Battle of Ideas 2013

Frank Furedi, sociologist and social commentator; author, What's Happened to the University?, Power of Reading: from Socrates to Twitter, On Tolerance and Authority: a sociological history

George Szirtes, reader in creative writing, UEA; poet; editor; translator; author, The Burning of the Books and Other Poems

Danny Dorling, The Halford Mackinder Professor of Geography, University of Oxford

Anne Atkins, novelist, columnist and broadcaster; prize-winning journalist; regular contributor, BBC Radio 4's Thought for the Day

Xin Xin, senior research fellow, China Media Centre, University of Westminster; author, China's Soft Power (forthcoming)

Stella Duffy, writer and theatre-maker; award-winning author of short stories, plays and novels

Tom Watt, writer, actor and broadcaster

Rebecca Jenkins, cultural historian and novelist; Royal Literary Fund Fellow; former writing partner of Bishop of Durham, David Jenkins

+ Full list of speakers

Readings

Sun, sea and working-class hedonism, Neil Davenport

Democracy Has Bad Taste, Grayson Perry

For the Public Benefit: Why Everyone Should Back the Royal Charter on Press Self-Regulation, Brian Cathcart

Chinese Whispers: Why Everything You've Heard About China is Wrong, Ben Chu

As Obama's Asia 'pivot' falters, China steps into the gap, Stuart Grudgings

Dazed and Confucius: Nine common myths about China, Ben Chu

Naturalising Newham - radical plan to boost integration, Catrin Nye

Neuro-backlash? What backlash?, Sally Satel and Scott O. Lilienfeld

Post World's End Architecture: Portugal, Gonzalo Herrero Delicado and Vera Sacchetti

War on Terror or a Search for Meaning?, Dr. Bill Durodié

Architects who improvise and innovate, Edwin Heathcote

Rebels without a cause, Economist Intelligence Unit

Domestic violence is falling. Why aren't people celebrating?, James Heartfield

Why China will not buy the world, Martin Wolf

Threats to peace are lurking in the East China Sea, Kurt Campbell

+ All Battle Readings

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“Who would choose to go to a session on free will at 10:30 on a Sunday morning? A few hundred of the most engaged, passionate and discursive participants I have encountered. As a neuroscientist on the panel I felt my science was aired and challenged in exemplary fashion. As a passionate believer in engagement I couldn’t have been more delighted.”

Daniel Glaser, head, special projects, public engagement, Wellcome Trust

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