The Postgraduate Forum is honoured to sponsor this year’s Battle of Ideas and to have many of its members attending and speaking at numerous debates at the festival. The Postgraduate Forum is committed to freedom of thought both within and outside academia and provides an opportunity for postgraduate students to discuss their research in a multidisciplinary context that encourages reflection on how the social and political trends shaping the contemporary world interact and cut across disciplinary boundaries. At a time where academia faces the twin challenges of avoiding obscurantism whilst resisting demands for immediate policy relevance, the Battle of Ideas is a much needed breath of fresh air. It provides a unique opportunity to engage in cutting-edge debates, challenging speakers to address intellectual issues against the background of the vicissitudes of contemporary society and proving that academic ideas cannot be dismissed as merely academic.

James Gledhill