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Book cover of "Literature Against Fundamentalism" by Tabish Khair

Orality, the book, and the computer: What happens to ‘literature’?

By Tabish Khair

Coming into academia from the margins of Postcolonial Studies, when it was heroically striving to give an academic voice to indigenous cultures in the 1980-90s, I am aware that any celebration of the book is likely to be considered by some to be a subtle denigration of past traditions of oral composition and recording. What is worse, these days celebrating the book might also be resented by those who owe allegiance to futuristic forms of digital reading or what one can call visual orality—the use of mixed media, rooted in TV and film technologies, to tell stories and convey information.

Cover image of "Engaging Characters" by Murray Smith

Is Boris Johnson like James Bond—or more like Homer Simpson? [long read]

By Murray Smith

The question may seem like an odd one, so let me approach it by sketching some context. 2024 has been a year of elections worldwide, with voters around the globe hitting the ballot boxes, from India (the most populous country in the world, with the largest electorate) to Venezuela to the UK. And needless to […]

Winston Churchill’s 150th birthday [reading list]

By OUP History

Winston Churchill was born at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire on 30th November 1874. His exploits as Prime Minister during the Second World War left an indelible mark on history. To celebrate 150 years since his birth, we have collated the latest research on Oxford Academic to read more about Churchill’s life. Whether you’re a history enthusiast […]

Cover image of "Empire of the Black Sea" by Duane W. Roller

Alexander the Great, the Pontic Kingdom, and the rise of Rome

By Duane Roller

When Alexander the Great died in the summer of 323 BC in Babylon, he left no plans for his succession. He had travelled with an extensive entourage from his home in Macedonia to India and back to Babylon; and brought the Persian empire to an end.

Cover image of "Phoenicians Among Others: Why Migrants Mattered in the Ancient Mediterranean" by Denise Demetriou

Why Migrants Matter

By Denise Demetriou

“In Springfield, they are eating the dogs. The people that came in, they are eating the cats. They’re eating—they are eating the pets of the people that live here,” said Donald Trump during ABC’s presidential debate on September 10, 2024. His comments amplified false rumors spread by J.D. Vance, the vice-presidential nominee, who claimed that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio were stealing and eating the pets of longtime residents.

Global mobility, bordered realities, and ethnocultural contact zones

By Franco Laguna Correa

Over the course of the last few weeks, public opinion in the U.S. and the U.K. have ignited in relation to issues of gender, race, religion, and place of origin. However, a closer look at this recent turmoil suggests that there is a clear concern regarding global migrations, inter-genetic contact zones, and the presence of Muslim communities across Western nations.

The Wendigo and Other Stories by Algernon Blackwood. Oxford World Classics.

Five spooky story collections to keep you up this Halloween [reading list]

By Catrin Lawrence

We all know Poe (though Eurovision fans might ask “Who the hell is Edgar?”). We’ve all heard of M.R. James and his wide range of ghost stories (watched The Haunting of Bly Manor yet?). We all love Lovecraft (unless you’re squeamish about tentacles).

An introduction to migration in the ancient world [interactive map]

By OUP Classics and Archaeology

Migration has played a vital role in shaping human history and continues to have profound effects on the world today. Historically, the movement of people across regions has facilitated the exchange of ideas, technologies, and cultures, leading to significant advancements and the enrichment of societies.

3D cover image of "Blue Jerusalem" by Kit Kowol

New Jerusalem to Blue Jerusalem: radical visions of Britain’s postwar future

By Kit Kowol

The untold story of how Winston Churchill and the Conservative Party envisioned Britain’s post-war future, as told through the iconography of William Blake’s poem, and Sir Herbert Parry hymn, and how both the Conservative Party and the Labor Party of 1945 were inspired to create radically different visions of Britain’s post-war future based on Blake’s message.

Cover image of “Never By Itself Alone: Queer Poetry, Queer Communities in Boston and the Bay Area, 1944-Present” by David Grundy

A new queer world: how poetry remade gay life [long read]

By David Grundy

In San Francisco and Boston after the Second World War, gay and lesbian poets came together to build a new queer literature and a new queer world. They came together both as activists and as poets. When activism failed, or visibility was denied, poetry provided a through line with a deeper and longer sense of queer history, real or imagined, from Whitman to Wilde, Sappho to Gertrude Stein.

Cover of "Within you Without You: Listening to George Harrison" by Seth Rogovoy

George Harrison: ten quintessential songs [playlist]

By Seth Rogovoy

This playlist with annotations that I have put together is not intended to be a “best-of” George Harrison (although all the songs here would easily be on such a playlist). Nor is it meant to be exclusive—one could easily devise a playlist with ten different “quintessential” George Harrison songs: one that would include “My Sweet Lord,” “It’s All Too Much,” “I Me Mine,” “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth),” “Blue Jay Way,” and, of course, “Something” and “Here Comes the Sun.”

Cover image of "Patriot Presidents" by William E. Leuchtenburg

The creation of the US presidency

By William E. Leuchtenburg

At no time in our history has there been so illustrious a gathering as the corps of delegates who came together in the State House (Independence Hall) on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia late in the spring of 1787 to frame a constitution for the United States of America. Yet, distinguished though they were, they had only the foggiest notion of how an executive branch should be constructed. Not one of them anticipated the institution of the presidency as it emerged at the end of the summer.

Book cover titled “Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents that Forged the Presidency” by Lindsay M. Chervinsky

The precedents of the presidency

By Lindsay M. Chervinsky

The United States Constitution drafted in 1787 is one of the shortest written governing charters in the world. The majority of the 4,000 words are devoted to Congress, leaving a relatively scant description of the presidency in Article II. In many ways, the presidency we have today barely resembles the office outlined in the Constitution. Instead, the office was created and defined by the early office holders who viewed the Constitution as a good first step, but not the end game.

Prophetic libraries and books in ancient Israel

By Nathan Mastnjak

For most readers of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, the question of the ancient material forms of the biblical books rarely comes up. When it does, readers tend to imagine the large scrolls made famous by the discoveries around the Dead Sea. Even the Dead Sea scrolls, however, are centuries newer than most of the Hebrew Bible, which may well have been written on different materials and in different formats.

Cover of “Northanger Abbey” by Jane Austen, Oxford World’s Classics edition, with an illustration of a castle and people.

Before Northanger Abbey: Jane Austen and “Susan”

By Thomas Keymer

With hindsight, it’s hard to imagine a more spectacular publishing flub than the rejection of Pride and Prejudice in its first version (working title “First Impressions”) in 1797.

Cover image of "Family Mourning After War & Disaster in Twentieth-Century Britain" by Ann-Marie Foster

Remembering Gresford

By Ann-Marie Foster

Today, 22 September, marks the 90th anniversary of the Gresford mining disaster. To this day, the bodies of 253 miners remain in the pit underground below Wrexham. In 1934, the industry was rocked by the inquest into the disaster where accusations of forged documents, preventable deaths, and inadequate safety protocols were highlighted, echoing contemporary inquiries into disasters, such as the damning inquest into Grenfell which was published earlier this month. Nowadays, the disaster is remembered as a poignant moment in Welsh history.