EXHIBITION
Celebrating 100 Years of Women in Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Oxford
Just over 100 years ago, in 1920, the University of Oxford began admitting women to its degrees. Among the women to matriculate that year were many who had in fact completed their studies at Oxford years beforehand, in the unrecognised (by the University) parallel system of higher education centred around what are now the former women’s colleges. Some had become tutors in that system.
In that same year, the new Honour School of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) was introduced at Oxford. It was designed to supersede Greats (Literae Humaniores) as the first choice for students preparing for public office and service. Like Greats, PPE would include the discipline of philosophy, but the classicists’ study of ancient civilisation was to be replaced in the PPE curriculum by the study of the principles of modern society. Within a few decades, PPE became one of the largest Honour Schools in the arts and humanities. Today there are PPE courses on offer at over a hundred universities worldwide.
Over the past century, women involved in the PPE degree at Oxford have been responsible for some of the most important contributions to its component disciplines. Celebrating that century of women in PPE, this exhibition presents portraits of some of those who carry the PPE torch today at Oxford. A group of world-leading academics from all three disciplines, their research and teaching illuminate contemporary PPE and provide inspiration to its students. Each academic has offered some reflections on the significance of PPE, which you can find printed alongside their portraits. Taken together, these paint an exciting picture of the ongoing relevance and intellectual depth of the “modern Greats”.
Information about the physical exhibition can be found at the end of this page.