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{{more citations needed|date=March 2020}}
{{more citations needed|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox newspaper
{{Infobox newspaper
| name = The Isis
| name = The Isis
| image = [[File:Isis_human_cover.jpg|175px|border]]
| image = [[File:Isis_human_cover.jpg|175px|border]]
| caption = Cover of the Hilary 2020 issue of ''The Isis''
| caption = Cover of the Hilary 2020 issue of ''The Isis''
| type = Termly [[magazine]] at [[Oxford University]]
| type = Termly [[magazine]] at the [[University of Oxford]]
| ceased publication =
| ceased publication =
| foundation = 1892
| foundation = 1892
| owners = [[Oxford Student Publications Limited]]
| owners = [[Oxford Student Publications Limited]]
| language = [[English language|English]]
| language = [[English language|English]]
| political =
| political =
| circulation = c. 4,500
| circulation = c. 4,500
| headquarters = 7 St Aldate's, [[Oxford]]
| headquarters = Folly Bridge, [[Oxford]]
| website = [http://www.isismagazine.org.uk/ isismagazine.org.uk]
| website = [http://www.isismagazine.org.uk/ isismagazine.org.uk]
| editor = Ananya Basu and Kiana Rezakhanlou <ref name="The Isis team">{{cite web | title=Meet the Team | website=The Isis Est. 1892 | date=6 January 2022 | url=https://isismagazine.org.uk/meet-the-team/ | access-date=14 March 2022}}</ref>
| editor = Helen Edwards and Clara Hartley <ref name="The Isis team">{{cite web | title=The Isis Magazine | website=The Isis Est. 1892 | date=27 June 2022 | url=https://isismagazine.org.uk/ | access-date=27 June 2022}}</ref>
}}
}}


'''''The Isis''''' is a student publication at the [[University of Oxford]], where the magazine was established in 1892. Traditionally a rival to the student newspaper ''[[Cherwell (newspaper)|Cherwell]]'', ''Isis'' was finally acquired by the latter's publishing house, [[Oxford Student Publications Limited]], in the late 1990s. It now operates as a termly magazine and website, providing an outlet for features journalism, although for most of its life it appeared weekly. The two publications are named after the two rivers in Oxford, "Isis" being the local name for the River Thames.
'''The ''Isis''''' is a student publication at the [[University of Oxford]], where the magazine was established in 1892. Traditionally a rival to the student newspaper ''[[Cherwell (newspaper)|Cherwell]]'', ''Isis'' was finally acquired by the latter's publishing house, [[Oxford Student Publications Limited]], in the late 1990s. It now operates as a termly magazine and website, providing an outlet for features journalism, although for most of its life it appeared weekly. The two publications are named after the two rivers in Oxford, "Isis" being the local name for the River Thames.

Since 2014, the magazine's name has often been confused with [[ISIS]], the translated abbreviation of a terrorist organization operating in Iraq and Syria. However, whereas the latter is an abbreviation and is always capitalized, the magazine's is a proper noun distinguished by its lowercase characters.


==History==
==History==


''The Isis'' was founded by [[Mostyn Turtle Piggott]], the first of the student editors, on 27 April 1892.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Billen|first1=Andrew|title=Oxford Type: The Best of Isis|last2=Skipworth|first2=Mark|publisher=Robson Books Ltd.|year=1984|isbn=0-86051-213-4|location=London|pages=11|language=English}}</ref> In his first editorial he wrote:
The ''Isis'' was founded by [[Mostyn Turtle Piggott]], the first of the student editors, on 27 April 1892.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Billen|first1=Andrew|title=Oxford Type: The Best of Isis|last2=Skipworth|first2=Mark|publisher=Robson Books Ltd.|year=1984|isbn=0-86051-213-4|location=London|pages=11|language=English}}</ref> In his first editorial he wrote:


<blockquote>"We have no politics and fewer principles, and should we last until the [[Elections in the United Kingdom|General Election]] we shall use our influence for neither side. We shall endeavour to be humorous without being ill-humoured, critical without being captious, militant without being malevolent, independent without being impertinent, and funny (as Mr [[Albert Chevalier]] says) without being vulgar."</blockquote>
<blockquote>"We have no politics and fewer principles, and should we last until the [[Elections in the United Kingdom|General Election]] we shall use our influence for neither side. We shall endeavour to be humorous without being ill-humoured, critical without being captious, militant without being malevolent, independent without being impertinent, and funny (as Mr [[Albert Chevalier]] says) without being vulgar."</blockquote>


In its early days, ''The Isis'' was owned and published by the Holywell Press. Students were given complete independence, as long as the paper they produced was profitable and within good taste. Oxford welcomed the addition to its scene wholeheartedly, and was more than prepared to pay the weekly sixpence. ''The Isis'' was an accurate recorder of proceedings in the [[Oxford Union]] - enough of a function to maintain sales. The same price (2.5p in modern money) lasted into the 1960s.
In its early days, the ''Isis'' was owned and published by the [https://holywellpress.com/ Holywell Press]. Students were given complete independence, as long as the paper they produced was profitable and within good taste. Oxford welcomed the addition to its scene wholeheartedly, and was more than prepared to pay the weekly sixpence. The ''Isis'' was an accurate recorder of proceedings in the [[Oxford Union]] - enough of a function to maintain sales. The same price (2.5p in modern money) lasted into the 1960s.


