Contemporarily, we often learn of identities through mainstream media and popular culture. Being black, you soon realise the restricted identities the media portray you as are simply inadequate. Black men are aggressive, Black women are angry, and the only way we can rise to the top is through the sport and entertainment industries. But where […]
After 22 months of enquiries a plaque was erected in December of 2021, officially recognised Ancoats as ‘Little Italy’, a “community integral to Manchester’s economic and cultural heritage since the late Nineteenth Century”. Manchester’s Italian community is described by third-generation Anglo-Italian Anthony Rea, as having provided an “exemplar for immigrant behaviour,” having “brought such character […]
Ireland has often been described as England’s blueprint for colonialism. Since the 12th century, the kings of England have claimed dominion over Ireland and the Irish have been resisting British dominion ever since. If Ireland was England’s blueprint for colonialism, then Ireland has also served as a blueprint for anti-colonial resistance. On April 18, 2021, […]
Since 2016, Polish women have been engaged in a continuous battle against the politicians from Law and Justice, a right-wing populist party led by Jarosław Kaczyński. Today, as the party lost its bid for majority in the Polish parliament, many questions concerning women’s rights start to arise. Is the democratic opposition going to liberalise the […]
The Manchester Historian If you are a current student at The University of Manchester, or a History alumnus, please get in touch by email with article ideas. We welcome submissions from all students, and if you would like to write for us at any point in the year, we would love to hear from you! […]
The Prayer Book rebellion, also referred to as the Western Rising, took place between 6th June and 17th August 1549, in Devon and Cornwall. This was a response to widespread opposition to the authorisation of the Book of Common Prayer in January of the same year. Both historically and contemporarily, Manchester has been considered by […]
This article is a contribution from our recent collaboration with pupils at Cedar Mount Academy. There’s an area in Manchester called Ancoats, also known as ‘Little Italy’. Between 1891 and 1901, 24,382 Italians migrated to Manchester, most of them were found living in Holborn, Saffron Hill and Hatton Garden, but Italians were usually found everywhere […]
Prostitution is endemic to war. War zones in a wide variety of geographical settings and throughout the course of history, all share the fact that prostitution grows relation to the presence of soldiers. There have been many historical studies on this topic spanning the brothels that served the Western Front during World War One, to […]
A chronicle of the dynastic medieval royal family known to us as the Plantagenets, narrating the many turns of the wheel of fortune which so affected their fates. This book is magnificent right from the offset. Jones begins by pointing out that the Plantagenets were never the ‘Plantagenets’ at all; as with most historical epochs, […]
David Bowie morphed from character to character, challenging every norm along the way. In his most iconic stage persona, as Ziggy Stardust, he stated that he wanted “to tart rock up.” Aladdin Sane was his next, often remembered for his lightning bolt portrait on the album cover. The 17th century Rokeby Venus painting by Diego […]
Histories of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade typically focus on those enslaved in the North American colonies and often overlook its Southern counterpart. However, those enslaved in North America during the colonial period were a minority; only 6% of Africans were taken to the East Coast of North America between 1500 and 1870. Slave imports from […]
During the later years of the empire, the Ottomans were overtly portrayed by Europeans as callous and tyrannical autocrats who subjugated Christians in the Balkans. Such narratives portrayed the Ottomans as a brutish Islamic empire, whose only ambition was to persecute its Christian minority. Such a notion is not entirely accurate, as it fails to […]
The Industrial Revolution occurred from the 18th to the 20th century, whereby rural and urban communities experienced significant changes, with each influencing the other, due to their interdependence. This article will focus on how the Industrial Revolution, particularly the introduction of steam power, transformed rural life and contributed to the highly urbanised United Kingdom of […]
With the rise of globalization and multinational companies, plus with more mediums such as television, radio, print and the internet, the volume of advertising is increasing. It is easy to assume that advertising began with the inception of new media and the birth of the global economy post-WWII. Its roots, however, can be traced much […]