The Daily Telegraph

Oxford dons’ boycott

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SIR – In the academic world it is seldom accidental that people work on what they do. Personal enthusiasm can drive energetic if not always completely objective research, as exemplifie­d in the case of Professor Kate Tunstall’s long and distinguis­hed career.

In connection with her prominent role in the recent boycotting of Oriel College, Oxford (report, June 11), it may not be irrelevant to note that her scholarly endeavours have been primarily concerned with the writings of Denis Diderot (1713-84), the French Enlightenm­ent “philosophe­r”, best known for his belief (as paraphrase­d from his poem Les Éleuthérom­anes) that “Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest”.

So perhaps we can see where these troubles are coming from, and with what we have to deal.

Richard Sharp

Senior research fellow, Worcester College, Oxford, 1995-2002 Glanton, Northumber­land

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