One of the features of the magazine that survives today is the "Icons" section (then known as "Idols"). In the 1890s, being President of [[OUDS]] (the Oxford University Dramatic Society) seemed to guarantee an appearance in print. Some of the Idols featured pre-1939 were [[Lord David Cecil]] and [[T. E. Lawrence]]; it was not until 1935 that the editors judged a woman worthy of being featured as an Idol – Lady Katharine Cairns{{who|date=August 2018}} being the first.{{why|date=August 2018}}
One of the features of the magazine that survives today is the "Icons" section (then known as "Idols"). In the 1890s, being President of [[OUDS]] (the Oxford University Dramatic Society) seemed to guarantee an appearance in print. Some of the Idols featured pre-1939 were [[Lord David Cecil]] and [[T. E. Lawrence]]; it was not until 1935 that the editors judged a woman worthy of being featured as an Idol – Lady Katharine Cairns{{who|date=August 2018}} being the first.{{why|date=August 2018}}


After the beginning of [[World War I]], ''The Isis'' ceased publication for four years, until it was resurrected in 1919 by [[Beverley Nichols]], who produced the opening issue entirely by himself:<blockquote>"the great fact remains that [[Oxford]] is still here, a little dazed and unsteady perhaps, but Oxford all the same, and it is to sing of Oxford that ''The Isis'' appears once more, to reflect its every tendency, to echo its laughter and – well, to do the other thing."<ref>Beverley Nichols in his opening editorial, 1919</ref></blockquote>
After the beginning of [[World War I]], the ''Isis'' ceased publication for four years, until it was resurrected in 1919 by [[Beverley Nichols]], who produced the opening issue entirely by himself:<blockquote>"the great fact remains that [[Oxford]] is still here, a little dazed and unsteady perhaps, but Oxford all the same, and it is to sing of Oxford that ''The Isis'' appears once more, to reflect its every tendency, to echo its laughter and – well, to do the other thing."<ref>Beverley Nichols in his opening editorial, 1919</ref></blockquote>


[[Evelyn Waugh]] contributed to the magazine regularly. Waugh was also the first to participate in the rivalry between ''The Isis'' and the freshly established ''[[Cherwell (newspaper)|Cherwell]]'' by writing for both. ''The Isis'' was disparagingly referred to in ''The Cherwell'' as "The Was-Was".
[[Evelyn Waugh]] contributed to the magazine regularly. Waugh was also the first to participate in the rivalry between ''The Isis'' and the freshly established ''[[Cherwell (newspaper)|Cherwell]]'' by writing for both. The ''Isis'' was disparagingly referred to in the ''Cherwell'' as "The Was-Was".


The 1930s were times of much political turmoil in [[Europe]], yet serene in ''The Isis'' - but then, so were they in the rest of the British press. A couple of articles more flippant than political in tone resulted in ''The Isis'' being banned in [[Germany]] in 1935. Only a year later, the magazine had again to suspend its operations until 1945, to re-emerge with new strength.
The 1930s were times of much political turmoil in [[Europe]], yet serene in the ''Isis'' - but then, so were they in the rest of the British press. A couple of articles more flippant than political in tone resulted in the ''Isis'' being banned in [[Germany]] in 1935. Only a year later, the magazine had again to suspend its operations until 1945, to re-emerge with new strength.


The [[H-Bomb]] was a significant topic for debate in 1958, and the magazine published a whole issue on the subject consisting of unsigned articles. Two of the undergraduate contributors, William Miller and Paul Thompson, were both ex-[[national service]], and wrote about [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Intelligence (information gathering)|Intelligence]] operations on the borders of the Soviet Union.<ref>{{cite book|last=Carpenter|first=Humphrey|title=That Was Satire That Was: The Satire Boom of the Sixties|location=London|publisher=Victor Gollancz|year=2000|page=13}}</ref> The two men were prosecuted under section 2 of the [[Official Secrets Act 1911]], and sentenced to three months imprisonment. As result, the proprietors at Holywell Press saw the need to step in, with the objection that the staff was now "definitely left-wing and will almost inevitably remain so."
The [[H-bomb]] was a significant topic for debate in 1958, and the magazine published a whole issue on the subject consisting of unsigned articles. Two of the undergraduate contributors, William Miller and Paul Thompson, were both ex-[[national service]], and wrote about [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Intelligence (information gathering)|Intelligence]] operations on the borders of the Soviet Union.<ref>{{cite book|last=Carpenter|first=Humphrey|title=That Was Satire That Was: The Satire Boom of the Sixties|location=London|publisher=Victor Gollancz|year=2000|page=13}}</ref> The two men were prosecuted under section 2 of the [[Official Secrets Act 1911]], and sentenced to three months imprisonment. As result, the proprietors at Holywell Press saw the need to step in, with the objection that the staff was now "definitely left-wing and will almost inevitably remain so."


