Fascism is not just the big bang of mass rallies and extreme violence; it is also the creeping fog that incrementally occupies power while obscuring its motives.
Historians’ Watch
Conservative ‘Gay Pardon’ for the dead is a strategic distraction that harms the living
Rather than righting the wrongs of the past, the pardon exploits LGBTQ issues and people, a perverse outcome of the Conservative government’s ongoing attempt to appear progressive, inclusive, and LGBTQ friendly.
Bad Habits? France’s ‘Burkini ban’ in Historical Perspective
The burkini furore is another disappointing reminder that women’s bodies and appearances remain more relevant (and newsworthy) than women’s intellects and voices.
The Public’s Broadcaster: A Battle for the BBC
The practice of making programmes popular has been deliberately woven into the DNA of the BBC since the Second World War.
Redefining Aazadi, or ‘freedom’, in India
Why does aazadi (freedom) connote sedition in post-independence India? On the same day that Kanhaiya Kumar reclaimed this word in a stirring speech after his release from jail, Chitralekha Zutshi reflects on the usage and meanings of aazadi.
Can the history of veiled women inform an ugly election campaign in Canada? Reflections of Students and Faculty
The current Canadian federal election campaign has given rise to heated debates over veiling and anti-Muslim attitudes. We asked a group of Canadian graduate students and their professors at the University of Victoria in British Columbia to share their thoughts.
‘Everyone here wants to help you’: International Co-operation, Refugee Rights, and the 1956 Hungarian Refugee Crisis
The UNHCR reported that in the first six months of this year 1,867 people died attempting the crossing, with the toll rising weekly throughout the summer to hit over 2,600 by the beginning of September.
