Theme for 2022-2024:
"A Just World?"
This year in GirtonTalks we consider what it means to speak of creating a just world and whether such an ideal could ever be realised. Many of us react strongly against anything we consider unjust, whether it is the way we have been treated by others or when we become aware of gross inequalities in our community or the wider world. Numerous sources throughout history — from archaeology to healthcare, from literature to law—testify to the fact that justice is heavily contested and must be fought for.
In the twenty-first century as in previous epochs, multiple economic, political and social factors contribute to perpetuating unfair systems and practices.Unequal distribution of wealth, status and opportunities favour the rich and powerful at the expense of those with limited resources and can lead to social and political unrest and ultimately to war.
Injustice has also often resulted in a ‘silent epidemic’ where countless people are marginalised and forced to tolerate inequalities at every level. From our position of privilege and relative affluence in a Cambridge college, in what ways does injustice impact us in our communities, in our different areas of study, or more widely?
So this year’s theme "A Just World?" invites us to think further about the world we inhabit, with all its strengths and vulnerabilities.
Questions to consider:
- What does a just world mean in reality and what are the hindrances to achieving this?
- Does treating people fairly mean that everyone should have the same?
- From our situation of relative privilege, what responsibility do we have for calling out injustice in other parts of the world?
- How do questions of justice impact specific issues (e.g. food security, access to education, scientific research, international politics, responses to climate change).