@asifshafi.bsky.social
Reposted
1/3 Great account of state of play with reparations demands from Kenneth Mohammed:
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
In 2025 reparations became central to UK ties with the Caribbean and Africa – so how do we move forward? | Kenneth Mohammed
This year was a pivotal one, in which the issue of restorative justice began to frame the UK’s post-imperial relationship with the global south
www.theguardian.com
December 26, 2025 at 8:52 AM
1/3 Great account of state of play with reparations demands from Kenneth Mohammed:
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
Reposted
I gave two main public lectures this semester. One on the reparations debate in Britain and one on British antislavery and the ‘pre-scramble’ for Africa. Both available to read over Christmas for free here:
alanlester.co.uk/blog/british...
And here:
alanlester.co.uk/blog/antisla...
alanlester.co.uk/blog/british...
And here:
alanlester.co.uk/blog/antisla...
Antislavery and the Original ‘Scramble for Africa’, 1807-1879
Keynote Lecture for 140 Years Beyond the Berlin Conference, Africa Centre and SOAS Friday 12 December and Saturday 13 December 2025 Alan Lester Most British imperial historians have tended t…
alanlester.co.uk
December 23, 2025 at 10:41 AM
I gave two main public lectures this semester. One on the reparations debate in Britain and one on British antislavery and the ‘pre-scramble’ for Africa. Both available to read over Christmas for free here:
alanlester.co.uk/blog/british...
And here:
alanlester.co.uk/blog/antisla...
alanlester.co.uk/blog/british...
And here:
alanlester.co.uk/blog/antisla...
Reposted
In 1865 the undersecretary for the colonies admitted that British colonial governments were “obstructing rather than promoting commerce” as the solution to slave-trading in Africa. Why? Because they were intent on backing a white men’s monopoly.
alanlester.co.uk/blog/antisla...
alanlester.co.uk/blog/antisla...
Antislavery and the Original ‘Scramble for Africa’, 1807-1879
Keynote Lecture for 140 Years Beyond the Berlin Conference, Africa Centre and SOAS Friday 12 December and Saturday 13 December 2025 Alan Lester Most British imperial historians have tended t…
alanlester.co.uk
December 14, 2025 at 8:20 AM
In 1865 the undersecretary for the colonies admitted that British colonial governments were “obstructing rather than promoting commerce” as the solution to slave-trading in Africa. Why? Because they were intent on backing a white men’s monopoly.
alanlester.co.uk/blog/antisla...
alanlester.co.uk/blog/antisla...
Reposted
“Without cooperation in this area between European and national authorities, and industry, to define the terms of technological cooperation, location, and value sharing, European defense will be stillborn. This begins with industry, not structures.” @nicolastenzer.bsky.social
De-Americanizing NATO: Could We?
The US administration’s diminishing interest in the NATO alliance means Europe needs an alternative, and quickly.
buff.ly
June 29, 2025 at 12:54 AM
“Without cooperation in this area between European and national authorities, and industry, to define the terms of technological cooperation, location, and value sharing, European defense will be stillborn. This begins with industry, not structures.” @nicolastenzer.bsky.social
Reposted
The return of the politics of class
Class politics, albeit seen as old-fashioned, is still rife in the UK today, and reflects continuing social and economic inequalities | Chris May
@northwestbylines.co.uk
Class politics, albeit seen as old-fashioned, is still rife in the UK today, and reflects continuing social and economic inequalities | Chris May
@northwestbylines.co.uk
The return of the politics of class
Class politics, albeit seen as old-fashioned, is still rife in the UK today, and reflects continuing social and economic inequalities
northwestbylines.co.uk
June 28, 2025 at 10:38 AM
The return of the politics of class
Class politics, albeit seen as old-fashioned, is still rife in the UK today, and reflects continuing social and economic inequalities | Chris May
@northwestbylines.co.uk
Class politics, albeit seen as old-fashioned, is still rife in the UK today, and reflects continuing social and economic inequalities | Chris May
@northwestbylines.co.uk
Reposted
A Southern elephant seal makes a surprise visit to the residential neighborhood of Gordon's Bay in Cape Town, South Africa, and triggers an almost nine-hour rescue effort to return him to the coast.
