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Birkbeck School of Social Sciences Birkbeck Social Sciences Festival

Bringing together academics, students and activists with talks and films.

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Past events

Social Sciences Festival 2025

About the festival

The Social Sciences festival is a celebration of all of our research and work across our specialist areas. There's a whole series of exciting events bringing together academics, students and activists, with talks, films and opportunities to get involved.

Come and celebrate and see what we do!

Past events

3 June, 6pm. Black Feminist Theory, Intersectionality and Collaboration: The Global Challenge to Decolonising Higher Education

This seminar and book launch provides insights into how Black feminist theory is used by feminist scholars to decolonise the higher education Academy.

4 June, 6pm. How do we champion Aid, Reparations and Social Justice in a New World?

Reparations and Aid have climbed to the top of the world's agenda but face a far more hostile environment in the age of Trump. This panel looks at where we are now in 2025, with foreign aid in crisis, and asks how we can make the case for them in a new world order.

5 June, 6pm. Food Politics: Belonging, Identity, and Sustainability

This roundtable brings together faculty, alumni and current doctoral students working on food politics. The session explores the everyday connections between commensality as a social, cultural and environmental practice.

6 June, 11am. Coexistence: workshopping positive visions for humans and wildlife

This event explores the major current challenges around human-wildlife coexistence and includes group sessions that invite attendees to explore how we can share the world with wildlife.

9 June, 6pm. Shadows of Her

A presentation and discussion workshop to introduce the novel on Shadows of her, written by Nouzha Mabrouk.

9 June, 6pm. Co-produced Research in the Justice System: Questions, Challenges and Opportunities

Explore the challenges and opportunities of co-produced research in crime and justice, with a focus on Birkbeck’s ‘Lived Experience of the Law’ study. This discussion highlights the importance of participatory approaches and launches the project’s short film, ‘What Do You Think?’

10 June, 6:30pm. Queer Cinema for Palestine 2025 – No Pride in Genocide

This event showcases powerful, intersectional films by queer and trans filmmakers from around the world, highlighting stories of resilience, community and creative expression.

11 June, 1pm. Extractivism and research impact: how to build authentic collaborations with non-academic/community partners

Roundtable and workshop where experienced researchers reflected on collaborative, co-designed, participatory research within the framework of social justice and activism.

11 June 2025, 6PM. Black Women’s Solidarity Economies Combating Racism and Sexism: Why Organizing Matters More Than Ever

Discover how radical Black feminist co-operators are reshaping global solidarity economies through mutual aid, resistance, and collective finance in this talk by Professor Caroline Shenaz Hossein.

12 June, 6pm. Carceral Diagonalism: The Punitive Safety Politics Linking Left and Right Anti-gender Mobilisations in Britain

iscussion on 'Carceral Diagonalism', exploring how punitive safety politics unite left- and right-wing anti-gender movements in Britain.