TORCH - The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities

19/08/2026

TORCH - The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities University of Oxford @

Race and Resistance is one of five TORCH Headline Hubs that are points of synergy for cutting-edge, boundary crossing research which are central to Humanities.

31/07/2026

TORCH invites applications for our funding initiative open to Oxford DPhil candidates looking to collaborate with other students across faculties and divisions on multi- or interdisciplinary Humanities themes. The “TORCH Critical-Thinking Communities” will be able to critically consider historical, cultural, or aesthetic ideas or methodological issues. We are particularly keen to receive applications that take a culturally diverse and/or transnational approach to an issue or set of related questions. Lead applicants must include Humanities students, but can also include students from other divisions. They should be from more than one faculty.

The “Critical-Thinking Communities” initiative aims to provide senior mentorship and logistical support to DPhil candidates. In-kind support includes publicity through TORCH’s website and social media, room bookings (if dates available), use of the TORCH Zoom account and advice on events best practice.
DEADLINE 5 OCTOBER 2026

https://torch.ox.ac.uk/event/torch-critical-thinking-communities-funding-call-2026

09/06/2026

The Oxfordshire Health Humanities

Many know Oxfordshire as a thriving region of culture and heritage within beautiful surroundings. The county of Oxfordshire, for example, has health outcomes that are better than the national average: with male life expectancy of just over 80 years (compared with 79 nationally) and female life expectancy of 84 years (compared with 83 nationally).

Yet, as detailed analysis points out, specific wards or areas of Oxfordshire face significant challenges such as ‘Barriers to Housing and Services’ and ‘Income Deprivation’. The gap in life expectancy between some Oxfordshire wards, for example, is as wide as fifteen years. While wards contain a range of living conditions, statistics classify these ten Oxfordshire wards with areas falling within the 20% most deprived in England.

The Oxfordshire Health Humanities project works with Oxfordshire County Council Public Health and key Oxfordshire Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprises to evaluate two community health programmes and provide insight into health inequalities in the ten priority wards of Oxfordshire. The priority wards are: Abingdon Caldecott, Banbury Cross and Neithrop, Banbury Grimsbury and Hightown, Banbury Ruscote, Barton & Sandhills, Blackbird Leys, Littlemore, Northfield Brook, Osney & St Thomas, and Rose Hill & Iffley. The two community health programmes are: Community Health Development Officers and Well Together.
Watch the film and find out more
https://youtu.be/Vo48bWxhLIw

02/06/2026

This compelling series debates some of the most urgent and topical issues of our time from a cross-disciplinary perspective. Practitioners from radically different disciplines and fields share their views and insights on major global challenges.
Wednesday 10 June 12.30pm - 1.30pm

This time: a cross-disciplinary perspective on failure.
University of Oxford TORCH - The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities

https://www.torch.ox.ac.uk/event/torch-talk-failure

14/05/2026

This compelling series debates some of the most urgent and topical issues of our time from a cross-disciplinary perspective. Practitioners from radically different disciplines and fields share their views and insights on major global challenges. University of Oxford TORCH - The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities
20 May 11.30am
This time: a cross-disciplinary perspective on philanthropy.
https://www.torch.ox.ac.uk/event/torch-talks-philanthropy

01/04/2026

https://torch.web.ox.ac.uk/princeton-university-press-lecture-series-2019

The TORCH/Princeton Lectures in European Culture and History is a series which aims to make manifest the commitment to interdisciplinary scholarship and public engagement which are so crucially important both to TORCH and to Princeton University Press.

The aim of the series is to attract scholars of acknowledged international recognition for lectures, and so too consequent books, which will serve as distinctively singular statements. These might be new syntheses of recent learning, explicit challenges to disciplinary thinking, or suggestions for fresh explorations on the frontiers of a subject. The pitch and register will be suited to an intellectually curious general public constituency, but should not assume expertise in any discrete area of scholarship.
Lecture 1
The Museum against Racism: New Perspectives on French Heritage

25/03/2026

Oxford tops QS World University Rankings in four subjects, named overall top for Humanities.

https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2026-03-25-oxford-tops-qs-world-university-rankings-four-subjects-named-overall-top-humanities

16/09/2025

TORCH has left the building! We're all packed up and ready to move and have waved goodbye to the Radcliffe Humanities building. We look forward to seeing you soon in our exciting new home.

02/07/2025

The Schwarzman Centre, located at the heart of the Radcliffe Observatory
Quarter is the new home for TORCH from October 2025. It brings together seven of the ten Humanities faculties in the University and provides superb spaces for teaching, research and outreach. University of Oxford The Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities will become home for: TORCH; English; History; Linguistics, Philology, and Phonetics; Philosophy; Modern and Medieval Languages; Music; and Theology and Religion. The Schwarzman Centre will become home to the Bate Collection of Musical Instruments, the Institute for Ethics in AI, and the Oxford Internet Institute. It also sets new standards in sustainability – the biggest construction project in the UK to be certified under the Passivhaus standard for highly energy-efficient buildings. It is made possible by a £185 million donation from Stephen A. Schwarzman – the
largest in the University’s history.

18/06/2025

🌍 Creative Cities Workshop: Knowledge of Nature & Networks of Science
🗓️ Thursday 26 June | ⏰ 9am–5pm
📍 Seminar Room, Radcliffe Humanities, Oxford

Join us for a day-long workshop exploring the rich histories of science, medicine, and the environment — featuring work-in-progress from researchers at and 🇬🇧🇨🇿

From medieval knowledge networks to modern collaborations, discover how place, translation, and connection have shaped our understanding of the natural world.

🔗 Free & open to all — registration required for lunch! Find link on our website.