The definite article dropped from its title, in the 1960s ''Isis'' turned its guns on Oxford. In Michaelmas Term 1961 under Editor [[Paul Foot (journalist)|Paul Foot]], the magazine began publishing reviews of University lectures. Of themselves the reviews attracted little interest outside the university. However, the decision of the University's Proctors to ban them triggered a national outcry. Three years later, under editor Chris Meakin (see Google), ''Isis'' had a second attempt. This time it succeeded and the [[Proctors]], despite a fierce intellectual battle with the Editor using their Proctorial Summonses, at length found it simpler to back down under the spotlight of national newspaper interest. The debate revolved around the disagreement: who was doing more to "bring the name of the university into disrepute"? > > the reviews by exposing in public the worth of university lecturers > > or the Proctors by banning the reviews? Isis won. The Reviews then lasted for several terms until less-connected editors lost interest. Exceptionally the Editor also undertook the role of lead [[Oxford Union]] critic himself, as noted above a position of considerable influence around Oxford University from the magazine's earliest days.
The definite article dropped from its title, in the 1960s the ''Isis'' turned its guns on Oxford. In Michaelmas Term 1961 under Editor [[Paul Foot (journalist)|Paul Foot]], the magazine began publishing reviews of university lectures. Of themselves the reviews attracted little interest outside the university. However, the decision of the university's Proctors to ban them triggered a national outcry. Three years later, under editor Chris Meakin, ''Isis'' had a second attempt. This time it succeeded and the [[Proctors]], despite a fierce intellectual battle with the Editor using their Proctorial Summonses, at length found it simpler to back down under the spotlight of national newspaper interest. The debate revolved around the disagreement: who was doing more to "bring the name of the university into disrepute"? > > the reviews by exposing in public the worth of university lecturers > > or the Proctors by banning the reviews? Isis won. The Reviews then lasted for several terms until less-connected editors lost interest. Exceptionally the Editor also undertook the role of lead [[Oxford Union]] critic himself, as noted above a position of considerable influence around Oxford University from the magazine's earliest days.


For the ''Isis Idol'' in his term, Meakin prophetically chose the (much later) novelist [[Jeffrey Archer]], who showed no literary flair whatever at Oxford and never wrote for ''Isis''. The magazine did not only criticise Oxford. One issue during that same term was mainly devoted to an on-the-spot examination of a controversial [[parliamentary election]] in the [[Birmingham]] constituency of [[Smethwick]], where the widely-criticised Conservative candidate [[Peter Griffiths]] was considered to have fought a [[racist]] campaign. To produce that particular issue, ''Isis'' took a coachload of undergraduate journalists to Birmingham for the day. The result was an edition of the magazine which was widely admired and which Paul Foot hailed as "one of the best things ''Isis'' has ever done." Following his editorship, Meakin produced a weekly satirical column "The Fifth Column", a title that has been borrowed numerous times since; it then took him about fifty years to produce his first novel ''The Chinese Ocean'' published in June 2015. It was probably a record delay for editors of the magazine; he followed this in 2017 with his non-fiction "The Origin of Economies."
For the ''Isis Idol'' in his term, Meakin prophetically chose the (much later) novelist [[Jeffrey Archer]], who showed no literary flair whatever at Oxford and never wrote for the ''Isis''. The magazine did not only criticise Oxford. One issue during that same term was mainly devoted to an on-the-spot examination of a [[Smethwick in the 1964 general election|controversial parliamentary election]] in the [[Birmingham]]-area [[Smethwick (UK Parliament constituency)|constituency of Smethwick]], where the widely criticised Conservative candidate [[Peter Griffiths]] was considered to have fought a [[racist]] campaign. To produce that particular issue, ''Isis'' took a coachload of undergraduate journalists to Birmingham for the day. The result was an edition of the magazine which was widely admired and which Paul Foot hailed as "one of the best things ''Isis'' has ever done." Following his editorship, Meakin produced a weekly satirical column "The Fifth Column", a title that has been borrowed numerous times since; it then took him about fifty years to produce his first novel ''The Chinese Ocean'' published in June 2015. It was probably a record delay for editors of the magazine; he followed this in 2017 with his non-fiction "The Origin of Economies."


