As Britain suffers from railway strikes, collapsing franchises, and unreliable trains, Japan celebrates the sixtieth anniversary of their much beloved Shinkansen. October has been a month of wild fanfare honouring the service of the bullet train. Emotional commercials and commemorative merchandise are abundant. For Japan, the Shinkansen is more than just an engineering marvel. The […]
We are all familiar with the faces of the famous splashed across billboards, TVs and magazines dubiously endorsing all manner of products from face creams to funeral services. Alex Hulmes looks at celebrity branding through history. Slogans are some of the most memorable media we have, with most of us being able to repeat them […]
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 […]
As you sit at a desk trying to recall a mountain of information learnt in three hours each week for the last few months, it’s tempting to dream about pastures sunny. In this issue, we’ve provided you with the perfect fodder for those forgetful exam moments, though we’d recommend saving it for after you’ve walked […]
Now that Dr. Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has announced his impending retirement, there’s been a whole lot of speculation over his successor. But Christians really needn’t worry. Whoever gets the job can’t be nearly as brilliantly bonkers as some of Williams’ predecessors. Take Archbishop George Abbot for example. In 1621 he straight-up killed […]
Olive Morris had attended the Victoria University of Manchester to pursue her degree in social and economic science. She studied there for three years, from 1975 to 1978. During the three years she co-founded two groups, the Black Women’s Mutual Aid Group, and the Manchester Black Women’s Co-operative, working alongside Elouise Edwards and Kath Locke. […]
When it comes to lifestyles that involve conversing with celebrities Frank Sinatra and Barbara Windsor; appearing in famous interviews or being photographed by David Bailey, the life of an infamous gangster is the last thing that springs to mind. Yet, for Ronnie and Reggie Kray, living in 1960s London, crime was a fact of life; […]
‘I am black and I am gay. I cannot separate the two into secondary or primary struggles.’ Simon Tseko Nkoli (1957 – 1998) was an anti-apartheid leader and gay rights campaigner in South Africa. He has a legacy of intersectional activism, winning victories against both racial and homophobic discrimination. Nkoli first became politically active as […]
On the 3rd of June 1968, Valerie Solanas entered the Decker Building in New York City and fired a single bullet through the body of the famed artist, Andy Warhol. When questioned by journalists as to why she committed such an act, her response was ‘Read my manifesto and it will tell you what I […]
While Christmas has come to dominate December for most of us, the winter solstice is the really significant day of this month. Tom Oliver discovers the modern and ancient celebrations revolve around this event.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) burst onto the international scene in 2014 when they seized large swathes of land in Iraq and Syria. In June 2014, the group formally declared the establishment of a ‘caliphate’ (a state governed in accordance with Islamic law) over the territory it held. It also demanded […]
With the theme of this issue being gender and sexuality, Manchester’s Steven Pierce, a senior lecturer in African history, talks to Dane Massey about one of his specialist research areas. Steven, this semester, you run a course on gender and sexuality in modern Africa. Could you tell us a bit about this course, and how […]
Young upper-class men embarked on luxury adventures on the Continent in the eighteenth century. Xan Atkins explores the world of these comfortable pioneers who brought back art and culture from their travels which inspired British taste for centuries to come.
Young upper-class men embarked on luxury adventures on the Continent in the eighteenth century. Xan Atkins explores the world of these comfortable pioneers who brought back art and culture from their travels which inspired British taste for centuries to come.