Tag: cultural history
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‘Poor is Cool’: What Pulp’s ‘Common People’ has to do with Hermitages and the Great British Garden
Megan Crutchley discusses the trope of working-class tourism, highlighting its origins in 18th century British practice of “Hermitages” for the elite to experience simplified, nature-bound lives. The tradition masked and glamorized the realities of working-class struggles.
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Anne Sullivan: ‘The Miracle Worker’
Helen Keller is famous for her inspiring ability to overcome obstacles in education due to being deaf and blind. Isabelle Shaw draws attention to her teacher, Anne Sullivan, and how she helped and supported Keller.
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Stormy Seas Across Sound Waves: A History of the British Shipping Forecast
The Shipping Forecast, established in 1861, is a British institution. Darcy Gresham takes us through the history of the broadcast and its importance to the UK.
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Chinatown: parallel existences or localised differences?
Chinatowns are a prominent feature around the world, but are these microcosms interconnected beyond the surface-level? Harry Fry explores the parallels and differences across Chinatowns globally.
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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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Squeaky Clean: The Origins of Modern Soap
Soap is an everyday part of most people’s routines, but it hasn’t always been. Ailsa Fraser explores the origins of soap and how its use became widespread.
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Sid and Nancy: “Punk’s Romeo and Juliet” or a toxic obsession?
The relationship between Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen has become embroiled in speculation and sensationalism in the decades following their deaths. Naomi Wallace examines the romanticism which continues to surround two of punk’s most enduring figures.
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The Language of Love – Can Anyone Understand it?
From fans to flowers, expressions of desire through symbolic means has undergone various transformations throughout European history. Megan Crutchley examines the rise and fall of such devices and their use in the pursuit of love.
Retrospect Journal 