Cultural Studies Archives - Edinburgh University Press Blog

FIFA World Cup 2026: Extract from The Beautiful Game on a Muslim Pitch

As the FIFA World Cup 2026 unfolds, read an extract exploring the relationship between football, religion and identity in Muslim contexts.

Edinburgh University Press
July 16, 2026

Looking out through the window of a former industrial building in Glasgow’s East End, we see large areas of derelict ex-industrial land in need of reclamation for development, and in the distance, other formerly industrial buildings.

The Scottish Office and the ‘Glasgow Problem’

In Spring 1997, civil servants in Edinburgh, in the pre-devolution Scottish Office (SO), faced ‘the Glasgow Problem’.

Edinburgh University Press
July 15, 2026

**Alt text:** A row of illuminated classroom globes displayed on stands, with a large globe in the foreground and several others receding into the background. The globes show different map styles and colors, creating a warm, softly lit scene.

Is world citizenship the solution to statelessness?

What does it mean to be state-less?

Edinburgh University Press
June 25, 2026

A crowded communal dinner scene inside a cozy restaurant or café. Dozens of people are seated at long shared tables, eating and chatting in a lively social atmosphere. The foreground shows smiling diners with plates, glasses, and flower arrangements on patterned table runners. The background includes large front windows looking out onto a nighttime street. The image has warm indoor lighting, with some motion blur from people walking, giving it an energetic, candid feel.

How food shapes peace, conflict, and human connection in everyday life

A Conversation with Dr. Elaine Pratley, author of Hungry for Peace

Edinburgh University Press
June 23, 2026

**Alt text:** A man in a dark suit and red tie stands behind a lectern with microphones, delivering a speech outside a black front door set in a brick government building. Iron railings flank the entrance, and an official crest is displayed on the front of the podium.

The Revolving Door at 10 Downing Street

Is the role of prime minister too difficult to perform successfully?

Edinburgh University Press
June 11, 2026

Low-angle view of a dark bronze memorial sculpture featuring three offshore oil workers standing back-to-back against a cloudy sky, silhouetted by sunlight breaking through the clouds.

5 things the Piper Alpha disaster tells us about how the media covers anniversaries

Richard Jones on how journalism can reinterpret the meaning of historic events, helping them to retain a place in society’s shared consciousness.

Edinburgh University Press
June 9, 2026

Sudden Changes in Global Order — From Ancient to Early Modern Iran and Beyond

Dr M.A.H. Parsa explores Iran’s journey from Sasanian stability to Nader Shah’s empire.

Edinburgh University Press
June 2, 2026

A black-and-white photo of a large neoclassical stone building with tall fluted columns, a triangular pediment, and ornate detailing along the roofline. The structure has a monumental, temple-like appearance, with dark shadows emphasizing the architectural features. Bushes and smaller adjoining sections of the building are visible in the foreground and left side.

Lessons from Scottish Schools

Lindsay Paterson discusses Scotland’s educational decline and the social inequality of attainment.

Edinburgh University Press
May 14, 2026

Q&A with Belal Abu-Alabbas, author of Al-Bukhārī

Belal Abu-Alabbas explores the making of the first comprehensive critical biography of Muhammad ibn Ismāʿīl al-Bukhārī.

Edinburgh University Press
May 5, 2026