Senior Editorial Team
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Tristan Craig
Studies: MA (Hons) Ancient and Medieval History, 4th Year
Tristan is a fourth-year Ancient and Medieval History student whose research interests centre on cross-cultural interaction between the Anglo-Saxons and Scandinavian diaspora during the Early Middle Ages, with an emphasis on examining identity through the archaeological record and their literary output (particularly a good kenning). He has been involved with Retrospect since his first year, serving as a Columnist, Secretary and Digital Editor, and is delighted to be returning as this year’s Editor-in-Chief. When he’s not playing around with the WordPress or InDesign, you can find him playing video games, and always fuelled by copious amounts of coffee.
DEPUTY EDITOR / SECRETARY
Katie Reinmann
Studies: MA (Hons) History and Politics, 4th Year
Katie is a fourth-year History and Politics student who is very excited to be returning to Retrospect as Secretary after joining the team last year as a Copy Editor. She is fascinated by the global development of the nation state from the nineteenth century to the present as well as by questions of empire and imperialism. In particular, she is interested in the role that culture plays in creating a sense of national identity. While she mostly studies the modern period, she also enjoys early modern European history and will always have a soft spot for Ancient Greece. You’ll most likely find her trying out a new café, going on a long walk around the city, or lying in bed watching a film.
DEPUTY EDITOR / TREASURER
Ailsa Fraser
Studies: MA (Hons) History and Politics, 3rd Year
Ailsa is a third-year History and Politics student who joined Retrospect in her second year as a Copy Editor. Every time someone asks her what her specific historical interests are she bluescreens, but she has found she really enjoys cultural history. By day she micromanages her schedule and juggles various unadvisable projects, and by night she writes everything from creative fiction to magazine entries to academic essays. Somehow she manages to get enough sleep in between.
PR & ACADEMIC LIAISON
Sam Marks
Studies: MA (Hons) History, 2nd Year
Sam is a second-year History student whose interests range from Middle Eastern Islamic History, and American Political History. He started off as a Junior Columnist in first year but is incredibly excited and enthusiastic about serving as the society’s PR & Academic Liaison. From writing articles about micro-states to the origins of Groundhog Day, there is no part of history he’ll shy away from when thinking about articles. Outside of Retrospect, you’ll see Sam enjoying the various pub quizzes and themed nights at clubs.
PODCAST EDITOR
Sofia Parkinson Klimaschewski
Columnists
Fiona MacRae
Studies: MA (Hons) Classics, 4th Year
Fiona loves to find the bits of classical life that compare to today, be it large scale events like festivals and memorials, or little things like dating advice, graffiti and popular literature. This is her second year as a columnist with Retrospect, and she hopes to indulge her interests in the ancient novel, epic, and other fun ancient texts. When not agonising over the perfect pun for her article titles, she is likely procrasti-baking, or rehearsing for Edinburgh Studio Opera’s latest production, for which she is the Sponsorship Manager.
Meenakshi Nirmalan
Studies: MA (Hons) German and English Literature, 1st Year
Meenakshi is a first-year student of German and English Literature whose main areas of interest include 20th century European and Latin American history. She is particularly fascinated by the evolution of language, literature and art, and how these aspects simultaneously shape and are shaped by the shifting landscape of society. Outside of writing for Retrospect, Meenakshi enjoys going to live music gigs, visiting art galleries and writing poetry.
Kat Jivkova
Studies: MA (Hons) History, 3rd Year
Kat is a third-year history student, who is very excited to be returning as a columnist this year at Retrospect. She is interested in histories of science, from the development of fundamental theories, to the rise of modern scientific thought in a global context. This year, she would also like to explore Edinburgh’s own scientific past in her articles, inspired by her most recent visit to Surgeons’ Hall Museum. In her free time, she enjoys watching (and critiquing) films with friends, video editing, and exploring Edinburgh’s best places to eat.
Verity Limond
Studies: MA (Hons) Archaeology and Social Anthropology, 4th Year
Verity Limond is a fourth-year Archaeology and Social Anthropology student who is excited to be a Columnist for Retrospect after publishing a couple of articles here last year. Her interests range from military history to heritage to history in popular culture. Previously involved in the Edinburgh Political Union’s journal Leviathan as a copy editor and regional editor, she is particular about apostrophes and likes discovering new long words. Outside of the lecture hall, Verity can often be found scoping out the city’s cultural attractions or sporting a pair of muddy boots to do volunteer conservation work.