Meantime the first of several attempted rescues came from businessman, [[Robert Maxwell]], and his [[Pergamon Press]] on Headington Hill, Oxford. In a risky business move, a national student publication was created - ''Isis National'', which began distribution in Spring 1964, without success. He departed in 1970, making ''Isis'' an entirely independent and student-run company. The "University" tag was scrapped, and ''Isis'' was also distributed at the Oxford Polytechnic in Headington (now [[Oxford Brookes University]]). Quite soon, the absence of solid financial backing caused the frequency of publication to be cut by half,{{citation needed|date=August 2014}} and ''Isis'' began to appear fortnightly. The following decades were interspersed with financial crises, the worst of which was a £1,000 printing bill in 1972 - and no cash to cover it with.{{citation needed|date=August 2014}} Again, a rescue squad appeared from an unlikely, but illustrious source, in the form of this telegram:
Meantime the first of several attempted rescues came from businessman, [[Robert Maxwell]], and his [[Pergamon Press]] on Headington Hill, Oxford. In a risky business move, a national student publication was created - ''Isis National'', which began distribution in Spring 1964, without success. He departed in 1970, making the ''Isis'' an entirely independent and student-run company. The "University" tag was scrapped, and the ''Isis'' was also distributed at the Oxford Polytechnic in Headington (now [[Oxford Brookes University]]). Quite soon, the absence of solid financial backing caused the frequency of publication to be cut by half,{{citation needed|date=August 2014}} and the ''Isis'' began to appear fortnightly. The following decades were interspersed with financial crises, the worst of which was a £1,000 printing bill in 1972 - and no cash to cover it with.{{citation needed|date=August 2014}} Again, a rescue squad appeared from an unlikely, but illustrious source, in the form of this telegram:


:"Read of your financial troubles in The Times STOP One thousand pounds will be en route as soon as you cable us name and address of printers at the Granotel Rome - [[Elizabeth Taylor]] and [[Richard Burton]]"{{citation needed|date=August 2014}}
:"Read of your financial troubles in The Times STOP One thousand pounds will be en route as soon as you cable us name and address of printers at the Granotel Rome - [[Elizabeth Taylor]] and [[Richard Burton]]"{{citation needed|date=August 2014}}


In 1998, after a series of growing financial crises, "Isis Publications Ltd" was created. Today ''The Isis'' is a termly magazine owned and published by [[Oxford Student Publications Limited|Oxford Student Publications Ltd]] and is an anthology of poetry, investigations and art. ''The Isis'' also runs events for students in Oxford.
In 1998, after a series of growing financial crises, "Isis Publications Ltd" was created. Today the ''Isis'' is a termly magazine owned and published by [[Oxford Student Publications Limited|Oxford Student Publications Ltd]] and is an anthology of poetry, investigations and art. The ''Isis'' also runs events for students in Oxford.


==Alumni==
==Alumni==
''The Isis'' has been the springboard for careers in literature, the theatre and television, with its specific influences in ''[[Private Eye]]'' and [[Westminster]] politics. ''Isis'' alumni include [[Hilaire Belloc]], [[Evelyn Waugh]], [[Harold Acton]], [[Graham Greene]], [[John Betjeman]], [[Michael Foot]], [[Jo Grimond]], [[Sylvia Plath]], [[Sue Lloyd-Roberts]], playwright [[Dennis Potter]], [[Adrian Mitchell]], [[Charles Patrick Graves|Charles Graves]], [[Robert Robinson (broadcaster)|Robert Robinson]] (the BBC broadcaster), [[Richard Ingrams]] (former editor of ''Private Eye''), [[David Dimbleby]] (BBC ''Question Time''), Paul Foot (former deputy editor of ''Private Eye''), Alastair Macdonald (deputy [[Permanent Secretary]] at the [[Department of Trade and Industry (United Kingdom)|Department for Trade and Industry]]), [[Derek Parfit]] (All Souls philosopher) Christopher Meakin (uniquely editor and triple columnist, on both ''Isis'' and ''Cherwell''; Fleet Street etc.), Mike Harloe (vice-chancellor, Salford University), Peter Gillman, [[Mary Kaldor]] (Professor at LSE), [[Gyles Brandreth]] (MP and entertainer) and [[Terry Jones]] (actor). Then in the "only four issues a term" era: [[George Osborne]], [[Nigella Lawson]], [[Jo Johnson]] and [[Ben Goldacre]]. Paul Foot and Gyles Brandreth were also presidents of the Oxford Union.<ref>{{cite web|title=The ISIS|url=http://isismagazine.org.uk/about/|website=The ISIS|date=21 February 2011 |publisher=Oxford Student Publications Ltd.|accessdate=17 July 2015}}</ref>
The ''Isis'' has been the springboard for careers in literature, the theatre and television, with specific influences in ''[[Private Eye]]'' and [[Westminster]] politics. ''Isis'' alumni include [[Hilaire Belloc]], [[Evelyn Waugh]], [[Harold Acton]], [[Graham Greene]], [[John Betjeman]], [[Michael Foot]], [[Jo Grimond]], [[Sylvia Plath]], [[Sue Lloyd-Roberts]], playwright [[Dennis Potter]], [[Adrian Mitchell]], [[Charles Patrick Graves|Charles Graves]], [[Robert Robinson (broadcaster)|Robert Robinson]] (the BBC broadcaster), [[Richard Ingrams]] (former editor of ''Private Eye''), [[David Dimbleby]] (BBC ''Question Time''), Paul Foot (former deputy editor of ''Private Eye''), [[Alastair Macdonald (civil servant)|Alastair Macdonald]] (deputy [[Permanent Secretary]] at the [[Department of Trade and Industry (United Kingdom)|Department for Trade and Industry]]), [[Derek Parfit]] (All Souls philosopher), [[Christopher Meakin]] (journalist, economist, banker}, [[Peter Gillman]], [[Mary Kaldor]] (Professor at LSE), [[Sally Laird]] (writer, translator and editor),<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kellaway |first1=Kate |title=Sally Laird obituary: Writer and translator of Russian literature |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/aug/10/sally-laird-obituary |access-date=16 May 2023 |work=The Guardian |date=10 August 2010}}</ref> [[Gyles Brandreth]] (MP and entertainer) and [[Terry Jones]] (actor). Then in the "only four issues a term" era: [[George Osborne]], [[Nigella Lawson]], [[Jo Johnson]] and [[Ben Goldacre]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The ISIS|url=http://isismagazine.org.uk/about/|website=The ISIS|date=21 February 2011 |publisher=Oxford Student Publications Ltd.|accessdate=17 July 2015}}</ref>
== Editors-in-Chief 2000-Present ==


