For centuries, women in western Europe suffering from a long list of, sometimes vague, symptoms – including anxiety, loss of sexual desire, or too much sexual desire, insomnia and being ‘difficult’- could find themselves being labelled with the common medical diagnosis of ‘female hysteria’.
How Does Film Shape the Ways in which WWII is Remembered? By Miles Davenport
We have retold the stories of the Second World War without pause since it drew to a close in 1945. Films are an increasingly important way in which we remember the Second World War. But yet, these films, while engrossing in character and wildly popular, do not always reflect how the Second World War actually panned out. For the eagle-eyed historian out there, it’s incredibly intriguing to look into how these films may or may not reflect reality. War films are indeed not documentaries; they are made for the purpose of entertainment, with artistic licenses being taken for dramatisation. When we analyse these films, it is imperative we do not devolve ourselves into nitpicking historical details, but rather look at broader historical narratives and how they may influence our perception of the war.
Remembering the Falklands War, By Louise Clare
The seventy-four day event which Buenos Aires classed as ‘a war’ and London classed as ‘a conflict’, began on 2nd April 1982. This was when, from the British perspective, Argentine forces invaded the Falklands, provoking British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s response to send a Task Force of over one-hundred ships to recapture the Islands over eight-thousand miles away.
Who were Ellen and William Craft? By Emily Hunt
On Thursday 30th of September 2021, a blue English Heritage plaque was unveiled in Hammersmith, commemorating the residence of Ellen and William Craft. The Crafts were an African American couple who married as slaves and did everything in their power to flee to Britain. Their escape began in 1848 and after their arrival in 1850 they continued their abolitionism work from across the Atlantic. The impact of their escape and substantial work was unparalleled and profound – so is a plaque enough to sufficiently commemorate these figures?
Euro 96: 25 Years On, by Adam Jennings
The summer of 2021 will live long in the memory of English football fans as manager Gareth Southgate took England to the very edge of glory, aiming to end 55 years of footballing hurt and rekindle the spirit of previous glory. Whilst ultimately ending in heartbreak for Southgate’s young squad, the feeling generated by his team’s promising performance throughout the summer brought joy to the nation. But, this was not the first time, and won’t be the last, that the country was gripped with Euro’s Fever. 25 years ago, England played host to EURO 96.