Oasis, Happy Mondays and the recently reformed Stone Roses; many outstanding and iconic names within British musical history have distinct links to Manchester. The city’s long standing associations with music were arguably imbedded the industrial revolution, sparking a platform for the working classes to identify themselves against. It is from this that the musical world […]

When we say ‘al-Qaeda’, most people think of 9/11, the 2004 Madrid bombings and the attacks of 7/7. Less people know of their effect in the Maghreb region. However, since 2002 there has been a significant amount of activity attributed to the Islamic militant group here, the most recent being their attack on the Amenas […]

Earlier this month, on 1 October 2017, a lone gunman named Stephen Paddock opened fire on a group of oblivious concertgoers at the Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas. The worst mass shooting in recent US history, killing 59 people and injuring 546 more, it should have shocked the world, but did it? […]

“Take me into the museum and show me myself, show me my people” June Jordan, African-American poet. Despite recent efforts to begin a “decolonisation” of British History, historians such as David Olusoga have illuminated ways in which “mainstream” history neglects the story of Black Britons. Looking at data taken from Advance HE’s Equality Challenge Unit for 2017-2018, the “ethnic homogeneity” of […]

The study of the persecution of witches is not a new idea – the almost morbid fascination with women’s persecution in the form of witch trials has permeated our imaginations for decades. Indeed, the image of the witch has long been a figure of literature and art: from folkloric tales, to modern day films. Yet […]

In light of this November being Native American History month, it is fitting to reflect upon the unique challenges that writing the history of Indigenous Peoples evokes. It is important to consider Donald Fixico’s observation that “obtaining a tribal viewpoint” is mandatory for writing a more balanced history of Indigenous Peoples. However, in a field […]

The current Ebola outbreak in West Africa is the deadliest occurrence of the disease since its discovery in 1976 and has sent media coverage wild. This isn’t the first time the proliferation of a deadly disease has caught the world’s attention. Who can forget the 1918 flu pandemic – that circled the globe wreaking so […]

In 1990, the inmates of Strangeways prison began the longest riot in British penal history. Once revered as a “last bastion of discipline,” the prison stood as the largest penitentiary in England, holding around 900 men at full capacity. By 1990, a peak of over 1,600 prisoners had been confined within its walls, becoming a […]

Independence is often the goal of those who feel subjugated by a greater power. Throughout history there are many high profile examples of nations achieving independence, often beginning a domino effect. The two great independence events of the 20th century provide an excellent snapshot of how independence occurs, and the consequences. Take, for example, the […]

In a momentous act of devotional citizenship and spirited patriotism, tens of thousands of Russian women volunteered to join the country’s ‘Battalions of Death’. They offered their allegiance, and even their lives, to protect ‘Mother Russia’ from the foreign aggressors of World War I.   Russia’s female volunteers echoed history’s celebrated female warriors, the likes […]

Since it was founded two years ago, the Manchester Historian has grown and developed with each set of editors that has come to its helm. We have been no exception and we hope that the new features in this first issue for the 2013/14 academic year will only make the magazine more exciting for you, […]

For China, the 20th century was a Sisyphean journey; time and time again, the Chinese rolled a boulder up that steep slope of progress towards utopia, only for it to roll back down and crush millions of lives with it. The Hundred Flowers Campaign is but another flashpoint in this path, one of many visions […]

Alex Byrom reviews Michael Wood ‘in conversation’ with Tristram Hunt MP. Charlotte Johnson interviews public historian and new staff member in the History Department, Professor Michael Wood. Darren Davies interviews the new nineteenth century British History, Dr Henry Miller. Since it was founded two years ago, the Manchester Historian has grown and developed with each […]

Human trafficking is the world’s third largest underground network, deeply entrenched in both the developed and third world. Measures to curb human trafficking are continually being revised to ensure that the aid provided to the 20 million affected by slave trade is funnelled into where it is needed most, in order to combat this $31 […]