{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Year
!Michaelmas
!Hilary
!Trinity
|-
| align="center" |2000-2001
| align="center" |Benjamin Secher
Gowan Tervo
| align="center" |Jude Bunting
| align="center" |Ben Hewitt
Nell Freeman
|-
| align="center" |2001-2002
| align="center" |[[Melissa Bradshaw]]
Leander Deeney
| align="center" |Adrian Cornell du Houx
| align="center" |Phil Oltermann
Ally Carnwath
|-
| align="center" |2002-2003
| align="center" |[[Sean Gray]]
Emma Farge
| align="center" |Mel Bradshaw
Rodrigo Davies
| align="center" |N/A
|-
| align="center" |2003-2004
| align="center" |N/A
| align="center" |Oliver Brown
| align="center" |Julia Buckley
|-
| align="center" |2004-2005
| align="center" |Tess Andrews
Torsten Henricson-Bell
| align="center" |Laura-Jane Foley
Alice Jones
| align="center" |Mike Wakeman
Noor Kadhim
|-
| align="center" |2005-2006
| align="center" |Tom Pursey
| align="center" |Christopher Schuller
| align="center" |Georgina Warren
|-
| align="center" |2006-2007
| align="center" |Alec Garton Ash
| align="center" |Ruth Lewy
| align="center" |Solvej Krause
|-
| align="center" |2007-2008
| align="center" |Pippa Lamb
| align="center" |Adam White
| align="center" |Martyn Evans
Lindsey Ford
|-
| align="center" |2008-2009
| align="center" |Oskar Cox Jensen
| align="center" |James Kennard
Maximilian Krahé
| align="center" |[[Jo Livingstone]]
Rebecca Davis
|-
| align="center" |2009-2010
| align="center" |Nick Coxon
Jack Orlik
| align="center" |Ben Glazer
[[Jack Marley-Payne]]
| align="center" |Tom Lazenby
|-
| align="center" |2010-2011
| align="center" |Memphis Barker
Joseph Charlton
| align="center" |Izzie Fraser
[[Jim Waterson]]
| align="center" |Alex Dymoke
Alex Macpherson
|-
| align="center" |2011-2012
| align="center" |Jane Saldanha
| align="center" |Alex Hacillo
| align="center" |Douglas Sloan
Sean Ayer
|-
| align="center" |2012-2013
| align="center" |Rosie Ball
Tom Gardner
| align="center" |Polina Ivanova
William Granger
| align="center" |Philip Bell
Rebecca Chong Wilkins
|-
| align="center" |2013-2014
| align="center" |Violet Brand
Daisy Fletcher
| align="center" |Aaron Payne
Charlotte Sykes
| align="center" |Matt Broomfield
Peter Endicott
|-
| align="center" |2014-2015
| align="center" |Sadie Levy Gale
Olivia Yallop
| align="center" |Raphael Hogarth
Daniella Shreir
| align="center" |Huw Spencer
Miranda Hall
|-
| align="center" |2015-2016
| align="center" |Thea Slotover
James Waddell
| align="center" |Alexander Hartley
Ione Wells
| align="center" |Christian Hill
Fintan Calpin
|-
| align="center" |2016-2017
| align="center" |Eleanor Biggs
Jacob Lee
| align="center" |Rosie Coleman Collier
Samuel Dunnett
| align="center" |TJ Jordan
Lily Begg
|-
| align="center" |2017-2018
| align="center" |Flo Ward
Lael Hines
| align="center" |Joe Higton Durrant
Tobi Thomas
| align="center" |Emily Lawford
Jiaqi Kang
|-
| align="center" |2018-2019
| align="center" |Katie Meynell
Lev Crofts
| align="center" |Jorrit Donner-Wittkopf
Leela Jadhav
| align="center" |Antonio Perricone
Leo Gadaski
|-
| align="center" |2019-2020
| align="center" |Léa Gayer de Mena
Zahra Munir
| align="center" |Annabelle Fuller
Neil Natarajan
| align="center" |Chung Kiu Kwok
Ivana Cholakova
|-
| align="center" |2020-2021
| align="center" |Alexander Haveron-Jones
Barnaby Pite
| align="center" |Mukahang Limbu
Rita Kimijima-Dennemeyer
| align="center" |Nat Cheung
Kalli Dockrill
|-
| align="center" |2021-2022
| align="center" |Anya Li Taira
Natalie Perman
| align="center" |Joseph Dobbyn
Grace Lawrence
| align="center" |Ananya Basu
Kiana Rezakhanlou
|-
| align="center" |2022-2023
| align="center" |Susie Castledine
Dowon Jung
| align="center" |Shao Yi Wong
Mia Wu
| align="center" |Clemmie Read
Antara Singh
|-
| align="center" |2023-2024
| align="center" |Isaaq Tomkins
Zoe Davies

