Events
I appear on BBC radio programmes and at literary festivals including the Hay festival, How The Light Gets In, Bristol Festival of Ideas, Cheltenham Science Festival, the Open Book festival in Cape Town, Battle of Ideas, Jewish Book Week, and at the Royal Society of Arts.
I also co-host the talks series What the Hell is Going On? with author Joanna Kavenna.
Three events have taken place at Brasenose College, Oxford:
'What the hell is going on with the AI Apocalypse?' with Laurence Scott and David Malone, 5 March 2024
'What the hell is going on with Reality and Truth?' with Ben Markovits and Phil Tinline, 16 May 2024
'What the hell is going on with the Shock of the New?' with Colin Burrow and Chris Timpson, 5 May 2024
Other selected appearances:
I presented an edition of Radio 4's Analysis on populism and an edition of Four Thought on the progressive case for authority.
I've discussed ideology, conspiracy theories, and bureaucracy on Radio 3's Free Thinking.
I contributed to editions of Radio 4's Analysis on ‘woke capitalism’ and propaganda.
I was interviewed on Radio 4's Thinking Allowed on the progressive case for elitism, and I also discussed elitism on Radio 3's Free Thinking, Prospect magazine's podcast, the RSA podcast, on Novara FM, and Mat Dryhurst and Holly Herndon’s podcast Interdependence.
I was interviewed about Motherhood: Feminism's Unfinished Business on Woman's Hour and for several podcasts and events.
Other broadcasts include Radio 4’s PM on the problem with the national curriculum in 2021 and on natural childbirth in 2018, the Prospect podcast on the national curriculum in 2021, the RSA podcast Polarised: ‘Is Democracy Failing?’ in 2018, the New Economics Foundation’s podcast ‘Can populism be progressive’ in 2018, NovaraFM on Anti-Politics in 2018, ‘Meet the Renegades’ in 2015, The Egg Carton podcast on ‘Craving Authenticity’, the Al Jazeera English programme ‘Listening Post’ on binary oppositions in the media, 2015, Radio 4’s Late Night Woman’s Hour on ‘Secrets and Lies’, 2015, and an NPR discussion on propaganda, 2015.
I have organised and spoken at conferences and symposia on elitism (Birkbeck, 2019), the underrated value of the state (All Souls, Oxford, 2016), postpolitics and neoliberalism (Birkbeck and Canterbury Christ Church, 2015), ideology, overt and covert (Birkbeck, 2012), and how tolerance often means intolerance (Birkbeck, 2008). I organised a public event on bureaucracy at the Institute of Conteporary Arts in 2015.
I previously taught English and Creative Writing at Bath Spa and Canterbury Christ Church universities, and published an academic book and articles arising out of my PhD on the uses of Judaism in early modern Christian debate. I have written chapters and papers for several edited collections and for the journals Soundings and Juncture on the propaganda of the 2012 Olympics, on bullshit jobs, on the problem with 'ideology is dead', and on why the Left has failed.
I have judged the Jewish Quarterly Wingate Prize, advised the Globe Theatre, been on the Soundings editorial advisory board, and been a visiting research fellow at St Catherine's College, Oxford, and Birkbeck. I have given academic talks at numerous institutions and universities including the Museum of London, Central St Martins, the University of Coimbra, and New York University in London.
My books have been reviewed in the Guardian, Observer, Sunday Times, Spectator, and TLS.