used to demonstrate tactical season under George Priestley’s self- moves including how not to strangle proclaimed ‘iron fist’ approach to an opposition player! To counter the leadership. They reached the semi-final boredom that many of the team (and of the 2nds Cuppers cruelly missing out college) were beginning to feel during on progressing on penalties after some lockdown, the rugby club opened up questionable refereeing. voting for the all-decade line-up to Rugby experienced a strong season create a virtual all-stars team. Jordan with a confident run in Cuppers with Ayling made it into the voting and is their new striking kit, until losing now coaching the University’ Rugby out narrowly in the quarter-finals to League men’s side back in Oxford. a strong Christchurch college side This year saw the re-creation of the with many a blues player starting for Hertford basketball team led by Paddy their formidable side. Other notable Christy-Parker. Having trained regularly performances include a 20-0 win throughout Michaelmas and playing against Worcester and a valiant effort a few matches it was a disappointing against Teddy Hall which resulted in and abrupt end to the season with the multiple injuries including a hospital cancellation of Cuppers in Trinity. The visit for James Stringer with a broken club, however, has proven to be very nose. Despite their on-field success popular so I am sure they will find the their biggest win may have come on cuppers success they deserve next year! screen as members of the team got the Along with the reinstatement of opportunity to appear on BT’s Rugby Basketball, this year we had the first tonight in November. Two second years Hertford Darts match for two years George Hargrave and George Priestley with the team securing a 7-5 win against

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 111 HERTFORD YEAR a strong Corpus side. With a couple the furthest each week Hertford’s JCR of freshers in the team the future of members mobilised and covered some Hertford Darts is bright! vast distances. Although we were not At University level, Hertford victorious in the ‘Strava Cuppers’, some continues to be well-represented with runners such as Milan Campion, who 30 individuals competing for University runs for the University cross country squads this year. Particular highlights team, regularly posted over 60km a include Ellen Hobson competing for week at rapid pace. Other members the blues equestrian team and being of the Hertford community aimed to appointed the club’s president and recreate to some degree the legendary Alexander Hampshire competing at the efforts of Captain Sir Thomas Moore. European Universities championship in Niall Shaban ran 10km in his North Judo. The breadth of representation in London back garden on his birthday for over 20 different sports at University the mental health charity ‘Calm zone’ level places the college in a very strong and managed to raise over £800 for position for the college competitions such an important cause. Lockdown that will begin again, hopefully, in and the pandemic as a whole has been Michaelmas. such a hard time for everyone in and The academic year of 2019/20 has out of the community at Hertford, but been like no year Hertford has seen I am so proud of the contribution our before and sport was not immune to the members have made and what they disruption brought on by COVID-19. In have achieved. order to maintain the important sense It has been another excellent year of community and the engagement for sport at Hertford even with it being that sport at Hertford brings, a Strava truncated, and I invite everyone to competition was started at the beginning follow us @sportathertfordcollege on of lockdown. With the promise of a £10 Instagram for regular updates on all voucher for the individual who had run sporting successes!

At University level, Hertford continues to be well represented with 30 individuals competing for University squads this year. Particular highlights include Ellen Hobson competing for the blues equestrian team and being appointed the club’s president and Alexander Hampshire competing at the European Universities championship in Judo.

112 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 HERTFORD YEAR

ENVIRONMENT AND ETHICS Laura Watson (Geography, 2019) Hertford College writes: gained second place Throughout the year, the Hertford College JCR social media pages have overall in the Oxford’s been an avenue used by the E&E rep Planet Pledge with 282 as well as the JCR more widely, to share events and significant news relating to pledges made, an over climate change and positive ways we 300% increase from can make a difference. For example, 2018. We hope to see the Sustainability Strategy Consultation, allowing contributions for how the this continue! University can make changes, as well as the Climate Crisis Quiz associated with the Student Switch Off. Hertford College gained second place overall in the Oxford’s Planet Pledge reduce waste continue. While systemic with 282 pledges made, more than a change is needed, this is a clear example 300% increase from 2018. We hope to of how Hertford is committed to see this continue! This accolade meant individual actions showing that we, as that students at Hertford College made Hertfordians, are committed to change. the second most pledges to reduce The achievement of second place their carbon emissions. These pledges in Planet Pledge as mentioned was included committing to reduce meat significant, but the achievement is not all intake, adopt a vegan diet, or even that this is about – it encourages people more significant lifestyle changes to make a positive change to their lives such as no plastic, no flying, or even for at least a month, with many choosing no fast fashion! The achievement of to continue these changes beyond. Of second place is not all that this is about course, the colleges’ commitments to however – it encourages people to reduce waste continue. While systemic make a positive change to their lives for change is needed, this is a clear example at least a month, with many choosing of how Hertford is committed to to continue these changes beyond. Of individual actions showing that we, as course, the colleges’ commitments to Hertfordians, are committed to change.

