Why Inequality Persists - and How We Move Beyond: Joanna Kavenna & Kim Stanley Robinson

Why Inequality Persists and How We Move Beyond is the signature Oxford Ministry for the Future event of the series, led by two of today's most acute chroniclers of (in)justice and imagined futures: novelists Joanna Kavenna and Kim Stanley Robinson, in conversation with economic anthropologist Jason Hickel and Oxford academics.

The focus of this session will be to explore imaginations of more just futures, how we as a society may reduce inequality and make such policies actionable. Robinson is the award-winning author of The Ministry for the Future, the novel that gives OMF its name - and more books, including the Mars trilogy. Kavenna is a British novelist, whose books include the Orange Award-winning Inglorious and the witty and disturbing AI dystopia Zed. Hickel is Professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and a Visiting Senior Fellow at LSE, and author of Less is More and The Divide. Facilitated by Professor Anette Mikes and Venus Bivar, this is an engaging discussion on literature, inequality, justice, and social change, followed by reflections from leading authors and academic contributors. Hosted by OMF and the Environmental Humanities Research Hub.

After the lectures, attendees will also have the opportunity to experience a video installation by the internationally renowned visual artist Maija Tammi. Experience Tammi's provocative work and take the opportunity to connect with fellow attendees from across academia, the arts, and civil society.

The Oxford Ministry for the Future (OMF) is an interdisciplinary network that brings together academics, artists, authors and public thinkers to address global challenges through dialogue, storytelling, research and public engagement. This event is the largest Oxford Ministry for the Future event to date: a two-day (Nov 23-24) exploration of some of the defining questions of our age - why does inequality persist, and what might a fair and just future look like? Bringing together world-leading thinkers, authors, artists, and cultural performers, this landmark gathering will examine the histories, narratives, and structures that shape our world, exploring the tension between humanity's utopian aspirations and our enduring dystopian realities.