history
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The debate over why ecclesiastical institutions took so long to become established in medieval Iceland is not new. Between 1940 and 1970, what became known as the ‘Icelandic School’ framed the issue through a binary lens, portraying a society fractured between a clerical, European sphere on one hand, and an indigenous, national, and secular sphere…
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This last week, the Dragon House Chinese Takeaway in York was defaced with racist graffiti. Crude St George’s flags were painted across the shopfront, the word “Chinese” was scratched out, “Cat N Dog” was sprayed onto the window, and on the side of the building, vandals scrawled the words “Go Home.” On a street lined with shops, only the…
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Over the few last months, in the context of diasporic food in Britain, I have written the words ‘authentic’ and ‘authenticity’ many times. Within this process, I have begun to ask myself a series of questions: What is authentic food? Is our perception of authenticity linked to our understanding of a dish’s origin, its assigned…
Bill’s History Blog 