Narnia & the Political Imagination

Join us for an engaging online academic discussion exploring the literary imagination of C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia. The speakers — Dr Michael Ward and Dr Eduardo Gutiérrez González — will delve into the ways Lewis presents themes of polity, leadership, freedom, slavery, war, and peace, drawing connections between the fantastical worlds of Narnia and profound questions about human conflict and cultural transformation. The conversation will focus on the cultural role our narratives and social imaginaries play; it will aim to provide insights into the intersection of literature, philosophy, and theology, offering fresh perspectives on how these themes resonate with peacebuilding, politics, and reconciliation in contemporary society. All are welcome!

Registration Required

Speakers

Dr Michael Ward read English at Oxford, Theology at Cambridge, and gained his PhD at St Andrews University, studying within its Institute for Theology, Imagination and the Arts. He was Senior Research Fellow at Blackfriars Hall, Oxford (2012-2021). His research interests focus on theological imagination, especially in the works of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Best-known for his monograph, Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis (Oxford University Press), he is also the author of After Humanity: A Guide to C.S. Lewis’s The Abolition of Man (Word on Fire Academic) and co-editor of The Cambridge Companion to C.S. Lewis (Cambridge University Press)

After studying philosophy —BA (U. Sabana) and MA (U. Javeriana)—, Dr Gutiérrez worked in faculties of Philosophy and Political Science in Colombia and subsequently did an MSt in Science & Religion at Oriel College, Oxford, strongly engaging with J.R.R. Tolkien´s literary imagination. He recently earned his doctorate at Blackfriars Hall, Oxford, with a thesis focusing on the role of imagination in belief formation and transformation, and its use for peacebuilding in Colombia. He is currently a JRF in Humanities and Social Sciences at Blackfriars Hall.

Contact:
Las Casas Institute
lascasas@bfriars.ox.ac.uk