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 113 HERTFORD YEAR

ARTS pages). Aptly called HartAttack (named Eve Dickie (English, 2018) writes: after an iconic children’s TV show, and, This year, as we all settled into an online of course, cardiac arrest), it was finally term, our yearly arts festival called released in eighth week to celebrate HARTfest sadly couldn’t go ahead. This everyone surviving and thriving certainly didn’t stop Hertfordians from through this strange Trinity. A still life getting creative though! What we lacked drawing class over Zoom was another in jazz, adapted plays and Pimm’s, way to connect online, and a list of we made up for in Zoom events and online resources including digitised an online Zine composed of people’s exhibitions, plays, and books gave ways lockdown endeavours. Contributions to pass the time. Long ago in Hilary included illustrations, paintings, poems, term, sessions also involved a very and an intricately whittled spoon. As the popular watercolour painting class and Arts Rep, I wrangled the phenomenal an origami session, perfect for winding Anoop Dey into helping me compose down and constructing complex the zine (I am forever indebted to the animals (the frogs were both intricate MANY hours he spent with me over and hop-able!). Zoom picking fonts and rearranging

114 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 After Hertford AFTER HERTFORD

HASHIM & FAMILY

rofessor Emma Smith interviews example. You also see that pull of home, Shahnaz Ahsan (History and which I think a lot of migrants or children PEnglish, 2006) about her newly of migrants feel, no matter when they released book: made their move.

ES: Just to start off, tell us the title of your ES: What about the politics of East book and what it’s about. Pakistan and the birth of Bangladesh? SA: Hashim & Family is my debut novel, so One of your characters goes back as it has been a long time in the making. It is a war reporter and we get a horrific the story of a family who move from East depiction of war and what it’s doing to Pakistan, which we now call Bangladesh, the country. What was interesting to me to Manchester, in the 1960s. That part about that was that you’re not idealising of the storyline is very much inspired a kind of home country. You’ve obviously by my grandparent’s experiences. It structured the book so there isn’t that follows the family over a period of 20 idyllic place back home – it’s more years, the relationship between Britain complicated than that. and Bangladesh, and the challenges they SA: Yes, absolutely and I think that’s faced settling into one new place while something that is quite common still having ties to the place that they left to people who have migrated from behind. somewhere that then undergoes war or natural disaster, and the guilt that people ES: I absolutely love that about the novel feel for having escaped that trauma back – the parallels between the different home and having that safety somewhere places and the two families. Can you talk else. The reason why I wanted to explore a bit about the relationship between the politics of the birth of Bangladesh Britain and Bangladesh in terms of your is because it was something that I novel? How do you or your characters was never exposed to throughout my see the two places? education in the UK, so everything I knew SA: I think each of the characters view the came from the stories that my parents different places in their own particular or grandparents told me. It’s such an way. There are four main characters, important part of recent history – this and the ones that we see who do the only happened in 1971 – and it’s a way migrating are two cousins called Hashim to understand so much about migration and Rofikul, and Manira who is married history and patterns in the UK as well. to Hashim. You see some of them really putting their all into being English, and ES: I was thinking about your novel as a sometimes even more English than the sort of love child of classic Coronation English, as that’s what they feel like they Street on the one hand and something need to do to be accepted. You see them like Midnight’s Children on the other. dabbling with changing their names, for The sense of a kind of a domestic story set against an extraordinary political

