Traditionally, the festival of Diwali (the festival of lights), is said to spiritually signify the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil, and hope over despair. However, during the 1802 festival, a fierce battle, known as the Battle of Poona, erupted near Pune, India, between the rival factions of the Maratha […]
As yet another state breaks international law, chemical weapons are again at the forefront of the debate about human rights. Tom Oliver looks at how has the rhetoric of human rights developed since its inception.
What brought you to Manchester and what were you doing just prior? Before Manchester, I was in a trans-cultural studies research group at the University of Heidelberg. Our focus was on trading diasporas in the Eastern Mediterranean and Northern Europe, which has informed some of my current research. I was drawn to Manchester because of […]
The execution of American serial killer Ted Bundy in 1989 brought an end to his elaborate decade-long game of cat and mouse. Between 1974 and 1978, Bundy is believed to have raped and murdered at least 30 women and girls across the United States. In his compelling final interview, just hours before his electrocution, Bundy […]
Imogen Clark writes a potted history of the first two years of the American Civil War leading up to the pinnacle moment of the Gettysburg Address. “Four score and seven years ago…” So began one of the most iconic speeches in modern history, spoken by the President who led the USA through the horrors of […]
In conversation with the History department’s latest addition The history of European integration can be traced back to 1306, and the idea proposed by Pierre Dubois that European princes should form an assembly in order to attempt to secure a lasting European peace. 706 years later, much of the continent is tied, to some degree, […]
As yet another state breaks international law, chemical weapons are again at the forefront of the debate about human rights. Tom Oliver looks at how has the rhetoric of human rights developed since its inception.
The history of European integration can be traced back to 1306, and the idea proposed by Pierre Dubois that European princes should form an assembly in order to attempt to secure a lasting European peace. 706 years later, much of the continent is tied, to some degree, to the European Union evidenced by Greece’s recent […]
According to Greek mythology, the first humans were conjoined. They were completely self-sufficient and lived utopian lives. This greatly displeased the Gods, who conspired to partthem withbright flashes of lightening. Ever since, men and women have been separated, eternally in search of their soulmate or their ‘better half’. Todaywe can find love from the comforts […]
Tito’s wife, Jovanka Broz, recently died in her home state of Serbia after a relatively reclusive final few decades due to an initial period of home imprisonment. Ben Beach explores the role of wives of notorious dictators, and questions whether they are innocent bystanders or conspirators.
‘See how the ugly witch doth bend her brows, As if, with Circe, she would change my shape’ (Shakespeare, King Henry VI Part I). It is no coincidence that Shakespeare dramatized accusations of witchcraft upon his sixteenth-century stage when dealing with politically powerful women, like Joan of Arc, who threatened the early modern patriarchal social […]
Source: wikimedia commons The recent sending of a monkey into space by Iran might sound like figment of the delusional mind of Karl Pilkington at first glance, but it did actually occur. In doing so, Iran joined a significant list of nations who have gleefully sent our simian chums into space over the years, although […]
This article will feature in Issue 36: Ideology & Faith (May 2020) James Baldwin was born in Harlem in 1924, raised by his mother Berdis Jones and step father Reverend David Baldwin. Baldwin’s relationship with his step father would shape his understanding of life as an African-American in the twentieth century; his biological and emotional […]
For many, the arrival of the festive season is marked by the annual re-emergence of a televisual advertising phenomenon which has captivated generations. Coca-Cola’s Christmas promotion has become synonymous with the spread of merry cheer; the familiar sight of red trucks adorned with spellbinding luminosities weaving into view signals the commencement of what is for […]