On 27–29 September 2019 the College celebrated the 40th anniversary of female students being admitted to Balliol with a weekend of ‘conversation and celebration’, attended by 180 Balliol women — predominantly alumnae but also current and former female Fellows and current undergraduates. As the Master said in her welcoming remarks, the aim of the event was to share ‘serious conversations about serious issues for women in 2019, alongside a celebration of community, aspiration and all that women have achieved since 1979’.
The programme began on Friday evening with a viewing of an intervention by Shirin Homann (Balliol 1990) in the Library entitled ‘re mark able women’, in which books by women authors were wrapped with labelled white bands in order to make visible ‘the presence of female knowledge’ (further description and photos here). Then, over drinks in the Master’s Lodgings, Emeritus Fellow Gillian Morriss-Kay spoke about the experience of the first female Fellows before a buffet dinner in Hall where guests were able to see for the first time the new portraits of Balliol women commissioned for the anniversary.
Saturday’s programme began with a keynote address by Cressida Dick (1979), who then joined a panel discussion with Stephanie Flanders (1987), former Fellow Lyndal Roper, Laura Durrant (1999) and the Master. In the afternoon, guests joined discussions on Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Mentoring, STEM, Access and Education, Public Service, Arts and Work-Life Balance, during which they listened to 40 Balliol alumnae panellists discussing their experience and expertise.
After evensong in the Chapel and a reception in the SCR, guests joined a group photograph before enjoying a formal dinner in Hall, during which Nada Al-Nashif (1984) spoke about the importance of empathy, not tolerance.
On Sunday, some alumnae viewed the ‘Dervorguilla and Daughters’ exhibition at the Historic Collections Centre, while others made their way to the river for rowing with current members of the Boat Club (further description and photos here).
The celebratory atmosphere, the pleasure of meeting old friends and new, and the delicious food were among the many things alumnae said afterwards that they enjoyed about the weekend. Most remarked on of all, though, was the conversation, as expressed on social media: ‘Wonderful to be surrounded by so many thoughtful, inspiring #balliolwomen’; ‘I savoured the insightful debates’; ‘so much to think and act on’; ‘incredible, empowering, and inspiring’; ‘A truly extraordinary experience. I’ve never before been in the presence of so many women of deep intelligence and broad experience, ages spanning 4 decades, in every profession, with a shared determination to make society better.’
Below is a selection of photographs from the event; we will share more with attendees directly as they become available.
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Photographs by Carol Higgins
