Dr Rajiv Prabhakar wonders whether utopian or speculative fiction, such as Edward Bellamy’s ‘Looking Backward: 2000–1887‘, might be a useful guide when considering alternative visions for the future.
Monarchies remain pivotal parts of several European countries, but how much power does a monarch really have? In a new book, The Role of Monarchy in Modern Democracy: European Monarchies Compared, edited by Professor Robert Hazell and Dr Bob Morris, contributors from across Europe consider the constitutional and political role of monarchy, its powers and functions, how […]
As Plymouth marks 400 years since the colonists set sail for what is now the US, Dr Fiona McCall, senior lecturer in early modern history at the University of Portsmouth, explores anti-puritan satire and how it was used to counteract their growing influence.
Nilakshi Srivastava, a student at the National Law Institute University in Bhopal investigates India’s domestic violence statistics, which have risen during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Research fellow Syed Badrul Ahsan explores the tragic and painful fault lines underpinning modern India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Earlier in her career, Professor Linda Newson, director of the Institute of Latin American Studies, wrote extensively on the devastating demographic impact of ‘Old World’ diseases in colonial Latin America following the arrival of Europeans. In the current Covid-19 pandemic she is constantly reminded of how many of the issues we face today have parallels […]
Professor Henning Melber explores the German version of colonial amnesia, which he says is not about a lack of historical research, but a failure to acknowledge – emotionally and politically – what is known.
Historian Christopher Phillips compares specialist involvement in the Covid-19 crisis with civilian expertise in government during the First World War. Though very different situations, both point to the importance of experts in planning for and responding to an evolving challenge. Both equally demonstrate the constraints placed on outsiders when expertise comes in to close contact […]
Dr Laura Cleaver, senior lecturer in manuscript studies and principal investigator of the European Research Council-funded CULTIVATE MSS project at the Institute of English Studies, on why sending unwanted statues to museums isn’t necessarily a solution. The toppling of the statue of Edward Colston and its subsequent deposit in Bristol harbour as part of the Black Lives […]
Diversity expert, Dr Felicity Daly, is wary of Boris Johnson’s ‘Global Britain’ vision in light of the merger of the world’s leading aid agency into the Foreign Office and hopes this new ‘super department’ does not forget Britain’s legacy and unfinished business.