116 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 AFTER HERTFORD

landscape. You said that part of the SA: A few people have commented on inspiration for this was your grandparent’s how it seems like a very non-traditional journey to the UK, but what were your family arrangement that we see in this more literary inspirations? Who do you book. But for early migrants, that was draw upon as a writer? even more common than we think; SA: I love Louis de Bernières and the idea space was often an issue, so people of really delving into a place – whether living in extended families, and lots of that’s wartime Greece or an island off people living together was not unusual. the coast of Turkey during the decline of I think we often think that migrants keep the Ottoman Empire. I think now there themselves to themselves, they don’t are more writers talking about partition integrate with other people and we hear and different writers who talk about language about ghettoisation. Actually, the Bengali migrant experience, such as people did live alongside each other Jhumpa Lahiri. She’s a writer that I really and these early inter-racial relationships respect, and she talks very much about really did happen and they weren’t all more recent migration from Bengal, and frowned upon either. I think in a way that India, going to America. generation was a lot more pragmatic and in some ways more open-minded than ES: Tell me about the ‘& family’ element of they ended up being when they settled the title of your novel. In some ways, that in the UK. conjures up quite a conservative idea, but in fact the family that you talk about ES: I don’t want to give too much away is an extraordinarily blended, extended, as the book really unfolds with beautiful non-traditional one in many ways, with rhythm but there’s a scene that really two really close women friends, Manira strikes me in the final third of the book and Helen, at the heart of it. when the second generation migrants clash with the National Front and fascist

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 117 AFTER HERTFORD protestors in the 80s, and there’s a employment outside of the home. On conversation between them and two the other hand, there is this background people from this older generation – of fear, with people not wanting to walk Vincent and Hashim. Did you feel that home on their own. That too is very the older generation had to keep their clearly and unflinchingly depicted. heads down? In your book it seemed SA: That’s the reality of what a lot of that it was the next generation who were families experience. Maybe it was naivety, able to be angry and stand up against but I don’t think those early migrants racism. coming over really had any idea of what SA: I think that comes naturally, but really to expect and so, as you say, it is there is a difference between moving double-edged. Hashim came over and to a place and being born there. I think said that it would be for five years, to when you’ve moved to a place, it takes earn some money to take back home time to work out the system and what and then what often happens is that the status quo is, then how much you those advantages of being in Britain take can push that. At that time, as you say, over. There’s a functioning healthcare people really did want to keep their system, a functioning education system, heads down, get on with it and weren’t for example. Those very practical things, looking for trouble. I think trouble often especially when you have children, are found them and that comes through in enough to keep you here. That’s what I the book. Harassment and worse, were think people mean when they talk about things that they certainly experienced the sacrifice – they’re the ones who right from the beginning. The next really do give up their sense of belonging generation, who have been born in the and that’s something that’s hard for us UK and feel like they have some kind of to understand. Then the next generation claim on this country, expect more. come up and have expectations beyond that. It’s not enough to just have these ES: I thought that what was interesting opportunities, they’re citizens, they about the migrant ‘experience’, is what belong, and they feel that they deserve the UK enabled for some was double- more than that. That’s a conversation edged. Some characters are able to that we see throughout the book. progress and change their economic situation. For example, Manira is an ES: I was struck that in the book when ambitious, clever woman with a husband there is racism or racists, that they are who supports that brilliantly. She’s on very faceless in the narrative. I wonder if her way and she gets what she wants – that was a conscious decision?

118 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 AFTER HERTFORD

SA: I think on some level, I must have are doing you a favour. Racism isn’t made that decision. Often racists or always just someone getting beaten up, those types of people become the and it’s not always National Front demos, subject and I didn’t want them to be there’s all of these different facets to it. I that. It’s quite uncomfortable to admit, didn’t want to bang the drum too hard in but I think that there were institutions terms of writing the book, but in a way, and systems that were then and still I didn’t really have to because when you are racist and discriminatory. By talking talk about the lives and experiences of about it as if it’s more generic, I think people, that’s enough. that means that we all need to be a bit more aware of our own complicit part in ES: What are you writing now? What’s this. next? SA: The book only came out a month ES: A part that I found unbearable was ago, so I’ve taken a few weeks off, but the actions of the schoolteacher and yes, I am part way into the next book. that seemed to be a moment where That’s also focusing on a South Asian you were explicitly political. There’s no family, but this is set in an anonymous redress with her, or resolution in that town in West Yorkshire which is very story, which makes it really shocking. much based on the town that I grew up Were there more of those instances that in. It’s this idea of children moving away you wanted to supress? Did you feel like and then coming back home. you had obligations in writing this novel? SA: That part, more than any of the rest ES: I’m really pleased to hear all of that, of the book was personal for me. It was but particularly that it’s set in West based on an actual classroom experience Yorkshire which is both of our ‘homeland’. that I had in primary school. I wonder if SA: I’m looking forward to writing there’s some raw feeling which comes about somewhere that I’m a bit more through and that’s what you’re picking personally familiar with having grown up on. In terms of responsibility, there up there. I think it’ll be nostalgic as well. were a few different elements to depict. I quite like writing about places when I’m These days people can get cross when not there, in a way. I think you remember you say something is racist. Now it’s like places a bit more sharply and vividly that’s the worst thing you can possibly be when you’re not actually physically there. called, even if that’s what you’re doing. We know that racism is a bad word and ES: Fantastic! We should probably we don’t want to be associated with wrap up. It has been so great to talk to it and yet it still exists and pervades in you. I absolutely loved the book: I’ve so many ways. What that particular been thinking about the characters incident does, is show the different ways since, which is a feeling I have when I that it can exist. We’ve got language for read someone like Anne Tyler who is a it now – we call it a microaggression. I really great chronicler of ordinary but had someone tell me once at a dinner extraordinary inter-relationships. I had party that I got this book published the same feeling after Hashim & Family. because it’s trendy these days to be talking about this kind of stuff. And that’s Thank you and congratulations. We’re all a microaggression – they’re saying that really looking forward to the next one. your ability alone is not enough, people