May 30, 2025 at 1:03 AM
A Southern elephant seal makes a surprise visit to the residential neighborhood of Gordon's Bay in Cape Town, South Africa, and triggers an almost nine-hour rescue effort to return him to the coast.
Reposted
From 2005
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15641918/
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15641918/
Race as biology is fiction, racism as a social problem is real: Anthropological and historical perspectives on the social construction of race - PubMed
Racialized science seeks to explain human population differences in health, intelligence, education, and wealth as the consequence of immutable, biologically based differences between "racial" groups....
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
May 14, 2025 at 4:46 PM
From 2005
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15641918/
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15641918/
Reposted
The wonderful Our Island Stories from @corinnefowler.bsky.social is out in paperback. Thoroughly recommend if you love the British countryside & want to know more about its globally connected histories. My open access review here:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Our Island Stories: Country Walks Through Colonial Britain, Corinne Fowler. Allen Lane, London (2024), 432 pages, £25.00 hardback
This review article sets Corinne Fowler's new book in the context of the political struggle over Britain's colonial past, often referred to as a ‘cult…
www.sciencedirect.com
May 3, 2025 at 12:02 PM
The wonderful Our Island Stories from @corinnefowler.bsky.social is out in paperback. Thoroughly recommend if you love the British countryside & want to know more about its globally connected histories. My open access review here:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted
Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes killed at least 29 people on Friday in the Palestinian territory, devastated by war and under a total Israeli aid blockade for two months ➡️ u.afp.com/STjf
May 2, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes killed at least 29 people on Friday in the Palestinian territory, devastated by war and under a total Israeli aid blockade for two months ➡️ u.afp.com/STjf
Reposted
Just posted this on X. Not holding my breath!
alanlester.co.uk/blog/a-lesse...
alanlester.co.uk/blog/a-lesse...
April 18, 2025 at 6:50 AM
Just posted this on X. Not holding my breath!
alanlester.co.uk/blog/a-lesse...
alanlester.co.uk/blog/a-lesse...
As If It Were Nature. A Phenomenological Reading of the Concept of Natural Beauty
- Alfonso Hoyos Morales
- Alfonso Hoyos Morales
As If It Were Nature. A Phenomenological Reading of the Concept of Natural Beauty
When we talk about natural beauty perhaps we think of the products or forces that we commonly associate with nature: rivers, birds, trees, the sky, the moon, the sun, and so on. That is, objects th...
www.tandfonline.com
April 17, 2025 at 10:44 AM
Reposted
The government uses a shifting definition of ‘terrorism’ as a tool to stifle dissent and protect elite interests.
www.currentaffairs.org/news/2024/05...
www.currentaffairs.org/news/2024/05...
April 15, 2025 at 12:51 AM
The government uses a shifting definition of ‘terrorism’ as a tool to stifle dissent and protect elite interests.
www.currentaffairs.org/news/2024/05...
www.currentaffairs.org/news/2024/05...
Haha
“How can I return an innocent man to the United States when I don’t have the ability to feel empathy or compassion?” said Nayib Bukele
theonion.com/salvado...
theonion.com/salvado...
Salvadoran President Claims He Lacks Humanity To Return Wrongly Deported Man
WASHINGTON—During a visit with President Donald Trump at the White House, El Salvador’s president Nayib Bukele claimed Monday that he “lacks the humanity” to return wrongly deported legal U.S. resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia back to America. “How can I return an innocent man to the United States when I don’t have the ability to feel […]
theonion.com
April 15, 2025 at 3:17 AM
Haha
Reposted
why is it so hard for US media to run the headline "IDF Kills Paramedics And Buries Them In Mass Grave"
April 11, 2025 at 10:23 PM
why is it so hard for US media to run the headline "IDF Kills Paramedics And Buries Them In Mass Grave"
Reposted
It’s very odd to believe that informing people about history is trying to “correct” it.
www.thetimes.com/uk/society/a...
www.thetimes.com/uk/society/a...
