The James Ford Lectures 2027 | Hidden Authors and Invisible Books: The Practice of Politics of Attribution

Hidden Authors and Invisible Books: Early Modern England in the Shadows

Location: South School, Examination Schools

Date and Time: Thursday, 28 January 2027, from 5–6pm

About the series 

The Ford Lectures in British History were founded by a bequest from James Ford, and inaugurated by S.R. Gardiner in 1896-7. Since then, an annual series has been delivered over six weeks in Hilary term. They have long been established as the most prestigious series in Oxford and an important annual event in the History Faculty calendar.  

Though sometimes elected from among the Oxford History Faculty, the Ford Lecturer is often a distinguished visitor from elsewhere in the United Kingdom, or further afield. Towards the end of the series, the Lecturer generally convenes a seminar for faculty members and students, where the themes and ideas of the series are discussed.

The lectures alternate between medieval, early modern and modern history. They bring the opportunity for distinguished scholars to present their work to an Oxford audience, in a scholarly but accessible way. The attendance, which is often very large, habitually includes people from the local community as well as many from outside Oxford.