Oxford Centre for Intellectual History Graduate Conference

The Oxford Centre for Intellectual History Graduate Conference will take place on Thursday 5 June 2025 . The conference will be run as a hybrid event, with the opportunity for all attendees to join us online, or in person at the University of Oxford at Keble College. This year our theme is Anachronism and History. If you are interested in attending, either in person or online, please fill in the form below. We will be in touch shortly with more details and links to join online. 

What is anachronism in history, and how is history being used anachronistically today? These questions are particularly pressing at a moment when historians are more frequently consulted on public issues than scholars from any other discipline. Anachronism in history raises complex questions about how people in the past thought, felt, and acted according to categories that—within their own contexts—may have seemed outdated or misplaced. The anachronistic use of history, however, is something different: it concerns how historical narratives are used in the present to legitimate or challenge authority, shape contemporary political life, and link societies to the past. What challenges does anachronism pose for intellectual historians? How should we approach these tensions methodologically? What are its ethical and epistemological implications? The 2025 Oxford Centre for Intellectual History Graduate Conference invites you to explore these questions.