Author: Retrospect Journal
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A Brief History of the Medieval Revival
As industrialisation swelled in the Western world, societies looked towards the medieval past as a means of legitimising their history. Megan Crutchley explores the forms this took in the US and UK, and the manner in which it was embedded in white elitism.
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Memorials and Memoirs: Piecing Together the Lives of Formerly Enslaved Women
Malvina Wells, born in Carriacou around 1804, was one of a number of enslaved persons brought to Scotland during the period of colonial expansionism. Verity Limond examines the stories of women freed from slavery in Britain, where sources are sparse, to help shed light on their lives and experiences.
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LGBT History in India: A Colonial Legacy
In 2018, India overturned the section of the Indian Penal Code that criminalised homosexuality. Sophie Whitehead investigates the legacy that British colonialism has left on India’s attitudes towards LGBT people.
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Is There Anybody Out There? The Golden Record in the Twentieth-Century Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
On 5 September 1977, the Voyager 1 space probe was launched into space by NASA, containing the Golden Record. Kat Jivkova traces the history and context of the Golden Record and the criticisms it has incurred since then.
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Gerald Ford: The Commuter-in-Chief
The commute to work is something many professionals have had to contend with – including the 38th President of the United States. Sam Marks explores Gerald Ford’s unconventional start to his presidency.
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The Soul from Homer to Heraclitus
As Greek philosophy emerged during the sixth century BCE, so too did a swelling interest in explaining the soul. Eleonora Soteriou discusses the work of Presocratic philosophers who, building upon the earliest Homeric theories, have sought to conceptualise the immaterial.
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Fascism: Art, Power, and Collections
What is the relationship between art and power? How is power exercised in the display of artwork in museums and galleries? Ash Tomkins discusses these questions and more through an analysis of a ‘degenerate art’ show in Nazi Germany and a modern-day auction of Adolf Hitler’s paintings.
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The Mona Lisa of the North: The Girl with a Pearl Earring
Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring” has captivated and confounded audiences since the mid-seventeenth century. Dalma Roman inspects the various meanings that have been attached to the painting over the centuries in an attempt to better understand its historical origins.
Retrospect Journal 