Our Story
Uncomfortable Oxford was founded in 2018 by doctoral history students, with the aim of raising questions about the ‘uncomfortable’ legacies of inequality and imperialism in the city and university. It is a certified Social Enterprise, meaning all profits generated by its activities are reinvested in the local community and in activities that uphold its social mission. Read about our goals and approach below.
MISSION STATEMENT
Our mission is to collaboratively challenge Britain’s role in creating the uncomfortable histories and legacies of privilege, power, inequalities, imperialism, and discrimination around the world. We provide opportunities for research-informed public dialogue that question established narratives and break down institutional barriers in order to advocate for justice and accountability.
WHY CHOOSE AN UNCOMFORTABLE TOUR?
Choosing an Uncomfortable Oxford Tour offers a unique and thought-provoking experience that challenges your perspective, promotes empathy, and fosters a deeper understanding of important social issues. While traditional tours often focus on the highlights and beauty of the city, our uncomfortable tours aim to shed light on the lesser-known aspects of its history, bringing attention to uncomfortable truths, social injustices, or historical events that are often overlooked or forgotten about.
Our Goals
Meet THE TEAM
Administration
Paula Larsson
Operational DirectorPaula is Operational Director at Uncomfortable Oxford. Her academic research focuses on the history of vaccination and anti-vaccination movements in Canada.
Olivia Durand
Research & Development DirectorOlivia is Research & Development Director at Uncomfortable Oxford. Her academic work focuses on the comparative study of modern empires, especially the history of Russian imperialism and settler colonialism in Ukraine.
Waqas Mirza
Communications & Outreach DirectorWaqas is Communications & Outreach Director at Uncomfortable Oxford. His academic research focuses on Comparative Literature, Museum Studies and Cultural Studies.
Marilena Netty
Deputy Director, OperationsAs Deputy Director, Operations, Marilena focuses on building relationships across the different cities and supporting the Guiding Team. She holds degrees in French & History and the History of Art.
Kati Lacey
Illustrator and DesignerKati is a local Oxford illustrator and designer specialising in history-related and cultural projects. She creates illustrated maps and posters, editorial illustrations and book covers.
Louis Morris
Blog EditorLouis is the Blog Manager and a Senior Guide at Uncomfortable Oxford. He completed his DPhil at Pembroke College, Oxford, researching foreign identities among soldiers in the Early Modern Holy Roman Empire.
Matt Hassall
Bookings ManagerMatt Hassall is the Bookings & Marketing Manager at Uncomfortable Oxford. He recently completed a PhD in History at the University of Cambridge, and now holds a post at the University of Liverpool, writing a radical history of wealth redistribution in the late Roman world.
Paul Stephens
Finance ManagerPaul Stephens is the Finance Manager and a DPhil candidate in English Literature at the University of Oxford. His research explores the poetry and prose of Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) through the disciplinary lens of economic philosophy.
Devika
Community Engagement ManagerDevika’s current work is with the Bodleian libraries, focusing on equity, history and collection practices. She holds a masters from the University of Edinburgh and an MPhil from Oxford School of Global and Area Studies.
Anna Hill
Community Engagement ManagerAnna is Community Engagement Manager at Uncomfortable York. She is currently completing her M.A. in Public History at the University of York, where her research has surrounded commemorative legacies in the 21st century.
Dan
ResearcherDan is a research volunteer for Uncomfortable Oxford. He is the creator of the Set in Stone Project and has recently authored a book about the history of the British-Malayan Headhunting Scandal.
Ashley Lance
Community Engagement OfficerAshley is Community Engagement Manager at Uncomfortable Cambridge, and a PhD student in the faculty of Classics at the University of Cambridge, researching the concept of race in Aristotle. She is a Yurok and Wiyot descendant and enrolled tribal member.
Our Guides
Amita
Ami is a DPhil researcher at the University of Oxford, working on liberalism and empire in Britain in the twentieth century.
Devika
Devika has held multiple roles in the field of equity, diversity and inclusivity in Higher Education. Her current research with the Bodleian libraries focuses on equity, history and collection practices. She holds a masters from the University of Edinburgh and an MPhil from Oxford School of Global and Area Studies.
Louis
Louis is the Blog Manager and a Senior Guide at Uncomfortable Oxford. He completed his DPhil at Pembroke College, Oxford, researching foreign identities among soldiers in the Early Modern Holy Roman Empire.
Milan
Milan has recently graduated from an MPhil in History (Modern European History 1850-present) at the University of Oxford. His master’s research focused on Serbia in the First World War, analysing endurance and morale among the troops.
Claire
Claire is currently reading for her DPhil at the University of Oxford, examining the decolonial potential of community-university engagement at South African higher education institutions.
Jonathan
Jonathan is a Lecturer and Director of Studies in Classics and the History of Art, at SCIO: Scholarship and Christianity in Oxford. He holds a DPhil in classics from Oxford, and his research interests currently centre on pagan religious cults in Roman Palestine.
Charlotte
Charlotte Hand is a doctoral candidate in nineteenth-century American literature. Her research focuses on sentimentalism in the context of regional and temporal politics.
Georgia
Georgia (she/her) is a doctoral candidate in Education at the University of Oxford researching activist movements by women of colour students at Oxford.
Anja
Anja is a Senior Guide, Guide Evaluator and member of the R&D team at Uncomfortable Oxford. She is currently studying history at the University of Oxford, focusing on cultural history of socialist East Germany.
Julie
Julie is a Senior Guide at Uncomfortable Oxford. She is currently doing her Dphil at the University of Oxford focusing on the personal histories of the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa.
Scott
Scott is a Tour Guide at Uncomfortable Oxford. He has recently finished his Dphil in History at the University of Oxford, specialising in the study of inter-religious diplomacy during the Crusades.
Lorika
Lorika is a Tour Guide at Uncomfortable Oxford. She is currently doing her Dphil in Psychiatry at the University of Oxford, specialising in experimental medicine approaches for anxiety treatment and brain imaging.
Jose
Josefina is an MPhil student in Development Studies. Her current research focuses on how popular referenda affect the links between extractivism, women and development in rural Ecuador.
Kelsey
Kelsey is an MSc student in Nature, Society and Environmental Governance. Her research focuses on spatial politics in relation to nomadic cultures and lifestyles, and she is also interested in the need for, and power of, spaces of discomfort in processes of decolonisation.
Oliver
Oliver is a student at Brasenose College, reading for a BA in History. He is also currently a Research Assistant on the Quill Project at Pembroke College, a digital humanities project which is archiving and mapping the Northern Irish Peace Process.
Featured in
Cherwell
“Everywhere we go, we ask: ‘What are the dominant narratives about the city? And what are they hiding?”
The Washington Post
In Britain, these Oxford walking tours focus on often-glossed-over parts of the city’s history
The Times
Meander through Oxford’s dark past is more than a woke walk
The Telegraph
Uncomfortable Oxford: meet the student group asking the city to confront its colonial past
The Sunday Times
Step this way to discover Oxford’s unpalatable past of imperialism and inequality
