Another annus horribilis? ‘The Family Firm’ one year on…
As the UK endures its own truly horrible year, monarchy historian Dr Ed Owens sees opportunities for the still struggling Windsors.
All posts filed under: Politics & Law
Looking backward to look forward: reading Edward Bellamy during Covid-19
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.
The Role of Monarchy in Modern Democracy
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 […]
Mayflower 400: how society feared and ridiculed puritans
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.
India records surge in domestic violence cases during Covid-19 crisis
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.
India’s partition mapped out by blunders and blood
Research fellow Syed Badrul Ahsan explores the tragic and painful fault lines underpinning modern India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Reflections on the Covid-19 crisis from the perspective of Latin American history
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 […]
In the shadow of genocide: German colonial amnesia
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.
‘Following the science’: the role of experts in historical perspective
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 […]
Museums may not thank you for your unloved statues
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 […]