Category: Features
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The Whisky Wars: an alcohol filled, yet good-natured, pseudo-conflict between Denmark and Canada
Darcy Gresham explores how the friendly nations of Denmark and Canada engaged in an intriguing, half-century-long dispute over the remote Arctic rock known as Hans Island.
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The Sykes-Picot Agreement: an ‘expansionist booking-in-advance’ of the Middle East
The Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916 was written by Mark Sykes and François Georges-Picot. Jasmine Khelil examines how it came about and why.
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Cowboy Communism: Dean Reed’s Tour of the Eastern Bloc
While Elvis was receiving vast applause in the US, Dean Reed was garnering similar levels of fame and stardom from the Eastern Bloc. Sam Marks explores his how this American musician found fame brought country music to Soviet states.
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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.
Retrospect Journal 