Written by: Lewis Twiby. On 12 August 1883 the last known quagga died in captivity in Amsterdam Zoo; surveys could find no traces of quagga in the wild, confirming its extinction. The extinction of the quagga was deeply entwined with imperial culture and the formation of settler rule in South Africa. Continue reading The Quagga and Colonialism
Written by: Dr Jake Blanc. In light of the UCU strikes and EUSA’s overwhelming vote in favour of supporting the UCU, we invite Dr Jake Blanc to write on why he and other lecturers are striking. Continue reading A Letter To My Students
Written by: Lewis Twiby. One of the many communities to call New York home is the Dominican community which Jesse Hoffnung-Garskof looks at in his 2008 book A Tale of Two Cities: Santo Domingo and New York after 1950. Hoffnung-Garskof offers an interesting insight into how diasporas and culture are formed. He is also keen to stress that diasporas do not exist in a vacuum – they interact with both the ‘homeland’ and other diasporas. Continue reading Review: A Tale of Two Cities by Jesse Hoffnung-Garskof
Written by: Rosie Byrne. The AIDS Crisis has caused over 35 million deaths worldwide since its outbreak in the 1980s; it produced widespread fear because of its threat to society as an unknown disease. Continue reading Fear and Collective Memory: Remembering the HIV/AIDS Crisis
Written by: Prim Phoolsombat. On 18 June 2019, California governor Gavin Newsom officially recognized and apologized for the systematic genocide of California’s Native Americans. Continue reading The 19th Century California genocide
Written by: Justin Biggi. Content Warning: This post contains graphic discussions of violence, gore, and self-harm. I believe that an ulterior dimension can be added to how we read Seneca’s use of violence if we read it through the lens of modern-day horror theory. Continue reading Seneca Revisited
Written by: Laila Ghaffar. In the narrative of the British colonisation of India, it would be very easy to understand the Indians as passive and helpless in the face of rapid British expansion. After all, history is written by the winners. However, one look at ‘Tipu’s Tiger’ and an entirely different story is conveyed. Continue reading ‘Tipu’s Tiger’ and the Importance of Visual Language
Written by: Prim Phoolsombat. Before its demolition in 1994, Kowloon Walled City occupied only six-and-a-half acres in Kowloon Province, Hong Kong and had the world’s highest population density ratio. With a chaotic reputation for opium dens, brothels, and crime syndicates, it’s complex history as a political no-man’s-land between Chinese and British authorities throughout the twentieth century has rendered it a famed, almost fantastical site of cultural memory. Continue reading Remembering the legacy of Kowloon Walled City
Written by: Kvitka Perehinets. The media has always had significant political influence in communist societies, such as Yugoslavia. It soon became clear that as Yugoslavia fell apart, the media of the individual republics served not as an informational platform for its peoples, but rather as a tool for boosting support ‘for the stances taken by their leaderships’. Continue reading The Significance of the Media in the Provocation and Resolution of the Conflict between Bosnian Serbs and Bosnian Muslims (1992-1995): An Analysis
Written by: Jack Bennett. The international political, economic and military landscape was chilled by the ongoing tensions between the USA and USSR during the Cold War. These hostilities contributed to the flaring of ‘hot conflicts’ through ‘proxy wars’ across Africa following the process of decolonisation during the latter half of the twentieth century. Continue reading Shadow Wars: Cold War Foreign Policy in Africa
Written by: Tristan Craig. Christ Mocked, one of only eleven known wood panel paintings attributed to the artist, was found hung inconspicuously above the stove of the anonymous woman’s home. There remains a great deal of mystery surrounding this discovery – especially how it came to be hung on the wall of a kitchen in Compiegne. Continue reading The Lost Cimabue: Reflections on a Medieval Master
Written by: Lisa Doyle Myths from the past permeate modern society and culture to an extent that most people are not aware of. When using the word ‘mythology’, I am, in fact, referring to stories. Stories that have been told and re-told across generations. The mythological stories of Ancient Greece are the ultimate examples. Of course, many people are aware of Zeus, the god of … Continue reading Ancient Myths Retold
