Category: Features
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Funding the Arts in Ancient Athens
The Dionysia, a festival in ancient Athens on honour of the god Dionysus, featured plays sponsored by choregoi: wealthy citizens who financed the performance in exchange for social prestige. Fiona MacRae explores how the benefaction model of ancient Athens might be the key to saving the performing arts today.
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NEVER AGAIN: Reflecting on Illegal Abortions in the US Fifty Years on From Roe v Wade
In April 1973, the Supreme Court ruling Roe v Wade granted the constitutional right to choose an abortion. In June 2022, this landmark ruling was overturned. By examining the situation in the US prior to 1973, Naomi Wallace discusses how history can reveal its devastating impact.
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Revealing Royal Jewellery: The Chequers Ring
Once belonging to Queen Elizabeth I, the Chequers Ring has prompted intrigue – not least concerning the identity of the woman whose portrait sits alongside the monarch. Naomi Wallace discusses the theories surrounding this captivating piece.
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Victoria 3: How Historical Strategy Games Shape Views on the Past
The video game industry has had a profound influence on shaping public understanding of history, not least in the strategy genre. Aleksandrs Skulte discusses both the positives and pitfalls of “Victoria 3”, and the pedagogical opportunities this form of popular media presents.
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A Brief History of the Medieval Revival
As industrialisation swelled in the Western world, societies looked towards the medieval past as a means of legitimising their history. Megan Crutchley explores the forms this took in the US and UK, and the manner in which it was embedded in white elitism.
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The South African Apartheid: The Effects upon the Next Generation
The South African apartheid ended in the 1990s, but the effect those laws have had on new generations is still significant. Lucy Stewart examines the impact the history of apartheid has had on mental health in South Africa today.
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Hesiod’s Guide to Winter
Hesiod’s “Works and Days” serves as an instruction on how to be a good farmer, including when poor weather hits. Fiona MacRae looks to the ancient Greek poet for some advice on how we might brave the colder months – goat skin optional.
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Claudia Efemini set to publish debut novel A Letter Away From Asaba in Spring 2023
“A Letter Away From Asaba”, the debut novel of former Retrospect Columnist Claudia Efemini, follows the lives of two friends who confront the British press’ censorship of the 1967 Asaba massacre. Exploring their grief, trauma and resilience, Claudia’s novel, set for release in 2023, aims to bring awareness to a largely neglected event in Nigerian history.
Retrospect Journal 