Highlights from our recent event: In Conversation with Bynum Tudor Fellow Mishal Husain
Earlier this month, Kellogg hosted the latest ‘In Conversation…’ event, welcoming acclaimed journalist, broadcaster and author Mishal Husain to discuss her powerful new family memoir, Broken Threads.
The event brought together students, fellows, alumni and members of the wider University community for an evening of thought-provoking dialogue and reflection. A video of the discussion and photographs from the event are now available to view on our YouTube channel and website.
Mishal, who served as a presenter on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme for over a decade, is set to launch a new global interview series with Bloomberg in 2025.
Mishal Husain was elected to the Bynum Tudor Fellowship at Kellogg College in December 2024 – the College’s highest honour. She joins a distinguished group of Fellows, including His Majesty King Charles III, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, former Executive Director of UN Women and Deputy President of South Africa.
“I am delighted and honoured to be a Bynum Tudor Fellow. Kellogg is a very special place, not only a beautiful place, but also because of its spirit and the way it is so international with people at different stages of their lives. It’s a community I feel really involved in.”
The event was chaired by College Vice-President Professor Yasmin Khan. Mishal shared her insights into the writing of Broken Threads, a deeply personal narrative that traces the lives of her four grandparents against the tumultuous backdrop of empire, independence, and the partition of India. Drawing from letters, diaries, tapes and heirlooms, including the fragment of an old sari that sparked her journey, Mishal reflected on what motivated her to embark on the exploration of their family’s story.
When discussing why now was the time to write her book, Mishal said:
“I realised that I had travelled the world and reported on stories all over the world, and indeed reported on South Asia, Indian elections, Pakistani elections, anniversaries of independence, terror attacks, all kinds of circumstances; it was as if the story of my own family was in the background somewhere. And finally, about four years ago, I thought, I want to bring this story from the back of my mind to the front of my mind, and yet I still want to retain something of my journalist’s eye.”
We were delighted to hold such a fascinating conversation with Mishal, and look forward to welcoming her back to Oxford again soon.
