essay
Politics and government
Models of antiquity
Radicals in the Age of Revolution saw the classical world as a common inheritance that could aid their fight for liberty
Francesca Langer
essay
Political philosophy
The Swedish theory of love
All countries must balance the freedom of individuals with the demands of the community. Sweden’s solution is unique
Lars Trägårdh
video
Nations and empires
The strange tale of how mangoes became hallowed objects in Maoist China
6 minutes
essay
The ancient world
Guide to a foreign past
The iconoclastic French historian Paul Veyne illuminated the past by showing how deeply alien it is to the present
Carlos Noreña
essay
Religion
At the Kremlin in 1943
Stalin presented Orthodox leaders with a proposal: the Soviet state that had destroyed their Church would bring it back
Kathryn David
essay
Global history
After the mother tongues
Cultural exchange between Iran and India led to the creation of literary histories that inspired modern nationalism
Alexander Jabbari
video
Global history
The strange journey of the Parthenon Marbles to the British Museum
10 minutes
essay
Education
Hitozukuri
Japan’s Cold War education policy used religion to ‘make’ the ideal humans needed by its nascent economy. Did it work?
Jolyon Baraka Thomas
essay
The ancient world
The other Cleopatra
Daughter of Cleopatra and Mark Antony, she became the influential queen of a mysterious, abundant North African kingdom
Jane Draycott
essay
Global history
It never existed
The idea of a ‘precolonial’ Africa is theoretically vacuous, racist and plain wrong about the continent’s actual history
Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò
essay
The ancient world
Wanderlust of the ancients
The Roman Empire enabled an early version of globalisation that offered travellers adventure, novelty and opportunity
Fabio Fernandes
essay
Politics and government
An unholy alliance
Authoritarian leaders who play the religious card are not mere hypocrites. There’s something far more troubling going on
Suzanne Schneider
essay
Ethics
Collective wrongs
Even when individual perpetrators and victims are dead, states and institutions have a responsibility to make restitutions
Joshua Stein
essay
Religion
The Calvinist conquest
In the 17th century, Dutch proselytisers set out for Asia, Africa and the Americas. The legacy of their travels endures
Charles H Parker
essay
Global history
Black King of Songs
His communism brought the great American singer Paul Robeson trouble in the US, but helped make him a hero in China
Gao Yunxiang
essay
Nations and empires
The discontent of Russia
Lenin envisioned Soviet unity. Stalin called Russia ‘first among equals’. Yet Russian nationalism never went away
Joy Neumeyer
essay
The ancient world
Our trip to Antioch
Ancient Romans bought mementos to commemorate their travels. These speak eloquently of their world, if we care to listen
Maggie Popkin
video
Human rights and justice
Portugal stole Goa’s lands and narratives. Can they ever truly be returned?
19 minutes
essay
Global history
With respect and friendship
For a century before the rise of European empires, Britons and North Africans lived together in amicable peace
Nat Cutter
essay
Film and visual culture
The problem with ‘han’ 한 恨
Korean culture is characterised by an untranslatably profound sorrow and regret. Or is that just another stereotype?
Minsoo Kang
essay
Stories and literature
Tales of two jackals
Kalila and Dimna’s ancient parables on power delight as much as they instruct. But their moral maxims are ethically murky
Kevin Blankinship
essay
Global history
The power of water
Far more potent than oil or gold, water is a stream of geopolitical force that runs deep, feeding crops and building nations
Giulio Boccaletti
essay
History
Those born later
How does a nation begin to take responsibility for its past wrongs? The German case suggests courage comes locally
Helmut Walser Smith
essay
Food and drink
The chocolate route
The humble cocoa bean’s journey from its Amerindian origins to worldwide dominance is a lesson in the power of trade
Irene Fattacciu