Author: Retrospect Journal
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Phineas Gage: Mind’s the Gap
In 1848, an iron tamping rod was impaled through the head of railroad foreman Phineas Gage. His survival and recovery would render him a curiosity across the medical sciences. Sam Marks explores the mystery, and misrepresentation, surrounding the case.
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Migration and the Neocolonial ‘National Front’: British Post-war Immigration Policy and Culture
HMT Empire Windrush brought hundreds of migrants from Commonwealth countries with the promise of employment and prosperity; what greeted them was discrimination and racism. Ash Tomkins discusses the impact of Britain’s hostile post-war immigration policy, the effects of which are felt to this day.
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Journeying to the Centre of the Earth: The Scientific Accuracy of Jules Verne’s Writing
French novelist Jules Verne has been celebrated for over a century as a pioneer of the science fiction genre. Kat Jivkova examines the scientific accuracy of his work to determine whether this appellation obscures his legacy.
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From the Slums of London to the Kings Court: The Story of Nell Gwynn
From an impoverished childhood to one of the earliest female stage actors in England, Nell Gwynn became committed to the annals of history for her relationship with King Charles II. Megan Crutchley explores the life of this central figure in Restoration London.
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Namban Folding Screens
Produced during the Momoyama and Edo periods, the “namban” screens testify to the trade relationship and cultural exchange between Japan and Portugal. Chloe Bramwell explores the imagery and provenance of these richly decorated objects.
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Did Women Have Real Power in the Achaemenid Court?
In an effort to better understand the socio-political role of women in the Achaemenid empire, Eleonora Soteriou examines the various ways in which high-ranking women were able to exercise power–including holding property, hosting important social gatherings, and acting as diplomatic envoys.
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Round and Round Went the Great Big Wheel: The History of an Eponymous Fairground Ride
The Ferris wheel as we know it today was created for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exhibition in Chicago. Verity Limond explores the story of the classic fairground ride’s invention, construction, and its legacy.
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In Praise of Tears: A Short Intellectual History
Through use of semiotic discourse and structural rhetoric, Roland Barthes’ “A Lover’s Discourse” explores the symbolic nature of the tear. Georgia Smith presents a philosophical reading of this physical expression of unfettered emotion.
Retrospect Journal 