Child marriage is often conceived of as embedded in the past, but there is little attention to its historical context. Rhian Keyse explores how this obscures the shifting dynamics and social meanings of such practices.
The British pride themselves on being a nation of dog lovers. However, Chris Pearson reveals that colonial Britain’s canine savoir-faire was conditional and only certain types of dogs were acceptable in 'civilised' countries.
What is the difference between poverty and scarcity? Julia McClure explores how different communities and societies mitigated the risks of resource scarcity before capitalism created poverty.
When does the call for ‘speaking out’ against sexual violence begin to silence victim-survivors? Through reflecting on the #MeToo moment, Allison McKibban argues mainstream Western movements against sexual violence are often insidiously…
In 1947 The Abeokuta Women's Union staged an influential tax revolt. How can understanding these women's sense of time, including their vision for the future, increase our historical understanding?
Can medical institutions participate in colonial violence? Allison McKibban argues the involuntary sterilization of tens of thousands of Native American women in the 1970s must be rehistoricised as part of the U.S. government’s broader…
To what extent has colonial money helped build Britain's heritage sector? Isabel Gilbert on the importance of publicly and transparently acknowledging the problematic roots of British country houses and their collections.
How have US projects to preserve 'paradise' in the Virgin Islands marginalised native Afro-Caribbean people? Jessica S. Samuels examines a cutting-edge ecotourism venture in the 1950s that reveals the colonial nature of American…
Following the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's apology for the non-commemoration of Black and Asian soldiers in the First World War, John Siblon explores how and why their memory was deliberately hidden by Britain.
In our series on 'Radical History after Brexit', Matt Stallard of the Legacies of British Slavery project reflects on the ongoing politicisation of heritage.
What powers of legitimacy do physical representations of the past hold? Duncan McLean explores the journey and repatriation of a radical object, the Obelisk of Axum, from Abyssinia to Italy to Ethiopia - its return seemingly affirming…
Creative writing is not a conventional primary source for historians of eastern Africa. However, examining marginalised actors’ histories can be invaluable in filling the gaps left by traditional archives.
November 20th marks Trans Day of Remembrance, an annual day of mourning for trans lives stolen by violence in the past 12 months. While many remembrance ceremonies are now moving from community centres to online platforms, the central…
Shahmima Akhtar explores a postcard from the Irish village of 'Ballymaclinton', a display at the 1908 Franco-British Exhibition in London created to promote an Irish soap brand and a politically white Irish unionism.
Madge Dresser argues that statues of slave traders, such as Edward Colston, often served complex local and civic objectives, which were inextricable from historical processes which silenced the voices of enslaved Africans.
The last fortnight has seen many statues associated with racism and colonialism torn down. When were they originally put up, and what can that tell about the history of whiteness and empire? Peter Hill explores.
With debates over the public history of empire and colonialism intensifying across Europe, Afonso Dias Ramos explores the controversy in Portugal over the use of the term “Discoveries” to encompass the country’s complex colonial past.
Andrew Whitehead writes on the long and troubled history of the Indian relationship with Kashmir and its future directions, amidst the current violence and legal and political changes.
Delving into Sri Lanka's colonial past, Shamara Wettimuny shows how the 'Easter attacks', or recent anti-Muslim violence has its roots in the ethno-nationalistic paradigm of the island.
What is a 'photography of the East'? Taking the case of the 'paradise island' of Ceylon, Vindhya Buthpitiya explores how the island's photographic past survives in fragments, glimpses, memories and fading archives.
As debate about Obeah - spiritual and healing practices - erupts in Jamaica, Diana Paton argues that laws against obeah have historically worked to uphold colonial power and to harass poor people.
Jessica Hinchy writes on how colonial officials sought to eliminate and 'fix' the gender identity of 'Hijras', who are often termed 'transgender', and the contemporary resonance of this process.
'Stolen', 'plundered' and 'more than art'. Meg Foster looks at the living spiritual and cultural meanings of 'objects' featured in the Oceania exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts.
