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 […]
One of the founding fathers of the United States, Alexander Hamilton, has recently become a pop culture icon, with long waits to see his namesake play on Broadway. The musical being recorded and put up on Disney+ was a cause for celebration for so many around the world, with people memorising the lyrics to the […]
The very first female agent that served with SOE was a Polish-Jewish Aristocrat known as Krystyna Skarbek. In addition to being the first woman to serve with the SOE, Skarbek was also the longest serving field agent, male or female, during the SOE’s existence. As a character in Genesis, Eve’s entire existence is explored in […]
Many things are associated with the Christmas period which we know and love and we can generally count on having a great time during the festive period. Circumstances were very different when soldiers of the Allied and German armies put down their weapons and stopped fighting to enjoy some familiar activities during the Christmas period […]
In response to the Crisis of the Third Century, in which the Roman empire faced a series of financial, military, and political crises, the administration of the empire was gradually reformed to increasingly centralise the power of the emperor(s). This laid bare to the Roman state the presence, throughout the empire, of a religious community […]
On the 7th of April 1922, Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall announced that a government drilling policy was “being rapidly formulated” which would provide reserves for the future needs of the US navy. What Fall failed to reveal, however,was the nature of this deal: he had granted this land to two of America’s oil […]
Of all the dangerous places Tim Butcher has travelled while working on his travel books, his trip to Bosnia in 2012 does not, at first glance, rank highly. His first book – Blood River – following Henry Morton Stanley’s route down the Congo River through war torn Congo, contains danger and death at every step. […]
After a tumultuous season of highs and lows, the mighty boys in blue march on down the final straight towards what is set to be a nail-biting season finale. Having enjoyed a first half of the season battling for the top spot, losing only two games and conceding seven goals, the men in sky blue […]
When Thatcher came to leadership on the 4th of May 1979, she said “where there is discord, may we bring harmony;” in her leadership speech. Although it wasn’t exactly the ‘harmony’ she had in mind, the British public grouped together to form their own, home-made ‘harmony’ in the form of illegal raves backdropped by the […]