Naomi Wallace
Studies: MA (Hons) English Literature and History, 2nd Year
Naomi Wallace is a second year English Literature and History student with a focus on sixteenth-century religious and social history, which she is very excited to explore in her work for Retrospect this year! She is particularly interested in early modern women’s writing during the Reformation and the cultural impact of the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Her passion for English Literature and History as individual subjects comes together in her love for Shakespeare; she has seen the delightful comedy Much Ado About Nothing more times than she can count. Outside of studying, Naomi enjoy’s exploring all that Edinburgh has to offer, from cafes and bookshops to historic sites like Holyrood Palace.
Chloe Bramwell
Marnie Camping-Harris
Megan Crutchley
Shea Ferguson
Georgia Smith
Elenora Soteriou
Ash Tomkins
Junior Columnists
Dalma Roman
Studies: MA (Hons) Politics, 1st Year
Dalma is a first-year Politics student who recently moved to Edinburgh from the United States—Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania specifically! In particular, she is fascinated by the intersection between modern politics and traditional politics. Nonetheless, she also finds interest in art history, having a particular soft spot for contemporary modern art and Renaissance art. In her free time, she enjoys traveling around the world and going to art museums. However, you will most likely find her in bed re-reading one of her favorite classic novels and sipping a cup of coffee.
Isabelle Shaw
Studies: MA (Hons) Spanish and History, 1st Year
When she was at Sixth Form, Isabelle was part of her school’s History journal acting as Lead Editor, which she enjoyed a great deal since she had the opportunity to discover different areas of History that fascinated me. She particularly enjoys researching the forgotten victims of the Spanish Civil War and delving further into the reasons behind the forgetting pact, Spanish History as a whole is very intriguing since it has so many influences from other countries and has a rich interconnected history that contributes to it’s wonderful culture in the present. Isabelle is also a huge supporter of researching into feminist heroes of the past and especially women who overcame huge boundaries to fight for their rights, such as Mary Seacole who inspiringly managed to become a nurse despite opposition due to her race. She thoroughly enjoys reading History books and likes listening to history podcasts and documentaries/historical films.
Seth Silverberg
Studies: MA (Hons) History, 2nd Year
Seth is a second-year History student who is exited to join Retrospect for the first time, as a Junior Columnist. They are particularly interested in pre-Westernisation Japan, Viking Age Europe and Victorian Britain – especially in relation to gender and sexuality dynamics, and the role of supernatural beliefs in these societies. When not buried in coursework readings and essay writing, they are more likely to be found spending time with their rescue staffy, Floki, concentrating on one crafty project or another, or singing (badly) along to 80s and 90s music hits that unfailingly remind them how old they actually are.
Aleksandrs Skulte
Studies: MA (Hons) History, 1st Year
Aleks is a first-year History student from Latvia particularly interested in 20th century Eastern European history, including events such as the Russian Civil War, Stalinism, the Collapse of the Soviet Union and topics such as Russian imperialism and nationalism. He is particularly avid about exploring historical debates and narratives occurring across Eastern Europe, including those created by a leader whose surname begins with a P. Besides history, Aleks enjoys watching quality films and series, playing video games, skiing, traveling, reading classics and watching Formula One.
Lucy Stewart
Studies: MA (Hons) History, 1st Year
Lucy is a first year History student who is very excited about being a junior columnist for this year. Her interests centre mostly around modern history, particularly the issues of colonization within both South Africa and other countries and how the aftereffects can still be seen today. While modern history is a main interest, she will never shy away from an ancient historical topic (as long as its not about the Normans!) Outside of studying history you can see Lucy, in the canal rowing, enjoying a good film or going to the pub with friends.
Ishaabhya Tripathi
Studies: MA (Hons) Spanish and Modern History, 1st Year
Ishaabhya loves anything to do with history, including historical fiction books, period dramas, and visiting museums! She is also really passionate about languages and linguistic repression is one of the topics that she’s particularly interested in. Her non-academic interests include Taylor Swift songs, vintage fashion, and exploring more of the gorgeous city of Edinburgh.
