When I finally switched off from a day of online meetings on Wednesday I thought I’d relax by watching some gentle TV. Then a prompt from a friend on social media made me switch over to a new channel, the BBC at first and then CNN. Within moments I was hooked in to the drama... Continue Reading →
Have we learned anything from the past?Or are we as superstitious as our early modern ancestors?
History is supposed to give us a sense of perspective, some way of understanding current events by looking backwards, at those in the past. I’ve seen some very good articles, comments and blogs on the 1919 ‘Spanish Flu’ pandemic (which wasn’t Spanish at all of course), and some reflections on how our ancestors coped with... Continue Reading →
Racism, diversity and contested histories: some reflections on Christmas (just) Past
The Cratchits sit down to Christmas dinner If, like me, you tuned in to watch the BBC’s latest adaptation of Charles Dickens’ novella A Christmas Carol, I’m sure it will have left a lasting impression. Over three nights a star-studded cast presented a much darker version of the tale of Scrooge than we are used... Continue Reading →