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The final and fateful sojourn of the Iranian Revolutionary and Scholar, Dr Ali Shariati (1933-1977), in Southampton

This year, as part of the group project module, my students* explored the brief stay, in Southampton, of Dr Ali Shariati, who is recognised as the ideological father of the 1979 Iranian Revolution. His short stay in the UK and unexpected death on 18 June 1977 have been shrouded in myth. Both scholars and the wider public have thought that Shariati died in London. Information on Shariati’s time in Southampton was sparse and hazy. Continue reading →

Artists go to war – DAZZLE camouflage exhibition and study day

Historians at Southampton have for the past four years been primarily responsible for the Faculty of Humanities’ Great War: Unknown War centennial programme. There have been an impressive range of events, and it’s not over yet, with more public lectures to come in the autumn and a Question Time event where a panel of experts will answer audience questions about the First World War. Continue reading →

Resistance histories

The political resistance against Nazism, Fascism and German military occupation in the middle years of the twentieth century has made the term synonymous with leftist dissidence against authoritarianism. That is the case despite the fact that not all resistance against these forces emerged from the left, and not all of it was anti-fascist in ideological terms. Just think of the generals’ plot against Hitler in 1944, or the efforts of Charles de Gaulle and his Free French in London. Continue reading →

Sweet Tooth

Christer Petley has recently collaborated with a renowned vocal artist, Elaine Mitchener, who has created a disturbingly powerful piece of performance art, Sweet Tooth, about British-Caribbean slavery and its legacies. The project has reworked archival text, drawn from Christer’s research, in performances with the acclaimed jazz saxophonist Jason Yarde, percussionist Mark Sanders, multi-instrumentalist Sylvia Hallett and choreographer Dam Van Huynh. Continue reading →

How a History of Conquest Shapes the Present

One of our modern history lecturers, Dr Charlotte Lydia Riley, has written a piece with Professor Gurminder K. Bhambra about the legacies of the British empire in modern British culture. What do we mean when we talk about “empire”? We use the narratives of imperialism to describe everything from British and American foreign policy in the Middle East to the rapid global spread of McDonalds and Coca-Cola. Continue reading →

Trust Me, I’m a Doctor…

Joan Tumblety has recently published an article in the Lancet exploring the history of medical lobbying (follow the link here to read more). Here she explores some of the key questions that she has about this topic: Trust me, I'm a doctor.... If we laugh at this popular phrase, what is the truth we are recognising? In my research, I have become increasingly interested in the problem of what might be called the cultural overreach of physicians. Continue reading →

Great War: Unknown War Silent Film Fortnight

Next month the Film Department in conjunction with the Turner Sims presents a series of screenings of silent films focusing on the film heritage of the First World War. Highlights include Neil Brand (from BBC4’s 'Sound of Cinema' and 'Sound of Song') sharing his unique vision of the century-old war, Stephen Horne accompanying 'The Guns of Loos', and a free screening of controversial Edith Cavell biopic 'Dawn' accompanied by the university's own Andrew Fisher. Continue reading →