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 119 AFTER HERTFORD

THE BLACK PERIL ‘QUARANTOUR’ – TOURING AND CREATIVITY UNDER THE NEW NORMAL Soweto Kinch (Modern History, 1996) writes:

uarantine and restrictions due explore this historical/artistic relationship to the coronavirus have been even more directly – drawing inspiration Qparticularly devastating for the from historical events and connecting arts sector and musicians such as myself: with kindred minds in ways I didn’t think we rely on live audiences, international possible before lockdown. travel and thrive on human interaction. I released my most recent album The Venues and promoters I’ve established Black Peril last November, inspired by the working relationships with over decades British Race Riots of 1919. Like many, I was are now facing an uncertain future. looking forward to a busy period of touring However, the backdrop of the end of this summer and autumn – but realised furlough, a looming evictions crisis and soon into the COVID crisis that this would over 50,000 deaths this year has forced be impossible. So, I began planning an me to consider why I make art, and it’s online festival – #BlackPeril2020. Initially, intended audience. Complaining about it was designed as a means of continuing losing a tour of Moscow or Cape Town to work with artists who were part of feels recklessly self-indulgent when the album recording and November compared with frontline workers literally debut. However, the deeper I went into risking their lives for £9/hour. Following the history that inspired The Black Peril, I in the footsteps of my heroes like Max recognised the space and opportunity for Roach, John Coltrane or Hugh Masekela something more involved and hopefully – I felt like my creativity should respond groundbreaking. to turbid and uncertain political times, For all of the obvious disadvantages and profound questions of inequality of lockdown, it was also the first time thrown up by the pandemic. everyone (on both sides of the Atlantic) I’ve had more time to consider how my was relatively contactable through the history studies at Hertford have had a ubiquitous Zoom call. I was able to contact bearing on my practice as a jazz musician. and assemble academics, musicians and So much of what I do as an artist is historians quickly without the logistical encode stories of the black diaspora drama of flights and accommodation. As into sound: sonically archiving historical everything slowed to a halt, we all had influences such as Charlie Parker, Joe more time to reflect. Very practically, I Harriot or Louis Armstrong into my was able to use the stories of race riots own music. Curating #BlackPeril2020 in 1919 across Britain as the foundation however, gave me the opportunity to for a socially distanced ‘Quarantour.’

