Category: Features
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Making Good Use of Bad Rubbish: What Studying the Past Teaches us About Sustainability
From mudlarks to rag-and-bone men, jobs which involve the collecting of discarded materials have been commonplace through British history. Verity Limond discusses how the practice of re-use might be adapted to help us live more sustainably in the present-day.
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Changing Altitudes: The Impact of the Tobacco Industry on the Prohibition of In-Flight Smoking in the US
Prior to 1988, smoking was permitted on all commercial aircrafts. Kat Jivkova discusses the health studies which led to its ban and the pro-tobacco campaigners who sought to delay it.
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Is Big Brother Still Watching? How Orwell’s 1984 Predicted the Future
George Orwell’s dystopian novel, “1984”, serves as a cautionary tale of the dangers of suppression and mass surveillance. Dalma Roman discusses how these themes have become intwined in our lives today.
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The Flags of Reaction: The Usage of Past Symbology by the Global Far-Right
Throughout history, flags have served as emblems of both the state and national identity. However, they can also be used to propagate political ideology and as symbolic statements in partisan protest, as Christopher Boyne discusses.
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The People of the Gaps: Rescuing Roman Slaves from Obscurity
With limited textual evidence, understanding the lives of enslaved people in Ancient Rome is a difficult task. Verity Limond examines how the archaeological record may be used to shed more light on their lived experience.
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Equality in Art: Las Mujeres Sin Sombrero
“Las Sinsombrero” were a group of Spanish female artists in the Generation of 1927 who challenged gender inequality and the lack of recognition for their work. Isabelle Shaw provides a history of their resistance and biographies of some of its revolutionary members.
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The Language of Love – Can Anyone Understand it?
From fans to flowers, expressions of desire through symbolic means has undergone various transformations throughout European history. Megan Crutchley examines the rise and fall of such devices and their use in the pursuit of love.
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‘Do What You Want, Just Know What You’re Doing’: The Life of Jackie Shane
Born in Nashville, Jackie Shane came to be a prominent figure in the Toronto soul music scene. However, as a Black, transgender woman in the 1960s, she was forced to overcome racism and homophobia – something which fed into her dynamic performances. Megan Crutchley discusses Shane’s powerful legacy.
Retrospect Journal 