• Colour drawing of a staged theatrical scene framed by two symmetrical classical structures with niches containing gilded statues, flanked by trees. At the centre, a painted backdrop shows an island within an archipelago, with a visible settlement; in the foreground, a vessel approaches the shore. Four figures stand before the backdrop holding branches and other objects. The composition is enclosed within a thin rectangular gold border.

The Persistence of Victorian Middle Class Fictions

by Albert Pionke The US has just emerged from a mid-term election cycle. In the UK, calls for a general election grow ever louder. Politicians, pundits, and pollsters alike cite the discontent of the middle class with, depending upon one’s ideological predilections,…

A computer with the words DO MORE on the screen

COVID, Class and Digital Labour in the Neoliberal World

by John Michael Roberts It is generally agreed that the crisis surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed society in the present and for the foreseeable future. In particular, there is great concern among politicians, policy-makers and the general public…

Diversity in British Cinema

Diversity in British Film and Television

The controversy over ‘all-white’ 2020 BAFTAs once again shows the importance of understanding that issues of diversity are at the forefront of debates film and television. But it’s not just a question of who is, and is not, in the…

Doing History in the Age of Downton Abbey

Julie Anne Taddeo As the most watched period drama in television history, Downton Abbey has met with popular success but not always critical acclaim. Historians in particular have criticized what they see as the series’ conservative politics and nostalgic view…