A new University of Oxford project, which launches today and involves several members of Jesus College, will explore the transformation of Oxford over the past 150 years through the lens of the 1871 Universities Tests Act.
The project – Oxford at the 150th Anniversary of the Universities Tests Act (1871): The Making of a Global and Diverse Unity (to be known as Opening Oxford 1871– ) – will look at how Oxford has been transformed in the 150 years since the removal of religious restrictions on study and employment at the University, and investigate the real and perceived barriers that are experienced at the intersection of race and religion in the University in the 21st century. It will bring together collaborators from across the University, including colleges, permanent private halls, the central Admissions and Digital Humanities departments, the Equality and Diversity Unit, the Race Equality Task Force (RETF), Bodleian Libraries, and Oxford University Press as well as faith organisations, the Museum of Oxford and others.
Jesus College Fellows Susan Doran (Senior Research Fellow and Professor of Early Modern History) and Paulina Kewes (Helen Morag Fellow and Tutor in English Literature and Professor of English Literature) are co-leading the project with William Whyte, Fellow of St John’s College and Professor of Social and Architectural History. Patricia Daley (Vice-Principal, RETF member, and Chair of the College’s Equality and Diversity Committee) is a member of the Advisory Board. Eli Philip Bernstein, a DPhil student at the College, is a digital curator, and Sophie Carlarne, our Social Media and Events Officer, has designed the logo.
Until 1871, full membership of the University (as well as Cambridge and Durham) was confined only to members of the Church of England. The Universities Tests Act removed these religious restrictions and, for the first time, enabled non-Anglicans to obtain MAs, study for further degrees, and take up academic positions across the collegiate University. By opening up to people of diverse faiths – or no faith at all – and, by extension, to diverse nationalities, ethnicities, and races, the 1871 Act enabled the University, and Oxford more widely, to begin transforming into the globally inclusive and culturally diverse place it is today.
Paulina says, “In the first phase of the project, we plan to launch a major year-long publicity campaign using the passage of this landmark Act as a lens through which to explore Oxford’s transformational change over the past century and a half, to discuss ongoing barriers to study and employment, and to map the University’s commitment to opening up further in the post-COVID future. Today, we are delighted to launch a new dedicated website for the project, which features illustrated blogs by academics, current students, and alumni, including one by a former Jesus student Clare Williams.”
She adds, “Over the coming months we will be announcing a programme of films; interviews; exhibitions; and in-person events which we hope will raise awareness of the themes and issues we want to address. We shall also devote this year’s series of Jesus College zoom discussions ‘What Really Matters’ to the stories of the earliest non-Anglican students and scholars at Oxford.”
Visit the Opening Oxford 1871- project website here.
Dr Samina Khan, Director, Undergraduate Admissions and Outreach, said: ‘As someone who is committed to widening access to Oxford, I’m joining the commemoration to mark the 150th anniversary of the 1871 Act, which was one of the first major steps towards making the University more accessible. It appears my predecessors also believed there should be no barriers to achieving your potential, and this belief has brought us this far; whilst understanding that we still have more to do. As we mark this anniversary, I hope we will all be inspired to continue this good work; ensuring that neither religion, race, nationality nor background affect the opportunities available to any individual applying for Oxford.’
Professor Martin Williams, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Education, said: ‘I welcome this important project exploring the history of religious diversity at the University. This commemoration offers us the chance to reflect on how much has changed in the past 150 years, but also on how much has stayed the same and what more the University should be doing to accelerate change. As a co-chair of the Race Equality Task Force, I’m acutely conscious of the intersection between faith and race, and that the University still has work to do to make Oxford into a truly inclusive community in which everyone feels welcome and respected. I look forward to some lively discussions of these issues as this commemoration proceeds.’