Category: Academic
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Hellhound Blues at the Devil’s Crossroads: The Life and Legacy of Robert Johnson
Written by Megan Downie and Melissa Kane. The legend surrounding 1930s blues musician Robert Johnson has made his story somewhat of a myth. With a huge influence on musicians in the later twentieth century, what can be deciphered about Johnson’s life?
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The Curse of Oil
Written by Finlay Cormack. The history of oil is one steeped in colonial discourses and imperial ambitions. With continuing conflict arising from this commodity in the Middle East, how can we understand the influence of the global north in the origins of oil disputes?
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“Hell on wheels”: The Miserable History of the Edinburgh Trams project, 2001 to the Present
Written by Inge Erdal. Anyone who’s been living in Edinburgh for a while is familar with the central tram system. To the ire of many inhabitants, the project was plagued with problems for the start. What can it tell us about local governance, national projects, and the task of creating urban environments in the twenty-first…
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Tomb Robbery in Twentieth and Twenty-First Dynasty Egypt
Written by Alice Goodwin. As economic crises plagued the late New Kingdom in Pharaonic Egypt, tomb robbery became a means of acquiring material wealth. However, tolerance of this covert practice varied widely depending on the target of their raids.
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Murderous Pigs and Ex-Communicated Rats: Edward Payson Evans’ Handbook of Animal Trials
Written by Ebba Andersson. Scholars have long relied on Edward Payson Evans’ large appendix of animal trials. From rats to goats, there are details of trials throughout European history. Yet, is there more to this text than meets the eye?
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Quaternions and the Hidden History of William Kingdon Clifford
Written by Kat Jivkova. William Kingdon Clifford, for whom Clifford algebra is named, was responsible for numerous advancements in the field of mathematics. Despite being largely overshadowed, due in part to his untimely death, his work on geometric algebra has had a profound influence on the discipline.
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Lay Conflicts and Responses to the Protestant Reformation
Written by Nikita Nandanwad. Lay responses to the Protestant Reformation were wide-ranging. Some responded with violent iconoclasm whilst others syncretised their religious beliefs.
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Gender Nonconforming Lives in Interwar Germany
Written by Connor Wimblett. Throughout the interwar period, transgender people in Germany were able to express their gender identities in new ways. The Institut für Sexualwissenschaft in Berlin was a key space and leader in queer research and healthcare.
Retrospect Journal 