Aliya A Ali explores how kinship and marriage alliances shaped political power and governance in the early Islamic city of Kūfa.
Britain has long had a contradictory relationship to movie stardom, as two articles from the fan magazine Picturegoer, both by the same writer, both from 1943, eloquently demonstrate. In October, Lionel Collier had asked hopefully ‘are we making our own…
At just the age of 34, Bill Readings sadly died in a plane crash. He left behind a legacy of critical thinking and debate and was well renowned for being an outstanding thinker and a rigorous yet caring mentor. To…
By Lena Wånggren What is an ‘unwomanly’ woman? Or an ‘unsexed’ woman? At the end of the nineteenth century, both these terms were common invectives for any woman who went against the established gender ideals of the time. Meanwhile, some…
By Jenny Sundén A moment in time that Time Magazine has termed “the transgender tipping point” – showcasing transgender celebrities at the frontier of transgender rights – might be good for thinking carefully, and creatively, about gender. Are you male or…
In the August 2015 issue of Scottish Affairs, a team of researchers explore the findings of a study they carried out for the Scottish government on community experiences of sectarianism. Here, one of the authors, Kay Goodall, sets out some…