Events

Vignesh Rajahmani & Karthick Ram Manoharan   This public conversation brings together Vignesh Rajahmani (The Dravidian Pathway) and Karthick Ram Manoharan (Periyar: A Study in Political Atheism, co-editor of The Cambridge Companion to Periyar) to explore how the Dravidian movement reshaped the meaning and practice of secular politics in India. From Periyar’s radical anti-caste and rationalist critique of religion to the DMK’s transformation of social reform into a durable political project, the discussion will examine how secularism can function as a mass political ethos grounded in social justice, dignity, and democratic mobilisation. Vignesh Rajahmani is a researcher affiliated with King's College London and KITLV-Leiden, specialising in Indian and Indonesian politics, with a PhD from King’s College London. His work spans public policy, political strategy, and democratic development. Karth...

 We have a break in our programme at Yuletide, Easter and in the summer holiday period. The new programmes commence in January, April and September.

Joshua Thorpe Elizabeth Heyrick was a pioneering abolitionist and philanthropist whose contributions to social justice have been largely forgotten. This talk will explore her life, her impact on Leicester and beyond, and the reasons her memory has faded. It will also highlight the work of the Elizabeth Heyrick Society.  Joshua is Chair of the Elizabeth Heyrick Society. He gained an MSc in Empires, Colonialism and Globalisation at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in 2020 and then  taught English and History in Girona, Spain. He is now a UK Civil Servant, working for the Department for Business and Trade. Joshua is originally from Leicestershire and has deep roots in the county.  ...

An informal evening with the creative talents of Red Leicester Choir and Leicestershire Guild of Storytelling. Hear songs with a story to tell and enjoy tales to make the heart sing.   Members of Red Leicester Choir Red Leicester is Leicester’s socialist choir singing songs expressive of social and political protest, and songs of worldwide celebration, struggle and change. To find out more about them, including how to join, please click here.   The Leicestershire Guild of Storytelling is a not for profit community association and, using their brand ‘The Story Tree’, aim to promote the traditional oral storytelling art in Leicester and Leicestershire. This is done by: running a free monthly club night to which anyone is welcome to come and tell a story or simply to listen to others tell; ...

Megan Manson   Female subordination. Sexist 'modesty' codes. Violence against women. These are forms of misogyny we would expect charities to try to combat. Yet as the National Secular Society's ground-breaking report " Mission and Misogyny " reveals, too many charities are promoting these ideas – all under the cloak of 'advancing religion'. Report author Megan Manson will explain how religious fundamentalists are exploiting our charity sector to promote regressive and harmful ideas about women. Her presentation will summarise the report's findings, and include video clips from sermons revealing how religious charities have used the cover of 'the advancement of religion' to promote or condone misogyny.  Megan Manson is head of campaigns at the NSS. She previously worked for the Japanese government promoting cultural exchange and lang...

Professor Lala Meredith-Vula   Lala Meredith-Vula is an artist and Professor of Art and Photography at De Montfort University. Lala has worked extensively in the Balkans since 1988 and has a huge archive capturing life in the Balkans, following blood feud reconciliation ceremonies and the Yugoslav Kosova war.  Born in Sarajevo, Lala moved to England in 1970 and became part of the Damien Hirst-led Freeze exhibition in 1988, after her graduation from Goldsmiths College, University of London. This was followed by postgraduate studies at the University of Prishtina, Kosova. Since 1989 she has lectured at various colleges in the UK, USA and Kosovo. In 1995 she set up the first photography department...

Mariam Shalvashvili   At the beginning of the 2000s, the Western countries and Russia had a common goal – to eradicate terrorism in a small region in (the republic of) Georgia. Yet, the reality was more complicated and new policies led to the stigmatisation and persecution of Muslim communities. By using the case of Caucasus as an entry point, this talk investigates the notions of securitisation and terrorism.   Mariam Shalvashvili is a social anthropology PhD candidate at Ilia State University in Georgia. Mariam has worked as a researcher and collaborator for several prominent Georgian NGOs and as an adjunct lecturer at the Free University of Tbilisi. She has extensively written about ethnic and reli...