|align="center" |Flavius Covaci
Caitlin Morgan
| align="center" |Helen Edwards
Clara Hartley
|}


==References==
==References==
Line 58: Line 241:


==Sources==
==Sources==
* The ''Isis'' website [http://www.isismagazine.org.uk/ Isis Online]
* [http://www.isismagazine.org.uk/ ''The Isis'' website]
* Billen, Andrew and Skipworth, Mark. ''Oxford Type''. Robson Books, 1984.
* Billen, Andrew and Skipworth, Mark. ''Oxford Type''. Robson Books, 1984.


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.isismagazine.org.uk/ ''Isis'' Online]
* [http://www.isismagazine.org.uk/ ''The Isis'' website]
* [http://www.ospl.org/ Oxford Student Publications Ltd]
* [http://www.ospl.org/ Oxford Student Publications Ltd]


Latest revision as of 21:35, 9 April 2024

This article is about the student publication at the University of Oxford. For the history of science journal published in Chicago, see Isis (journal). For the propaganda magazine published by ISIS, see Dabiq (magazine).

The Isis
Cover of the Hilary 2020 issue of The Isis
TypeTermly magazine at the University of Oxford
Owner(s)Oxford Student Publications Limited
EditorHelen Edwards and Clara Hartley [1]
Founded1892
LanguageEnglish
HeadquartersFolly Bridge, Oxford
Circulationc. 4,500
Websiteisismagazine.org.uk

The Isis is a student publication at the University of Oxford, where the magazine was established in 1892. Traditionally a rival to the student newspaper Cherwell, Isis was finally acquired by the latter's publishing house, Oxford Student Publications Limited, in the late 1990s. It now operates as a termly magazine and website, providing an outlet for features journalism, although for most of its life it appeared weekly. The two publications are named after the two rivers in Oxford, "Isis" being the local name for the River Thames.

History[edit]

The Isis was founded by Mostyn Turtle Piggott, the first of the student editors, on 27 April 1892.[2] In his first editorial he wrote:

"We have no politics and fewer principles, and should we last until the General Election we shall use our influence for neither side. We shall endeavour to be humorous without being ill-humoured, critical without being captious, militant without being malevolent, independent without being impertinent, and funny (as Mr Albert Chevalier says) without being vulgar."

In its early days, the Isis was owned and published by the Holywell Press. Students were given complete independence, as long as the paper they produced was profitable and within good taste. Oxford welcomed the addition to its scene wholeheartedly, and was more than prepared to pay the weekly sixpence. The Isis was an accurate recorder of proceedings in the Oxford Union - enough of a function to maintain sales. The same price (2.5p in modern money) lasted into the 1960s.

One of the features of the magazine that survives today is the "Icons" section (then known as "Idols"). In the 1890s, being President of OUDS (the Oxford University Dramatic Society) seemed to guarantee an appearance in print. Some of the Idols featured pre-1939 were Lord David Cecil and T. E. Lawrence; it was not until 1935 that the editors judged a woman worthy of being featured as an Idol – Lady Katharine Cairns[who?] being the first.[why?]