120 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 AFTER HERTFORD

Throughout the summer, a small group into the Avon, felt personally, like a of musicians, dancers and I visited the huge cathartic moment – the nation squares, streets and bridges that were was forced to draw the lines between a the scenes of race riots a century ago. deadly pandemic, unchecked capitalism, Transforming these sites into stages slavery and systemic racism. and plinths, we realised that improvised BLM protestors assembling, Indian performances and responses would be sweatshops in Leicester and migrants a novel way of creating new work, and on dinghies were being blamed for providing an introduction to this greatly spreading COVID-19 rather than the obscured history. criminal negligence of our government, From Glasgow to Barry, South Shields and its mixed messages. Suddenly, the and Liverpool the entire country relevance and focus of #BlackPeril2020 experienced a slew of racial attacks was brought into sharper relief. It wasn’t from 1919-1921: groups of 10-20 black just another platform to share music and people had to defend themselves from dance, but also a forum to make sense attacking white mobs of up to 5,000! of 100 years of race riots and the ways The history of what happened to these in which they have shaped our modern sizeable black communities in Cardiff, reality. When establishment cronyism Liverpool or London seems deliberately and ineptitude are exposed, migrants obfuscated to maintain the myth of a and outsiders suddenly become the ‘white working class’ and of black Britons targets. as a purely recent post-Windrush phenomenon. What’s more, race rioting across Britain was accompanied by the ‘Red Summer’ in America: streets and properties in Chicago, St Louis, New York, New Orleans, Houston and many Throughout the more were set ablaze by racial animus. It seems, then as now, global questions process, my love of of racial inequality, serious ructions in jazz was being melded the social contract and scapegoating – amidst the backdrop of a pandemic – with my love of history reached a fever pitch. even more closely. Throughout the process, my love #BlackPeril2020 of jazz was being melded with my love of history even more closely. would host detailed #BlackPeril2020 would host detailed interviews/panel interviews/panel discussions with artists and experts on the history; yet the music discussions with and dance would express the emotional artists and experts on resonance of this past in ways that words fail. the history; yet the And then… Ahmaud Arbery, George music and dance would Floyd and Breonna Taylor were murdered. express the emotional Violent racism around the world went into hyperdrive, accompanied by resonance of this past equivalent reactions of mainstream in ways that words fail. denial and deflection. Watching as the statue of Edward Colston was plunged

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 121

AFTER HERTFORD

The national lack of awareness of regular commercial concerns of trying the 1919 race riots, and a maniacal to sell out a box office. We got so much attachment to figures such as Churchill positive feedback from spectators to and Rhodes is part of a pattern. Britain local councillors who were unaware creates so much diversionary noise of this history in their own wards – it’s and click bait that the serious issues really affirmed the transformative power of injustice get drowned in a sea of of art. We’ve also created valuable outrage. The ‘woke’ BBC banning Rule resources and an account of how we as Britannia, Uncle Ben-gate or Diversity’s artists experienced and responded to inflammatory body popping: this culture this turbulent year. war which has raged for months, seems I’m as desperate as any for the return like a timely means of deflecting serious of the good old days of touring, and questions. The ‘government’ appears to human contact – but the lessons from be getting away with murder. this year have really helped me to view Our country has consistently ignored my creativity with a renewed sense of communities and people who have purpose. I think we have more to gain made the greatest sacrifices for Britain’s from confronting difficult questions ‘Greatness’ – whether dockworkers a together, than from being attached century ago or black nurses and bus to national delusions of grandeur. drivers today. ‘Staging’ an online festival We’ll need all of our creativity and has been hugely cathartic in helping improvisational nouse to navigate the to unpack many of these issues. Our new normal. creativity felt unleashed without the

Our country has consistently ignored communities and people who have made the greatest sacrifices for Britain’s ‘Greatness’ – whether dockworkers a century ago or black nurses and bus drivers today.

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 123 AFTER HERTFORD

ALUMNI ANNOUNCEMENTS

RICHARD FIDLER (E&M, 1998) Congratulations to Richard Fidler and Laura Graham (Jesus College alumna, Classics, 2004) who got married in November 2019.

124 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 AFTER HERTFORD

KHALID JAWED KHAN RUTH MARGETTS (LAW, 1989) (ENGINEERING SCIENCE, 2011) Congratulations to Khalid Jawed Khan Ruth and Jon got married in July 2020. who was appointed Attorney-General They were scheduled to have a big for Pakistan. celebration, but due to COVID, they had a small service followed by a picnic in the park. Congratulations!ns to them both!

PAULA BALDWIN (ENGLISH, 2004) Paula Baldwin Lind has received the Teaching Excellence Award in the area of Humanities, Universidad de los Andes, Santiago de Chile, where she currently works at the Institute of Literature. Dr. Baldwin was recognized for her permanent concern for generating deep learning in her students and her interest in incorporating new teaching methodologies. Congratulations!

