First Ever European Taylor Swift Debate Held At UK University

2 June 2024, 07:00 | Updated: 3 June 2024, 16:48

To celebrate the UK leg of The Eras Tour, the University of Kent held the first ever Europe-based academic debate on Taylor Swift.

While the 'So High School' singer settled into her Cotswolds home, on Friday May 31st, serious Swifties headed down to Canterbury for the first ever UK based Taylor Swift academic debate.

In honour of the UK leg of The Eras Tour, set to start a week after the event, the University of Kent hosted ''F*ck the Patriarchy': A Taylor Swift Conference' with speakers discussing all the ways Taylor has become a cultural phenomenon.

Of course there are a multitude of ways to dissect the 'TTPD' genius, from her legal impacts to her historical relevance, and the debate was sure to cover all grounds.

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Capital spoke to History PhD candidate Jack Cox who spoke on the third panel: 'The role you made me play': Swift & Female Agency'.

In his speech, titled 'Taylor Swift and Rebekah Harkness: The Lives, Experiences and Contemporary Perception', the academic reflected on Taylor's Folklore hit 'The Last Great American Dynasty'.

Much like the lore of Taylor's 'Clara Bow', 'The Last Great American Dynasty' was written about 'composer, philanthropist, and heiress' Rebekah Harkness.

Jack used his presentation to look at the similarities between Taylor and Rebekah, with a particular reflection on "her life and death, friends, relationships, philosophy and patronage to compare how society's perception of women has changed".

Although History student Jack is a self-proclaimed Swifty, this type of research was beyond the realms of his day-to-day work, however he said it was interesting to research 'outside of his usual area'.

"It was good to mix with other academics from other countries and specialism," he said, noting that the first presentation of law was a particular stand out moment for him.

Just recently the impact of Taylor's tour led to 'House File 1989' being written into Minnesota state law (a bill to protect ticket buyers). Taylor's influence really knows no bounds.

Dr Claire Hurley who organised the event said wanted to create a space for people to come together to discuss Taylor as an artist and "what it means to be a young woman in today's world".

She said: "Many swifties spend lots of time on websites like reddit unpacking her work, so we wanted a real-life forum for the same thing!"

The Lecturer in American and 20th Century Literature also said she brought together academics with the hope that "Swiftie Studies in universities can advance".

The University of Kent is not alone with its Taylor-centric investigation, with The University of Liverpool set to host 'Tay Day' on June 12th featuring similar debates and academic discussions.

Swifties were able to predict the unpredictable double album drop so it's no wonder they are able to eloquently debate the spectacle that is Miss Taylor Swift.

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