Category: Features
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Girdles and Charms: Notes on Women’s Healthcare and Christian and Jewish Practices Surrounding Birth During the Medieval Period
The article examines medieval birth practices, highlighting the roles of women and midwives in Christianity and Judaism. Helene Chaligne discusses the significance of birth girdles, charms, and relevant contemporary literature while querying historical perspectives on women’s healthcare involvement.
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The Last Cavalier? The Complicated Legacy of George Armstrong Custer
Sam Mackenzie imagines George Armstrong Custer through his complex legacy of heroism, controversy, and his actions against Native Americans.
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Hulme Crescents: A Case Study in Manchester’s Post-Slum Clearance Experiment and a Lesson for British Social Housing
Many British industrial cities were marked by decline after the Second World War. Jake Beecroft recounts the case of Hulme Crescents in Manchester, illustrating the failures of urban renewal and advocating for people-centred urban planning.
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SALVE! SPOTLIGHT
The reputation of Claudia Julia Livia is one of high contention. Georgie Nisbit recounts the various framings of her life in the style of a newspaper exposé.
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Prairie Fever and Indigenous Wisdom
During the nineteenth century, many people traversed across North America to settle in the Datokas, being promised the ‘American Dream’ of acres and acres of land. Kate Phillips examines the ‘prairie fever’ experienced by settlers and the true use of prairies for indigenous peoples.
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Why Woodrow Wilson Didn’t Actually Support Self-Determination
American President Woodrow Wilson has a long-standing legacy of promoting self-determination for marginalized groups. But how much of this is true? Annika Rasmussen offers a critical analysis of Wilson’s mythological legacy.
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The Life and Legacy of Mary Burton, 1819-1909
Mary Burton was an influential activist of the nineteenth century who advanced women’s rights in Scotland. Lauren Hood explores her life and legacy in Edinburgh today.
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The Angevin Kings: How King John destroyed the Dynasty.
This feature examines the reigns of Henry II, Richard I, and John Lackland, as part of a broader conceptualisation of the so-called Angevin Empire. Poppy Williams highlights the decline of the Angevin Empire due to John’s mismanagement, conflicts, and the impact of the Magna Carta on monarchy power.
Retrospect Journal 