WADHAM SYMPOSIUM 2024: UNCERTAINTY

On Saturday 3 February, 48 Wadham students and staff across a range of disciplines spent the day together discussing the theme of UNCERTAINTY. This annual cross-college, interdisciplinary symposium has been running (with a brief suspension during COVID-19 restrictions) since 2011, when we debated 'Sustainability.'  The theme each year is chosen for its multiple resonances in different fields and for its topicality in relation to current geopolitical or existential concerns.

This year's theme was especially rich in possibilities and discussion was wide-ranging and eclectic.  Short presentations given by a mixture of undergraduates, visiting students and professors, postgraduates, post-docs, lecturers and fellows stimulate lateral thinking and generate an extraordinary atmosphere of serious reflection and sharing of ideas.  Because everyone has chosen to come - committing a full day of their weekend - to participate in a collective intellectual exchange for its own sake, everyone becomes a protagonist in making it a success. And it always is a wonderful occasion: a coming together in trust and respect and enjoyment of one another's company to see where lines of collaborative thought can take us. The principle is for participants to sign up for a full day of lively conversation, not just in the individual discussion sessions but across coffee, lunch, tea, drinks and dinner, so as to build a real sense of intellectual community beyond borders which extends beyond the day itself.

The event is generously subsidized by the College and the SU, so that participants are only asked for a modest contribution towards the cost of refreshments (which include coffee, tea, lunch, a special 3-course dinner with wine).  The day is hugely affirming of the real meaning of collegiality, and is invariably a highlight of my year.