“The Floating World” refers to the pleasure-seeking, urban lifestyle of the Edo period of Japan (1600-1868). This period of relative stability under Tokugawa Shogunate was one of prolific cultural output, especially in large cities such as the capital, Edo, which is now Tokyo. Haiku poetry found increased popularity during this period, propagated by master poets Continue Reading
Roots of the Catalan Crisis
‘Som una nació. Nosaltres decidim.’ (We are a nation. We decide.) Catalonia is a region in limbo. Since the semi-autonomous province in north-west Spain held an illegitimate independence referendum in 2017, the population of 7.5 million has been in the dark, wondering what the Spanish government will decide for their long-term future. Unsurprisingly, the crisis Continue Reading
Germany’s Crisis of Masculinity
The end of the Second World War and the collapse of Nazism necessitated an enormous change to German ideals of masculinity. For decades prior to the conflict, it had been drilled into German men to be unfeeling, disciplined and efficient soldiers; their loss to the allies therefore precipitated a crisis of masculinity. When considering this crisis in post-war Germany, it is Continue Reading
The President’s Club
Many people were shocked at the recent expose of the annual President’s Club meeting with its normalised harassment and workplace abuse. The President’s Club is a charitable trust that has fundraised over £22 million for disadvantaged and underprivileged children’s charities during its 33-year history. It is famed for hosting an annual secretive fundraising gala at The Dorchester, dubbed ‘the most un-PC event of the year’, where affluent Continue Reading
Masculinity in the Trenches
“You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye Who cheer when soldier lads march by, Sneak home and pray you’ll never know The hell where youth and laughter go.” – Siegfried Sassoon, ‘Suicide in the Trenches’. At the outbreak of the First World War, the epitome of military manhood dictated that a spirit of strength and sacrifice was vital for those who were willing to serve Continue Reading