After the beginning of World War I, the Isis ceased publication for four years, until it was resurrected in 1919 by Beverley Nichols, who produced the opening issue entirely by himself:

"the great fact remains that Oxford is still here, a little dazed and unsteady perhaps, but Oxford all the same, and it is to sing of Oxford that The Isis appears once more, to reflect its every tendency, to echo its laughter and – well, to do the other thing."[3]

Evelyn Waugh contributed to the magazine regularly. Waugh was also the first to participate in the rivalry between The Isis and the freshly established Cherwell by writing for both. The Isis was disparagingly referred to in the Cherwell as "The Was-Was".

The 1930s were times of much political turmoil in Europe, yet serene in the Isis - but then, so were they in the rest of the British press. A couple of articles more flippant than political in tone resulted in the Isis being banned in Germany in 1935. Only a year later, the magazine had again to suspend its operations until 1945, to re-emerge with new strength.

The H-bomb was a significant topic for debate in 1958, and the magazine published a whole issue on the subject consisting of unsigned articles. Two of the undergraduate contributors, William Miller and Paul Thompson, were both ex-national service, and wrote about British Intelligence operations on the borders of the Soviet Union.[4] The two men were prosecuted under section 2 of the Official Secrets Act 1911, and sentenced to three months imprisonment. As result, the proprietors at Holywell Press saw the need to step in, with the objection that the staff was now "definitely left-wing and will almost inevitably remain so."

The definite article dropped from its title, in the 1960s the Isis turned its guns on Oxford. In Michaelmas Term 1961 under Editor Paul Foot, the magazine began publishing reviews of university lectures. Of themselves the reviews attracted little interest outside the university. However, the decision of the university's Proctors to ban them triggered a national outcry. Three years later, under editor Chris Meakin, Isis had a second attempt. This time it succeeded and the Proctors, despite a fierce intellectual battle with the Editor using their Proctorial Summonses, at length found it simpler to back down under the spotlight of national newspaper interest. The debate revolved around the disagreement: who was doing more to "bring the name of the university into disrepute"? > > the reviews by exposing in public the worth of university lecturers > > or the Proctors by banning the reviews? Isis won. The Reviews then lasted for several terms until less-connected editors lost interest. Exceptionally the Editor also undertook the role of lead Oxford Union critic himself, as noted above a position of considerable influence around Oxford University from the magazine's earliest days.

For the Isis Idol in his term, Meakin prophetically chose the (much later) novelist Jeffrey Archer, who showed no literary flair whatever at Oxford and never wrote for the Isis. The magazine did not only criticise Oxford. One issue during that same term was mainly devoted to an on-the-spot examination of a controversial parliamentary election in the Birmingham-area constituency of Smethwick, where the widely criticised Conservative candidate Peter Griffiths was considered to have fought a racist campaign. To produce that particular issue, Isis took a coachload of undergraduate journalists to Birmingham for the day. The result was an edition of the magazine which was widely admired and which Paul Foot hailed as "one of the best things Isis has ever done." Following his editorship, Meakin produced a weekly satirical column "The Fifth Column", a title that has been borrowed numerous times since; it then took him about fifty years to produce his first novel The Chinese Ocean published in June 2015. It was probably a record delay for editors of the magazine; he followed this in 2017 with his non-fiction "The Origin of Economies."

Meantime the first of several attempted rescues came from businessman, Robert Maxwell, and his Pergamon Press on Headington Hill, Oxford. In a risky business move, a national student publication was created - Isis National, which began distribution in Spring 1964, without success. He departed in 1970, making the Isis an entirely independent and student-run company. The "University" tag was scrapped, and the Isis was also distributed at the Oxford Polytechnic in Headington (now Oxford Brookes University). Quite soon, the absence of solid financial backing caused the frequency of publication to be cut by half,[citation needed] and the Isis began to appear fortnightly. The following decades were interspersed with financial crises, the worst of which was a £1,000 printing bill in 1972 - and no cash to cover it with.[citation needed] Again, a rescue squad appeared from an unlikely, but illustrious source, in the form of this telegram:

"Read of your financial troubles in The Times STOP One thousand pounds will be en route as soon as you cable us name and address of printers at the Granotel Rome - Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton"[citation needed]

In 1998, after a series of growing financial crises, "Isis Publications Ltd" was created. Today the Isis is a termly magazine owned and published by Oxford Student Publications Ltd and is an anthology of poetry, investigations and art. The Isis also runs events for students in Oxford.

