Written by: Lisa Doyle Myths from the past permeate modern society and culture to an extent that most people are not aware of. When using the word ‘mythology’, I am, in fact, referring to stories. Stories that have been told and re-told across generations. The mythological stories of Ancient Greece are the ultimate examples. Of course, many people are aware of Zeus, the god of … Continue reading Ancient Myths Retold
Written by: Lisa Doyle Sexual relations between men are amongst the most remarked upon features of ancient Greek society. It is indeed prevalent in the various sources we have for this period, including literary and visual. Although much of the scholarship and research on this subject uses the term ‘homosexuality’ to describe these relationships, this modern terminology is not strictly applicable to the ancient Greek … Continue reading ‘Homosexuality’ in Ancient Greece
Written by: Carissa Chew The ‘Strike for Freedom’ treasures exhibition, displayed at the National Library of Scotland from 4 October 2018 to 16 February 2019 in commemoration of the 200 year anniversary of Frederick Douglass’s birth, celebrates the life and work of one of the most renowned black American abolitionists and his historic connections to the Scottish capital. Frederick Douglass (c.1818-1895), who escaped slavery in … Continue reading ‘Strike for Freedom’: Frederick Douglass, Scotland, and the Slave Trade
Written by: Josh Newmark With mass demonstrations, a dramatic challenge to the Presidency, and the possibility of foreign intervention in the air, recent events in Venezuela have focused attention around the embattled strongman regime of Nicolas Maduro. This reinforces the tendency towards a ‘Great Man’ conception of Venezuela which has framed most common understandings of recent history around Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez, and the regime he … Continue reading George Ciccariello-Maher on Revolutionary Venezuela
Written by Luke Neill Rohinton Mistry’s 1995 novel A Fine Balance is set in 1970s India and follows four characters who come to interact with each other over a period of around 15 years. There is Dina, the struggling landlady whose husband was run over and killed whilst cycling to buy ice cream for a family gathering; Ishvar and Omprakash, tailors whose families had been … Continue reading Review: A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
Written by: Martha Stutchbury John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) is a man whose lasting influence on the Western liberal tradition cannot be overstated. He is recognised for attempting to reconcile utilitarianism – the political philosophy which notoriously prioritises ‘majority rule’ over the individual, with self-governance and individual rights. He is perhaps most famous within academic circles for articulating the ‘harm principle’, an argument for near-absolute freedom … Continue reading A Look at the Life of John Stuart Mill
Written by: Lisa Doyle One of the outstanding features of societies in antiquity, a feature that tends to be forgotten as we relish in the literature and traditions left behind them, is the slavery system. Both Greece and Rome were slave-owning societies, but Roman slavery especially seemed to experience greater longevity and was executed to a greater effect. The way Rome may be distinguished from … Continue reading Roman Slavery: The Unique Features and Longevity of a Slavery System in Antiquity
Written by: Scarlett Butler In a recent interview Emily Weiss, the CEO of the successful new beauty brand Glossier, said that her business was both a beauty and a tech company. Weiss emphasised the company’s innovative use of social media to involve their (primarily female) customers in design, product development and promotion. Despite their technological leaning, Glossier sits in a longer legacy of effortless cool … Continue reading Making Beauty History with Glossier
Written by: Toby Gay After possibly the most damaging year for the Roman Catholic Church in recent times with the global sex abuse crisis spiralling out of the control in the Vatican, and with Pope Francis bemoaning the current ‘weary’ condition of the Church, 2019 may be the year when the very structure and purpose of the world’s oldest international institution is questioned and reformed. … Continue reading The Influence of the Roman Empire on the Catholic Church
Written by: Carissa Chew On Wednesday 30 January, the Global and Transnational History Research Group welcomed Professor Rebecca Earle from the University of Warwick to present her research on ‘Potatoes and the Pursuit of Happiness’. In this seminar, Earle explored the potato as a foodstuff that came to be imbued with a distinct political significance in eighteenth-century Enlightenment Europe, challenging the typical historiographical assumption that imbuing … Continue reading Research Seminar Review: “Potatoes and the Pursuit of Happiness”
Written by: Josh Minister In the summer of 1944, a woman, unknown to many, stood out from the misery and suffering of those about to enter the barracks at Auschwitz. Her pale skin and bright blue eyes indicated that she was not Jewish. She had been transported from a holding camp in Budapest to Auschwitz where she died, supposedly of ‘cachexia following intestinal catarrh,’ however, it … Continue reading Jane Haining: The Only Scot to Die in Auschwitz
Written by: Martha Stutchbury In 1921, the British combined three Mesopotamian vilayets (districts) into statehood under King Faisal I, establishing the geo-political territory that we recognise as present-day Iraq. This article briefly considers the ethnically and religiously diverse composition of Iraq in 1921, and the subsequent attempts of British and Iraqi authorities to engender a national identity amongst the divided population. Guiditta Fontana claims that … Continue reading The Artificial Construction of Iraq