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 125 AFTER HERTFORD

OBITUARIES

e record with regret the following deaths of alumni, listed in order of the dates of matriculation. Use of an asterisk (*) indicates that an obituary follows; we Ware most grateful to those who have supplied this material. 1938 1965 JOHN HARRISON John Harrison* Anthony Hood (MODERN LANGUAGES, 1938) John was born in Wellington, Somerset 1941 1966 and went up from Wellington School Tony Sale Paul Thatcher* to Hertford in 1938. There he studied Modern Languages, French and German 1944 1970 (with Honours), with Enid Starkie among Donald Pannell Donald others. He went on to do Economics at McCready* LSE. 1952 Jan Saxl After time in the war as a cook and David Sharp ambulance driver (he was a conscientious 1974 objector, his mother having been a 1953 Richard Grove Quaker), he came to the US as one of Eric Doorbar two English students to get internships Derek Roebuck 1975 at the UN. Charles Pichon That was his first taste of New York. 1955 He went back to London to organise Peter Icke 1977 student tours between England and the Gordon Glanville Martin continent but was soon back in NY, first Underwood in a travel agency where he met his wife 1957 Ruth, and then as Manager of Special Peter Whiteman 1979 Marketing at Scandinavian Airlines where Peter Alderson* he spent over 30 years. 1958 After he retired, he began teaching Tony Bacon 2008 English to the foreign-born. He had Andrew Stubbs Stephen always had a strong interest in language, Tom Wandbrough Robinson and with an excellent vocabulary he firmly believed in providing his students 1960 with word families. He was a very avid David Lury reader, devouring the New York Times every day and the Economist when it 1962 came out. He loved going to classical David Webb concerts, having been a church organist in his youth. He said music should be listened to live and often listened with his eyes closed.

126 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 AFTER HERTFORD

He was also very fond of red wine and his daily walk, right up until the end. The walker did not deter him at all. He Paul’s inspirational was very proud to reach 100, he had been striving for it. When asked how promotion of his he did it he said: “Just keep going.” He subject, as well as moved from New York to Allentown, Pennsylvania to live with his son and his idiosyncratic daughter-in-law in his last year, but prior demeanour, will be to that he was always the star figure at remembered with Rob Lusardi’s wonderful Hertford parties in Manhattan, accompanied by his affection by former daughter, Alice. He is also survived by a students both in sister Mary, in New Brunswick, Canada. Nigeria and here in PAUL THATCHER Britain. (HISTORY, 1966) Paul Thatcher, who died on 27th February 2020 after a sudden aggressive illness, was born in 1948 in Godshill in the Isle of Wight, where his father was a policeman. He attended Sandown Grammar School DONALD MCCREADY before coming up to Hertford in 1966 (PPE, 1970) to read History. After graduating in Donald McCready, a graduate of Hertford 1969, he stayed on for the PGCE course College died 8 April 2020. Donald was which optionally included a year’s born in Scotland on 16 December 1951 Voluntary Service Overseas. So much but brought up in Manchester, where did he enjoy his time at the Government he attended Eccles Grammar School. He Secondary School, Zaria, a town in the matriculated in October 1970 and read part of Northern Nigeria which is now PPE at Hertford, graduating in 1973. He called Kaduna State, that he decided returned in 1977 to study for a Diploma to return there and teach on contract in Social Work and was elected President terms. He continued to work in Nigeria of the MCR. He was the Director of the until 1985, for a time acting as Principal Volunteer Programme in China for of Government College, Keffi, and finally Voluntary Service Overseas in the 1980s as one of the founding lecturers at the and was later Executive Director of the Kaduna State College of Education. European Children’s Trust. He was a After his return to the UK in 1985, he longstanding member of the Hertford obtained a post at his alma mater, now Society and an active and generous redesignated as Sandown High School, supporter of the alumni activities of the where he was a doughty defender of its college, attending many of the college academic inheritance. But he was also Gaudies and social events, where he was an enthusiastic organiser of sporting and a familiar and well-liked presence. other outdoor activities. He received a cancer diagnosis some Paul’s inspirational promotion of two and a half years ago that appeared his subject, as well as his idiosyncratic to have been treated successfully, but demeanour, will be remembered with unfortunately it returned recently and affection by former students both in the doctors pronounced it terminal. Nigeria and here in Britain. He subsequently acquired a bacterial

2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 127 AFTER HERTFORD pneumonic infection and died peacefully PETER ALDERSON in his sleep. At the time of his death he (PHYSIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, was the director of a home improvement 1979) company, living in Forest Hill, London. Peter died on 1 February of this year. He leaves three adult children by a He had been diagnosed with cancer in previous marriage. It is hoped to arrange October. Peter had very fond memories a memorial service in London once of his time at Hertford. He attended in the COVID-19 emergency is over. All 1979 and matriculated in Physiological who knew him found him a warm and Sciences (BA 1984, MA 1986) before agreeable companion as well as a loyal qualifying in medicine at Guys. He and generous friend. worked as a dedicated anaesthetist up until the time of his diagnosis.

128 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20

MAGAZINE The Record of Hertford College 2019-20

THE RECORD OF HERTFORD COLLEGE 2019-20