Oral History Project

The Union Library and the Development office are collaborating in 2025 to produce an Oral History of the Oxford Union, as told by past Members going back to the 1950s. 

The series of recordings will provide an unique record of the workings, purpose and importance of the Oxford Union Society, as told by a diverse group of global leaders and influencers selected from our Alumni membership. The Members will share personal stories about their time on the Standing Committee, the challenges they faced, controversies of the day, struggles and victories as well as any light-hearted or emotive anecdotes they can recall. 

Alongside their personal recollections, Members will be asked to speak about their beliefs in the importance of the Union to the student community in Oxford in their day as well as the role it plays in 2025. We will also ask them to reflect on some of the broader issues surrounding civic engagement, sharing personal views on the freedom of speech, the impact of social media and the general health of the public square. 

Starting in February 2025, filming will take place in the Society’s historic buildings. The filmed conversations are intended for broadcast on the Oxford Union website and its YouTube channel, which has 2.2m followers. We expect the first of them to be uploaded in Trinity term.