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.
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 […]
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 […]
Professor Sarah Churchwell, director of the School of Advanced Study’s annual Being Human festival, reflects on the role of the arts and humanities during the coronavirus pandemic, and on the importance of human connection.
A remark by Boris Johnson, that “there is such a thing as society” in a recent press conference reflects the all-encompassing social impact of the coronavirus pandemic, says Dr Ben Williams, a lecturer in politics and political theory at the University of Salford. But it was also a significant political statement. His carefully chosen words reflect […]
Dr Silvia Panizza, a University College Dublin philosopher in coronavirus lockdown in Italy, on how to think positive about isolation and ‘take the opportunity to think about what the outbreak can tell us about ourselves – and our planet’.
Martin Plaut, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, remembers Dr Abdullah Abdurahman, a leading political voice among South Africa’s ‘coloured’ community whose passionate advocacy changed the course of the country’s legislation and history.
