On today’s episode of The Oxford Comment, the last for 2023, we spotlight two aspects of Native American culture that transcend tribe and nation and have been the recent focus of OUP scholars: language and religious beliefs. For our first interview, we were joined by Rosemarie Ostler, author of The United States of English: The … Continue reading A Spotlight on Native American Language and Religion – Episode 89 – The Oxford Comment →

On today’s episode of The Oxford Comment, we discuss the state of human infrastructure in the Anthropocene with a particular focus on how research can best be used to inform public policy. First, we welcomed Patrick Harris, co-editor-in-chief of the new transdisciplinary journal, Oxford Open Infrastructure and Health, to speak about the aims and scopes … Continue reading Infrastructure, Public Policy, and the Anthropocene – Episode 88 – The Oxford Comment →

On today’s episode, we’re joined by three OUP colleagues to discuss current changes in academic publishing and what they will mean for the future of peer review.  First, we talk with Laura Jose, a Publisher in the Owned and Product Tower at OUP, about bias reduction in peer review. Next, we speak with Dr. Amanda … Continue reading Supporting the Future of Peer Review – Episode 87 – The Oxford Comment →

On today’s episode, we’re joined by two preeminent scholars on the history and theology of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as this September marks the 200th anniversary of Joseph Smith’s first vision of the angel Moroni. We welcomed Richard Lyman Bushman, the author of Joseph Smith’s Gold Plates: A Cultural History, to … Continue reading The Revelation of the Book of Mormon at 200 – Episode 86 – The Oxford Comment →

On today’s episode, we explore two recognizable components in contemporary conversations on gender and gendered violence. First, we welcomed Robert Lawson, the author of Language and Mediated Masculinities: Cultures, Contexts, Constraints, to share how language intersects with masculinity in media spaces and how it may be our best weapon in combatting rising misogyny. We then … Continue reading Revisiting Toxic Masculinity and #MeToo – Episode 85 – The Oxford Comment →

On today’s episode of The Oxford Comment, we explore the history of gun ownership in the United States and practical solutions for resolving contemporary gun violence. First, we welcomed Robert J Spitzer, the author of The Gun Dilemma: How History is Against Expanded Gun Rights, to share new historical research on America’s gun law history as it … Continue reading The Great Gun Conundrum – Episode 84 – The Oxford Comment →

On today’s episode of The Oxford Comment, we discuss LGBTQ+ privacy through both historical and contemporary lenses. First, Simon Joyce, the author of LGBT Victorians: Sexuality and Gender in the Nineteenth-Century Archives, shared his argument for revisiting Victorian-era thinking about gender and sexual identity. We then interviewed Stefanie Duguay, the author of Personal but Not … Continue reading Privacy and the LGBT+ Experience: Victorian Past, Digital Future – Episode 83 – The Oxford Comment →

On today’s episode, we welcomed Dr Kerry McInerney and Dr Eleanor Drage, two of the editors of Feminist AI: Critical Perspectives on Data, Algorithms and Intelligent Machines, and then Dr Kanta Dihal, co-editor of Imagining AI: How the World Sees Intelligent Machines, to discuss how AI can be influenced by culture, feminism, and Western narratives defined … Continue reading Digital Dilemmas: Feminism, Ethics, and the Cultural Implications of AI – Episode 82 – The Oxford Comment →

The consequences of climate change are catastrophic. This real and present threat to our planet may seem insurmountable, but there are—and have been—lessons shared on how to mitigate the damage already wrought, and how to prevent future detriment. On today’s episode, we explore two unique examples of societal adaptation to climate change: one from our … Continue reading Climate Emergency: Lessons from Classic Maya to Contemporary China – Episode 81 – The Oxford Comment →

The world of sports has long been a contested playing field for social change. On today’s episode, we discuss the lives, careers, and lasting legacies on and off the tennis courts of two great women athletes—Althea Gibson and Billie Jean King. First, we welcomed Ashley Brown, the author of Serving Herself: The Life and Times … Continue reading Women in Sports: Althea Gibson, Billie Jean King, and Their Legacies – Episode 80 – The Oxford Comment →

On today’s episode, the first for 2023, we spoke with Chris Howard, author of Who Cares: The Social Safety Net in America, and Tom Malleson, author of Against Inequality: The Practical and Ethical Case for Abolishing the Superrich, on the social safety net, the ethical implications of extreme wealth, and what steps can be taken … Continue reading Mind the Gap: The Growth in Economic Inequality – Episode 79 – The Oxford Comment →

On the last episode of The Oxford Comment for 2022, we’re looking at what the James Webb Space Telescope means to our understanding of the universe. The questions are big, the area is even bigger, and we are delighted to be joined by two eminent fellows from the Royal Astronomical Society, Claudia Maraston and Jonathan … Continue reading Looking Into Space – Episode 78 – The Oxford Comment →

On November 1, 1922 Egyptologist Howard Carter and his team of excavators began digging in a previously undisturbed plot of land in the Valley of the Kings. For decades, archaeologists had searched for the tomb of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun with no success, and that November was to be Carter’s final attempt to locate the lost … Continue reading Egyptology at the Turn of the Century – Episode 77 – The Oxford Comment →

Research shows that American distrust in government, scientists, and media has reached new heights, and this distrust in institutions is reflected in much of the world. In his play, Orestes, Euripides opines, “When one with honeyed words but evil mind persuades the mob, great woes befall the state.” Might we still overcome this onslaught of … Continue reading Distrust in Institutions: Past, Present, and Future – Episode 76 – The Oxford Comment →

High gas prices. Nuclear reactors closed forever. The growth of the electric car industry. Record-breaking temperatures, and Europe’s Dependence on Russian Natural Gas. There has been no shortage in energy-related news stories this summer, and we know that they are not going to go away any time soon. On today’s episode of The Oxford Comment, … Continue reading The Need for Affordable and Clean Energy – Episode 75 – The Oxford Comment →

There are many factors that affect our ability to be healthy and we unfortunately do not all have the same access to care. Barriers can be related to cost, discrimination, location, sexual orientation, and gender identity – to name just a few. On today’s episode of The Oxford Comment, we complement Oxford Academic’s extensive “Health … Continue reading Equity in Health Care – Episode 74 – The Oxford Comment →

The first of July 2022 marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China. It also marks the halfway point of a fifty-year agreement between China and Hong Kong that established the “one country, two systems,” rule – a system designed to allow Hong Kong to “enjoy a high degree … Continue reading Hong Kong 2022: One Country, Two Systems? – Episode 73 – The Oxford Comment →

With over 1 billion speakers, English is an incredibly diverse language. Dozens of countries around the world have their own varieties, many of which have not historically seen adequate representation in English dictionaries. This past April, the Oxford English Dictionary hosted the Oxford World English Symposium 2022, a two-day event featuring a series of parallel … Continue reading Oxford World English Symposium 2022 Recap – Episode 72 – The Oxford Comment →

On today’s episode, we’re commemorating National DNA Day in the United States by considering the role that DNA plays in our society. First, we welcome Amber Hartman Scholz, co-author of the article “Myth-busting the provider-user relationship for digital sequence information”, looking at how genetic resources are actually used and shared across the globe. We discuss … Continue reading The Role of DNA Research in Society – Episode 71 – The Oxford Comment →

On today’s episode of The Oxford Comment, we discussed the global and historical implications of women, work, and economic empowerment. First, we welcomed Laura M. Argys and Susan L. Averett, the authors of Women in the Workforce: What Everyone Needs to Know®, to share their research on women’s growing role in the workforce and the … Continue reading Women’s Economic Empowerment, Past and Future – Episode 70 – The Oxford Comment →