Alumni[edit]

The Isis has been the springboard for careers in literature, the theatre and television, with specific influences in Private Eye and Westminster politics. Isis alumni include Hilaire Belloc, Evelyn Waugh, Harold Acton, Graham Greene, John Betjeman, Michael Foot, Jo Grimond, Sylvia Plath, Sue Lloyd-Roberts, playwright Dennis Potter, Adrian Mitchell, Charles Graves, Robert Robinson (the BBC broadcaster), Richard Ingrams (former editor of Private Eye), David Dimbleby (BBC Question Time), Paul Foot (former deputy editor of Private Eye), Alastair Macdonald (deputy Permanent Secretary at the Department for Trade and Industry), Derek Parfit (All Souls philosopher), Christopher Meakin (journalist, economist, banker}, Peter Gillman, Mary Kaldor (Professor at LSE), Sally Laird (writer, translator and editor),[5] Gyles Brandreth (MP and entertainer) and Terry Jones (actor). Then in the "only four issues a term" era: George Osborne, Nigella Lawson, Jo Johnson and Ben Goldacre.[6]

Editors-in-Chief 2000-Present[edit]

Year Michaelmas Hilary Trinity
2000-2001 Benjamin Secher

Gowan Tervo

Jude Bunting Ben Hewitt

Nell Freeman

2001-2002 Melissa Bradshaw

Leander Deeney

Adrian Cornell du Houx Phil Oltermann

Ally Carnwath

2002-2003 Sean Gray

Emma Farge

Mel Bradshaw

Rodrigo Davies

N/A
2003-2004 N/A Oliver Brown Julia Buckley
2004-2005 Tess Andrews

Torsten Henricson-Bell

Laura-Jane Foley

Alice Jones

Mike Wakeman

Noor Kadhim

2005-2006 Tom Pursey Christopher Schuller Georgina Warren
2006-2007 Alec Garton Ash Ruth Lewy Solvej Krause
2007-2008 Pippa Lamb Adam White Martyn Evans

Lindsey Ford

2008-2009 Oskar Cox Jensen James Kennard

Maximilian Krahé

Jo Livingstone

Rebecca Davis

2009-2010 Nick Coxon

Jack Orlik

Ben Glazer

Jack Marley-Payne

Tom Lazenby
2010-2011 Memphis Barker

Joseph Charlton

Izzie Fraser

Jim Waterson

Alex Dymoke

Alex Macpherson

2011-2012 Jane Saldanha Alex Hacillo Douglas Sloan

Sean Ayer

2012-2013 Rosie Ball

Tom Gardner

Polina Ivanova

William Granger

Philip Bell

Rebecca Chong Wilkins

2013-2014 Violet Brand

Daisy Fletcher

Aaron Payne

Charlotte Sykes

Matt Broomfield

Peter Endicott

2014-2015 Sadie Levy Gale

Olivia Yallop

Raphael Hogarth

Daniella Shreir

Huw Spencer

Miranda Hall

2015-2016 Thea Slotover

James Waddell

Alexander Hartley

Ione Wells

Christian Hill

Fintan Calpin

2016-2017 Eleanor Biggs

Jacob Lee

Rosie Coleman Collier

Samuel Dunnett

TJ Jordan

Lily Begg

2017-2018 Flo Ward

Lael Hines

Joe Higton Durrant

Tobi Thomas

Emily Lawford

Jiaqi Kang

2018-2019 Katie Meynell

Lev Crofts

Jorrit Donner-Wittkopf

Leela Jadhav

Antonio Perricone

Leo Gadaski

2019-2020 Léa Gayer de Mena

Zahra Munir

Annabelle Fuller

Neil Natarajan

Chung Kiu Kwok

Ivana Cholakova

2020-2021 Alexander Haveron-Jones

Barnaby Pite

Mukahang Limbu

Rita Kimijima-Dennemeyer

Nat Cheung

Kalli Dockrill

2021-2022 Anya Li Taira

Natalie Perman

Joseph Dobbyn

Grace Lawrence

Ananya Basu

Kiana Rezakhanlou

2022-2023 Susie Castledine

Dowon Jung

Shao Yi Wong

Mia Wu

Clemmie Read

Antara Singh

2023-2024 Isaaq Tomkins

Zoe Davies

Flavius Covaci

Caitlin Morgan

Helen Edwards

Clara Hartley

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The Isis Magazine". The Isis Est. 1892. 27 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  2. ^ Billen, Andrew; Skipworth, Mark (1984). Oxford Type: The Best of Isis. London: Robson Books Ltd. p. 11. ISBN 0-86051-213-4.
  3. ^ Beverley Nichols in his opening editorial, 1919
  4. ^ Carpenter, Humphrey (2000). That Was Satire That Was: The Satire Boom of the Sixties. London: Victor Gollancz. p. 13.
  5. ^ Kellaway, Kate (10 August 2010). "Sally Laird obituary: Writer and translator of Russian literature". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  6. ^ "The ISIS". The ISIS. Oxford Student Publications Ltd. 21 February 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2015.

Sources[edit]

  • The Isis website
  • Billen, Andrew and Skipworth, Mark. Oxford Type. Robson Books, 1984.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Isis_Magazine&oldid=1218125741"