Retrospect
Journal.

EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY'S HISTORY, CLASSICS AND ARCHAEOLOGY MAGAZINE

Blog: https://retrospectjournal.com/
Profile: https://retrospectjournal.com/author/retrospectsubmissions/

Curious and Curiouser: The Anomaly of the Early Modern Witch Craze in Russia

Millie Oliver details Russian witchcraft, analysing why it differed to the stereotypical witchcraft crazes seen elsewhere.
The Forgotten Stance: A Brief History of Spanish Non-Belligerence in World War Two

Owen James explores how Spain narrowly avoided World War II, debunking the myth of Franco’s “astute caution”. The article highlights the failed Hendaye meeting, where excessive imperial demands clashed with Hitler’s goals, and the Blue Division’s anti-communist crusade, proving Spanish non-belligerence was a result of necessity, not design.
Phaedra’s Youth and How it Benefits Aphrodite’s Mission in Euripides’ Hippolyta

Bethany Hicks-Gravener writes an emotional, introspective account of Euripides’ Phaedra.
The ‘discovery’ of Machu Picchu as an object of the West

Bethan Williamson discusses how Machu Picchu challenges colonial narratives of discovery, addressing the site’s significance beyond tourism, its role in national identity, and how it highlights indigenous contributions.
Down the Rabbit-Hole: Uncovering Bodily Experience through Monstrous Birth

Abby Hughe explores the eighteenth-century scandal of Mary Toft, a woman who claimed to give birth to rabbits.
Beyond the ‘Puppet State’: Rethinking the 1960-63 Katangese Secession

Edie Christian re-examines the 1960–63 Katangese secession. While traditionally viewed as a “puppet regime” for Belgian mining interests, Christian highlights recent scholarship emphasising the political agency of local leaders like Moïse Tshombe, offering a more nuanced perspective on this postcolonial conflict.
In What Ways Did the Eighteenth-Century Satirical Print Represent the Black Dandy?

Mananhil Masood explores representations of blackness in eighteenth-century English satirical prints through analysing Black dandyism .
American Involvement in the Cambodian War and Genocide

Owen James explores the tragic, overlooked history of Cambodia during the Cold War. By examining catastrophic bombing campaigns and covert political maneuvers, James argues for American complicity in the rise of the Khmer Rouge. This account reveals how US actions helped facilitate a horrifying genocide that devastated the entire nation .