St Edmund Hall Blog
The St Edmund Hall blog brings you the latest thought in academic research and interesting artefacts from our archive and library.
Please note that any opinions or views expressed by blog contributors are not shared or held by St Edmund Hall.
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Mammals During the Extinction of Dinosaurs
8 May 2019
Professor and Tutor in Earth Sciences, Roger Benson discusses mammals and their jaws during the extinction of the dinosaurs
The Morris Window
30 Apr 2019
Professor Jonathan Yates, our Picture and Chattels Fellow, discusses one of Oxford’s ‘hidden gems’ – the ‘Morris Window’ situated in the College’s chapel.
Celtic Magic
24 Apr 2019
English tutor, Professor Mark Williams discusses magical transformations in the Celtic ‘Four Branches of the Mabinogi’ and the problematic conflict between God’s powers and those of fictional enchanters.
Why the oohs and ahhs?
16 Apr 2019
Luminous coffee stain or momentous achievement? Professor Jeff Tseng weighs up the significance of the first picture of a black hole captured by the Event Horizon Telescope that was all over last week’s news.
The First Lady and the Library: Eleanor Roosevelt and St Edmund Hall
9 Apr 2019
Learn about Eleanor Roosevelt’s visit to the Hall sixty years ago, plus James Howarth guides us through some American-related items in our library collection.
A Medieval Mystery Cycle for Oxford at St Edmund Hall
28 Mar 2019
Professor Henrike Lähnemann explains the popular tradition of mystery plays in the Middle Ages, and invites you to see a modern-day version performed at the College.
A very honest, modest, & ingenious Man: Francis White and the Benefactors’ Board in St Peter-in-the-East
12 Mar 2019
St Edmund Hall’s Librarian James Howarth tells the story of Francis White and his legacy across the University and the city.
Rousseauville
6 Mar 2019
Tutor in Politics and Library Fellow at St Edmund Hall, Karma Nabulsi discusses ‘The Man’, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and his relevance in Oxford.
Ceri Richards: Supper at Emmaus
27 Feb 2019
Learn about the commission of our striking altarpiece, and the genesis and development of the picture, in a post by Professor Jonathan Yates.
What we can learn from the Great Economists
20 Feb 2019
Economist Dr Linda Yueh describes how lessons from history can be invaluable in tackling current issues such as slow economic growth and why wages are so low even as the economy improves.
Principal Emden: ‘the force that did what had waited 700 years’
13 Feb 2019
Archivist Rob Petre explains the huge impact of Alfred Brotherston Emden, without whom the College would likely not exist today.
An Open and Shut Case: Membrane Transport in Health and Disease
4 Feb 2019
Professor Robert Wilkins explains the role of transport proteins and how we can target them to treat a broad spectrum of diseases, from arthritis to cancer.
An Introduction to the College Chapel
23 Jan 2019
Professor Jonathan Yates, our Picture and Chattels Fellow, tells the history of the seventeenth-century building and points out some of its interesting features.
![Ronald Reagan televised address from the Oval Office, outlining plan for Tax Reduction Legislation July, 1981 - White House Photo Office; Originally uploaded to Wikipedia by Happyme22 [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](/asset/Ronald_Reagan_televised_address_from_the_Oval_Office_outlining_plan_for_Tax_Reduction_Legislation_July_1981.jpg "Ronald_Reagan_televised_address_from_the_Oval_Office,_outlining_plan_for_Tax_Reduction_Legislation_July_1981")
Writing the History of Neoliberalism
15 Jan 2019
Professor David Priestland, who is currently writing a history of neoliberalism as a global phenomenon between the 1970s and 2008, explains the term and its appeal to him as a historian.
New Life for the Old Library
8 Jan 2019
St Edmund Hall’s Librarian James Howarth describes the current renovation of the Old Library, giving a quick overview of its collections and its history since the building’s completion in 1686.
The Maths of the 12 Days of Christmas
20 Dec 2018
The question of how many legs are there in The 12 Days of Christmas was recently featured on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. Here, the author of that puzzle Dr Tom Crawford explains how to use maths to unpick the answer.
The Ghost of Christmas Past: Christmas in the Archives
17 Dec 2018
Rob Petre, St Edmund Hall’s Archivist, discusses some of the Christmas cards in the College archive, sent during the two World Wars.