Written by: Lisa Doyle Sexual relations between men are amongst the most remarked upon features of ancient Greek society. It is indeed prevalent in the various sources we have for this period, including literary and visual. Although much of the scholarship and research on this subject uses the term ‘homosexuality’ to describe these relationships, this modern terminology is not strictly applicable to the ancient Greek … Continue reading ‘Homosexuality’ in Ancient Greece

Written by: Carissa Chew The ‘Strike for Freedom’ treasures exhibition, displayed at the National Library of Scotland from 4 October 2018 to 16 February 2019 in commemoration of the 200 year anniversary of Frederick Douglass’s birth, celebrates the life and work of one of the most renowned black American abolitionists and his historic connections to the Scottish capital. Frederick Douglass (c.1818-1895), who escaped slavery in … Continue reading ‘Strike for Freedom’: Frederick Douglass, Scotland, and the Slave Trade

Written by: Martha Stutchbury John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) is a man whose lasting influence on the Western liberal tradition cannot be overstated. He is recognised for attempting to reconcile utilitarianism – the political philosophy which notoriously prioritises ‘majority rule’ over the individual, with self-governance and individual rights. He is perhaps most famous within academic circles for articulating the ‘harm principle’, an argument for near-absolute freedom … Continue reading A Look at the Life of John Stuart Mill

Written by: Scarlett Butler In a recent interview Emily Weiss, the CEO of the successful new beauty brand Glossier, said that her business was both a beauty and a tech company. Weiss emphasised the company’s innovative use of social media to involve their (primarily female) customers in design, product development and promotion. Despite their technological leaning, Glossier sits in a longer legacy of effortless cool … Continue reading Making Beauty History with Glossier

Written by: Josh Minister In the summer of 1944, a woman, unknown to many, stood out from the misery and suffering of those about to enter the barracks at Auschwitz. Her pale skin and bright blue eyes indicated that she was not Jewish. She had been transported from a holding camp in Budapest to Auschwitz where she died, supposedly of ‘cachexia following intestinal catarrh,’ however, it … Continue reading Jane Haining: The Only Scot to Die in Auschwitz

Written by: Martha Stutchbury In 1921, the British combined three Mesopotamian vilayets (districts) into statehood under King Faisal I, establishing the geo-political territory that we recognise as present-day Iraq. This article briefly considers the ethnically and religiously diverse composition of Iraq in 1921, and the subsequent attempts of British and Iraqi authorities to engender a national identity amongst the divided population. Guiditta Fontana claims that … Continue reading The Artificial Construction of Iraq

Written by Josh Newmark I left seven years of formal Jewish education with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the early Israeli-Arab Wars, but little knowledge of Jewish diaspora history – despite being a history geek on my way to a history degree. Aside from a bit about the school’s historical origins in the Jewish East End of London, centuries of Jewish experience were largely skipped over between … Continue reading An Antidote to Narrow Conceptions of Jewish History

Written by Candice Maharaj Image: Melton Prior, Carnival in Port of Spain Trinidad, 1888, Illustrated London News. Carnival is a festival that is celebrated annually during the weeks leading up to Lent. It is a period of celebration that involves music, costumes, processions, feasting and a lot of alcohol. Traditionally, during Lent people had to abstain from any festivities and rich foods such as meat, alcohol, and … Continue reading The Origins and Evolution of Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago

Written by Candice Maharaj Friday 9 November 2018 marked the 20th anniversary of the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA). The Act incorporates the content of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) into UK law. Additionally, the Act makes it unlawful for public bodies to act in a way that is incompatible with the ECHR; it requires courts to take account of decisions or statements made by the European … Continue reading Celebrating Twenty Years of the Human Rights Act 1998

Written by Luke Neill Much has been written about the daily routine of Donald Trump. In particular, after the recent release of various White House documents regarding his lists of meetings and appointments, this has revolved largely around the several hours of ‘executive time’ that Trump has each day. What is ‘executive time’? If you believe Michael Wolff, author of the bestselling Fire and Fury: … Continue reading Searching for Meaning in the Political Bubble: Donald Trump and Maurice Cowling

Written by Carissa Chew On 17 October, the Global and Transnational Group and Scottish Centre for Diaspora Studies jointly welcomed Dr. Julia McClure from the University of Glasgow to present her latest research on ‘Poverty on the Move in the Spanish Empire’, a project that McClure framed as part of a broader challenge to the invisibility of poverty in the historiography of global history. In … Continue reading Research Seminar Review: Dr. Julia McClure’s ‘Poverty on the Move in the Spanish Empire’

Written by Chris Spencer Image: Photograph of the 2018 Labour Conference, https://www.rt.com/op-ed/439492-uk-labour-party-conference-corbyn/, accessed 21 October 2018. Keynote speeches at this year’s Labour Party conference were especially notable for their use of history. Speeches were littered with anniversaries that, supposedly, socialists should celebrate. The centenary of female suffrage in Britain was an unsurprisingly consistent feature, but then there was John McDonnell’s vague allusion to the Parliamentarians of … Continue reading The Use of History in the 2018 Labour Conference