Prompts & provocations from the Homerton community during Lockdown on the 'Big Questions'
PAUSE ran fortnightly Wednesdays in Michaelmas and Lent 2020-21, 7 via Zoom
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PAUSE allows space for us to consider some of the big questions made more pressing and visible by Covid-19. PAUSE is built on the idea that we can pause - reflect - in ways that are both intellectually interesting and socially imaginative. And that this process is both good for ourselves and our communities.
PAUSE focuses on texts, in the broadest sense of that word, to prompt and anchor our conversations. Each session begins with a prompt from a Homertonian on a short text or film; followed by group discussion. The programme draws on works of philosophy, literature, science, education, art, economics - in various forms - to help us consider challenging questions in more interesting ways.
Students, Staff and Alumni welcome
Co-Curated by Dr Robin Bunce and Dr Alison Wood
Lent 2021
10 March
Pause with Dr Fernanda Gallo 'National Stereotypes'
Reading: National stereotypes in times of COVID-19: the ‘frugal four’ and the ‘irresponsible South’
24 Feb
Pause with Professor Simone Hochgreb 'What makes it good, what makes it durable: organising our remote scholarly lives to make it not just bearable, but really interesting'.
Podcast: Matt Mullenweg: Collaboration is Key [The Knowledge Project Ep #100]
10 Feb
Pause with Dr David Belin 'Can art help break the stigma of psychiatric disorders?'
Stimulus: The Storm
Featuring 7 dancers, a specially composed score by Amarok / Michal Wojtas and scientific input from Dr. David Belin lecturer in behavioural neuroscience at Cambridge University, The Storm will be sure to blow audiences away!
Michaelmas 2020
27 Jan
Pause with Dr Chris Brooke 'A brief history of egalitarianism'
Text: Christopher Brooke, ‘Nonintrinsic Egalitarianism, from Hobbes to Rousseau
2 Dec
Pause with Dr Kamal Munir and Dr Deborah Brown ‘From Patanjali to the 'Gospel of Sweat': Yoga's Remarkable Journey from an Ascetic Movement to an $80 billion Market’
Film. ‘If Ghandi took a Yoga Class’
25 Nov
Pause with Dr Beth Singler 'Robot Politicians: Even Better than the Real Thing?'
Text: Issac Asimov, 'Evidence' and 'The Evitable Conflict'. In I, Robot
18 Nov
Pause with Dr Alison Wood ‘Being a Good Ancestor’
Texts: Bina Venkataraman. 'Why you should think about being a good ancestor.' Ideas at Ted.com. 27 Aug 2019
The LongTime Project (especially the 5min film 'Why do we need to get long term')
11 Nov 2020
Pause with Dr Robin Bunce 'The Now’
Text: George Woodcock, The Tyranny of the Clock (first published in ‘War Commentary - For Anarchism. Mid-March 1944
Testimonials
Changemakers has introduced me to a community of wonderful and inspiring people. Each Changemaker event I have attended has left me feeling energised and excited to tackle the big challenges our world is facing today. Having the right values, tools, attitude and people on my side has emboldened me to champion radical positive change.
"Homerton Changemakers is a brilliant and necessary invitation for us to raise our game as humans. To explore how to draw new maps for a world with a future.”
"Homerton Changemakers helped me realise how much push for change there currently is - the programme creates a supportive environment to channel it into proper changemaking."
"Making change by dissenting from old orthodoxies is Homerton’s DNA. At Homerton I learned how to be an agent of change rather than a passive bystander. That’s why I support Changemakers."
“Above all, I feel empowered by the opportunity that Changemakers have given me to deeply connect and exchange ideas with like-minded people of all ages and backgrounds - and a powerful reminder that it is up to our generation, each and every one of us, to make this world a better place to live in.”
