Articles

This piece was written in the direct aftermath of George Floyd’s murder on 25 May 2020. Since then, having also been selected as an...

A recent study in the United States indicated that the rate of Americans identifying themselves using political terms has almost doubled...

Conventional wisdom tells us that the first civilisation to be governed in a manner comparable to our own was Ancient Greece—the world’s first democracy.[1] Such discourse has contributed to popular belief that earlier civilisations, of which Egypt is probably the best-known example, might be interesting in myriad ways but surely have little to offer scholars of modern government. Egypt, according to established narrative, was an absolute monarchy, where Pharaoh did as he ple

The forging of a life in culture, economics, and security   My formative years were marked by my parents’ hopes and dreams that I would...

Introduction   The 2015 Paris Agreement was a pivotal moment in the struggle against climate change. While previous climate agreements...

For far too long, Ashutosh Gowariker’s Swades  (2004) has maintained its status as an Indian cinema cult classic. It is a film about a...

Mark Cazalet, born 1964, trained at the Chelsea and then Falmouth Schools of Art, after which he held scholarships in Paris and India. He works in a variety of media, including engraved glass, paint, prints, mosaics, and graphic media. He has taught in several art institutions and has been a Senior Member of Faculty at The Royal Drawing School since 2012. Travel has always played an important role in his art. Through the experience of his journeys, he has opened up rich collo

1. The fish are alright   Historically and presently, the United Kingdom has identified and presented itself as a maritime nation.[1] Fisheries, historically a significant source of employment, cultural identity, and economic output, are a vital component of the UK’s seafaring character. Amidst the decline of other British coastal industries, fishing, also in a state of ‘managed decline’,[2] is perhaps the UK’s final remaining material link to this maritime heritage.   Our ar

Every year a flower painting finds its way into my art. The Sunflowers  started with a creature I drew in charcoal straight onto the...

This paper examines contemporary Singaporean artist Marvin Tang’s project The Colony – Archive  (2019), a part of his ongoing research...

If the doors of perception were cleansed then everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he...

One of Adolf Hitler’s favourite musicians was Richard Wagner. His thunderous compositions were meant to instil a violent pride within the...

Eliot’s work is filled—especially the poetry—with masks, role-playing, and multiple voices. Yet it is saturated everywhere, too, with...

Modern commerce takes place at supersonic speed. It therefore surprises many that most of the world’s traded goods are still, at some...

A statue tumbles and, with an almighty splash, sinks below the water. Those responsible cheer with joy. Onlookers are captured in a range of emotions: confusion, rage, wonder. What is taking place? Is this an anti-historical act of violent vandalism, or the liberating removal of a relic of the colonial era, an enduring reminder of oppression?   When Black Lives Matter protesters in Bristol toppled the statue of the merchant and slave trader Edward Colston in June 2020, it was

Axel Rü̈ger is Secretary and Chief Executive of the Royal Academy of Arts. He is a former Director of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam...

Leonardo da Vinci is a constant of the Western cultural tradition. We grow up with a vague sense of Leonardo’s achievements, knowing him...

Identity drives human agency. Who we consider ourselves and the groups we are part of determines the choices we make. This principle is...