Dr Sarah Irving-Stonebraker | Our Rootless Age
Something in our cultural moment has shifted. Across the globe, people feel disconnected. They’re unsure of where they belong, yet paradoxically more tribal. Education is shaped by ideology. Politics infuses every sphere. We struggle to disagree well.
These are symptoms of what Dr Sarah Irving-Stonebraker calls our “Ahistoric Age.”
She argues that we are forgetting how to remember. The past is often treated as irrelevant, discarded in favour of narratives of self-fulfilment and self-creation. As our historical understanding dims, so too does our ability to comprehend the present. We become foreigners in our own time.
So how might history ground us when it so often divides? At the 2026 Sir John Graham Lecture, Dr Irving-Stonebraker explored what it means to steward history. She explained how recovering lost and overlooked stories can restore a sense of belonging and inheritance.
When we can’t remember the past, not only are we condemned to repeat it; we actually lose what holds us together.
About the speaker
Dr Sarah Irving-Stonebraker is an Australian-based historian who specialises in British history and the intersection of religion, science, and politics. She received her PhD in History from Cambridge University and held a Junior Research Fellowship at Oxford University. Dr Irving-Stonebraker is the author of two books, Priests of History: Stewarding the Past in an Ahistoric Age and Natural Science and the Origins of the British Empire.
Event details
Date: Friday 17 July 2026
Time: 6pm
Venue: Pullman Hotel, Auckland
Event sponsors
Sir John Graham
Sir John Graham was an exemplary New Zealander who displayed the character and care for others we see in our best leaders. Along with his well-known leadership roles as Captain of the All Blacks, Headmaster of Auckland Grammar, and Chancellor of the University of Auckland, Sir John inspired and led many organisations, including Maxim Institute.
He was recognised with a CBE in 1994 for services to education and the community and was knighted in 2011. As a Founding Trustee of Maxim, Sir John Graham’s deep love for New Zealand, his passion for education, and concern for those on the margins of life remain at the heart of our work. We are honoured to be able to hold this annual lecture in his name.
The annual Sir John Graham Lecture is one of our nation’s premier opportunities to hear thought-provoking insights and deepen public dialogue.
Nick Aroney | The Compass of Character
Dr Sarah Irving-Stonebraker explored what it means to steward history.
Tom Simpson | Rebuilding Trust: Populists, Elitists, and the Future of our Democracy
Trust has declined steadily in the developed world over some decades; more sharply in recent years.