“A co-operative is a group of people acting together to meet the common needs and aspirations of its members, sharing ownership and making decisions democratically.” Co-operative movements exist all over the world, as groups and organisations dedicated to achieving democratic trading and enterprise. The Co-operative Group, a name which we all know as a local […]
Today, Manchester’s Market Street boasts dozens of busy high-street retailers and restaurants. But once upon a time, the site was home to the Clarion Café, a powerful institution for social activists. Manchester has a long and rich history as a host for working-class institutions, each of which have played an essential role in shaping the […]
In February, the Department of Education produced a proposal for a new history curriculum. Michael Gove brushed aside the advice he had received from professional historians and teachers, and wrote a controversial curriculum which is a chronicle of the British Isles. It has been attacked for being ‘pub quiz’ history, myopically Anglocentric, politically-motivated citizenship teaching, […]
Aerial view showing missile launch site 3 on Cuba October 1962, Wikimedia Commons. Robert F Kennedy, the US Attorney General, described the Cuban Missile Crisis as a clear moment where the US and USSR ‘brought the world to the abyss of nuclear destruction’. Those thirteen days in October 1962 were arguably the most dramatic in […]
The Anglo-Irish Treaty, officially the ‘Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland’, signed on the 6th December 1921, concluded the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921) following the Sinn Féin party’s landslide victory in the 1918 general election in Ireland. The treaty established the Irish Free State as a self-governing dominion within the British Commonwealth of […]
Peace Studies as an academic discipline began in the aftermath of World War II. As in most fields, the study was shaped by the ideology and recorded contributions of men. However, the changing landscape of women’s peacebuilding roles developed a theoretical framework for the inclusion of women in peace processes. The theoretical perspectives on women […]
Throughout political movements of recent years, particularly during the 2020 resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, decolonisation is a word that many of us have familiarised ourselves with. From curriculums, to spaces, to statues, the rallying cry to undo and acknowledge the harrowing effects of colonialism encompasses a wide variety of potential solutions and […]
To many, Peter Wildeblood is not a well-known name. And yet, in the fight to decriminalise homosexuality in Britain, he was a hero of giant proportions. Born in the Italian Riviera but brought up in England, a scholarly young Peter attended Radley College and later Oxford, although this was interrupted by his Second World War […]
1867 was the birth year of the Manchester Museum, perfectly on point with the social and cultural intrigues of the time, and from the start it was destined for national recognition. Now with over 146 years of experience, it’s fair to say that the Manchester Museum and its staff are no strangers to the world […]
It is estimated that this year Britons will spend around £80 billion over the festive period. This is a far cry from the origins of Christmas. The custom of observing Christmas on the 25th December began around the 4th century AD, and remains an important date in the Christian calendar. However, from around the mid-19th […]
In 2025, Los Angeles, the ‘City of Angels’ in California fell victim to one of the worst wildfires on record. The four major fires: Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, and Auto, burned more than 12,000 homes, businesses, schools, and other structures. These devastations received unprecedented coverage, revealing the media’s reluctance to acknowledge climate change, and their bias […]
Kathryn White explores how afternoon tea became a British institution. Us Brits can hardly make it through the day without a beloved brew, but WHEN and HOW did dried up leaves in water (not, perhaps, the most appetising description) become an essential requirement?
On May 3rd, 2021, Northern Ireland commemorated its 100th anniversary as a separate legal entity within the United Kingdom. This raised the question: how do we commemorate a state with a history of violence and discrimination? This article doesn’t attempt to answer this question but explores Northern Ireland as a case study to demonstrate the […]
“We are today in the midst of one of the greatest crises of civilisation. A wave of barbarism is sweeping over the world… threatening to destroy everything that is best in human society”. Ernest Simon Given the rise of demagogic authoritarian leaders, such a statement appears to be a tragically apt description of the state […]