Sophie Whitehead
Studies: MA (Hons) History, 3rd Year
Sophie is a third-year History student whose research mainly focuses on Gender History- looking at social histories from the Gin Craze in eighteenth-century London, to the History of women in science, or historic mysteries such as the princes in the tower. Sophie enjoys writing about a range of different geographical areas such as the MENA region which she looks forward to continue researching into the upcoming year. You’ll most likely find her at the beach, or watching Gilmore Girls and crocheting.
Adeline Cheung
Brigid Creswell
Copy Editors
Ruweyda Ahmed
Studies: MA (Hons) History, 2nd Year
Ruweyda is a second-year History student. Some of her historical interests are comparative revolutions to imperial history, with a focus on marginalised communities and rewriting historiography critically. She is very excited to start her role as Copy Editor and incorporating intersectional thinking into this years articles. She’ll probably be reading in a cafe or cycling around. She is excited to have this as her literary outlet and develop her skills around page-making and editing.
Jazmine Chambers
Studies: MA (Hons) Celtic and Scandinavian Studies, 2nd Year
Jazmine is a second-year Celtic and Scandinavian student, learning about both the history and language of Britain and Scandinavia. The Middle Ages are particularly interesting for them as this is when exciting medieval literary works emerged. They hope to bring to Retrospect their enjoyment of reading other people’s work, where they can learn many new, engaging things. When they’re not working, they like to read books and take long naps.
Amy Hendrie
Studies: MA (Hons) History, 3rd Year
Amy is a third-year History student returning to Retrospect after two years as a columnist, this time as a copy editor. She currently interested in the role of women in early modern China, specifically in the changes in women’s lives from the Ming dynasty to the Qing and the various continuities that can be found here. In her spare time, Amy enjoys learning new crafts; her current objective is to master knitting. So far, she has managed to knit a scarf just in time for Edinburgh’s windy winters.
Ananya Krishna
Studies: MSc Intellectual History
Ananya is a Masters student who started at Edinburgh in September. She completed her BA in History at Royal Holloway, University of London where she wrote her final dissertation on the relationship between sexual and religion morality in French Enlightenment thought, specifically in the works of Rousseau and Diderot. She is mainly interested in the intellectual history of sex, specifically the relationship between sex and power in classical mythology and how sex is used to discuss human nature in European intellectual thought. Outside of her studies, Ananya enjoys a good book, travelling and rewatching Gilmore Girls and Pride and Prejudice (2005) instead of watching something new.
Gesa Maassen
Studies: MA (Hons) History, 4th Year
Gesa is a fourth-year History student who is fascinated by the intersection of modern Chinese and African history. Her research focuses on post-Maoist economic and political history and China’s growing presence in Africa since the 1990s. She is also interested in earlier Sino-African relations, including Chinese support of African independence movements after the Second World War. Gesa is very excited to be joining the Retrospect team this year as a Copy Editor. When she’s not studying, Gesa loves to boulder, hike, play piano and explore Edinburgh.
Amelia Retter
Studies: LLM Law, 1st Year
Amelia is from New Zealand and made the move to Edinburgh to study an LLM. As a law student, she is interested in legal history, particularly the impact of high-profile cases on the development of legal reform. This is her first year being involved with Retrospect, but for the last two years she has been a technical editor for the New Zealand Women’s Law Journal. She enjoys a good book or documentary, and is loving exploring Edinburgh. Amelia is also looking forward to venturing beyond the city and making the most of the short travel times to other countries.
Elly Sturmy
Studies: MA (Hons) French and Classics, 2nd Year
Elly is a second-year French and Classics student, who is joining the Copy Editing Team at Retrospect this year. Her historical interests range across periods and regions from Ancient Greece to Medieval Europe and the Modern Middle East. In particular she loves researching the history of literature, language and film, and seeing how these medias have interacted throughout time.
Stuti Agnihotri
Gemma Blake
Evangeline May
Maisie McGuffie
Sadie Pearlstein
Maddie Perrins
Ciara Power
Eleanor Rennie
Alicia Webb
Retrospect Journal 