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6. J. C. Niala: Everyday Paradises

Series
On Paradise: Between Hope and Memory
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Dr J. C. Niala reflects on her research with allotment gardeners. She discusses how ‘paradise’ may be found in everyday places, acts, and what she terms ‘banal utopias’.

Speaker: J. C. Niala, Deputy Director of the History of Science Museum at the University of Oxford.

Lost edens, hoped for utopias. The idea that a better place exists haunts the human imagination.

Accompanying the ‘On Paradise’ exhibition at the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, this podcast series features members of the University of Oxford Humanities community discussing conceptualizations of paradise and utopia in different historical and cultural contexts. The exhibition, featuring the work of Oxford-based artist, Saad Qureshi, was curated by Paul Basu, Professor of Anthropology and Curator at the Pitt Rivers Museum, who also interviewed the podcast participants.
 

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5. Sondra Hausner: Transcending Paradisal Imaginaries

Professor Sondra Hausner questions the assumed universalism of concepts of Paradise. From a Hindu and Buddhist perspective, such imaginaries are vehicles for transcendence.
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Episode Information

Series
On Paradise: Between Hope and Memory
People
J C Niala
Paul Basu
Keywords
paradise
gardening
utopia
conviviality
everyday
Department: Humanities Division
Date Added: 28/09/2026
Duration: 00:19:47

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