‘Charities should avoid culture wars and stick to their core aims’
Orlando Fraser, the outgoing chairman of the Charity Commission, says most charities are run by lovely people doing lovely things, but some overstep their remit
www.thetimes.com
April 12, 2025 at 7:18 AM
It’s very odd to believe that informing people about history is trying to “correct” it.
www.thetimes.com/uk/society/a...
www.thetimes.com/uk/society/a...
Reposted
"‘Point-Blank Range’: How Israel Executed 15 Medics and Rescue Workers in Gaza"
Writing for Zeteo, Diana Buttu says she had a difficult time writing this essay because she could not stop thinking about the level of evil needed to carry this out.
Writing for Zeteo, Diana Buttu says she had a difficult time writing this essay because she could not stop thinking about the level of evil needed to carry this out.
‘Point-Blank Range’: How Israel Executed 15 Medics and Rescue Workers in Gaza
I had a difficult time writing this essay because I could not stop thinking about the level of evil needed to carry this out.
zeteo.com
April 4, 2025 at 9:31 PM
"‘Point-Blank Range’: How Israel Executed 15 Medics and Rescue Workers in Gaza"
Writing for Zeteo, Diana Buttu says she had a difficult time writing this essay because she could not stop thinking about the level of evil needed to carry this out.
Writing for Zeteo, Diana Buttu says she had a difficult time writing this essay because she could not stop thinking about the level of evil needed to carry this out.
Reposted
“the body of one of the dead had been found with his hands tied”
Israel killed 15 Palestinian paramedics and rescue workers one by one, says UN
Workers on a mission to help colleagues were buried in mass grave in southern Gaza, says humanitarian office
www.theguardian.com
April 1, 2025 at 1:26 AM
“the body of one of the dead had been found with his hands tied”
Reposted
If this goes ahead it will serve as a contemporary case study of the ways that imperialist exploitation underdevelops countries.
By the way, is Ukraine going to recoup the costs of its military support of the USA after 9/11 (plus interest)?
www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/a...
By the way, is Ukraine going to recoup the costs of its military support of the USA after 9/11 (plus interest)?
www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/a...
March 28, 2025 at 7:40 AM
If this goes ahead it will serve as a contemporary case study of the ways that imperialist exploitation underdevelops countries.
By the way, is Ukraine going to recoup the costs of its military support of the USA after 9/11 (plus interest)?
www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/a...
By the way, is Ukraine going to recoup the costs of its military support of the USA after 9/11 (plus interest)?
www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/a...
Reposted
1/2 To “remove improper ideology”.
Does anyone still baulk at naming this fascism?
This is why it’s so important to resist History Reclaimed’s propaganda in The Telegraph, Mail, GB TV etc here too.
www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
Does anyone still baulk at naming this fascism?
This is why it’s so important to resist History Reclaimed’s propaganda in The Telegraph, Mail, GB TV etc here too.
www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1.
www.whitehouse.gov
March 28, 2025 at 7:19 AM
1/2 To “remove improper ideology”.
Does anyone still baulk at naming this fascism?
This is why it’s so important to resist History Reclaimed’s propaganda in The Telegraph, Mail, GB TV etc here too.
www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
Does anyone still baulk at naming this fascism?
This is why it’s so important to resist History Reclaimed’s propaganda in The Telegraph, Mail, GB TV etc here too.
www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
Reposted
If you were outraged by the crimes against civilians on Oct 7th but not by the many more crimes against civilians *since* Oct 7th - just this week: kids being burned from head to toe; having their limbs amputated without anesthetic - then you don’t actually care about crimes against civilians.
March 19, 2025 at 10:37 AM
If you were outraged by the crimes against civilians on Oct 7th but not by the many more crimes against civilians *since* Oct 7th - just this week: kids being burned from head to toe; having their limbs amputated without anesthetic - then you don’t actually care about crimes against civilians.
Reposted
The renowned physicist started out as a Zionist, but ended up opposing the occupation of Palestine.
www.currentaffairs.org/news/2021/07...
www.currentaffairs.org/news/2021/07...
Albert Einstein, the Pro-Palestinian Socialist
How the renowned physicist started out as a Zionist but ended up opposing the occupation of Palestine, and why everyone would rather talk about his science than his politics.
www.currentaffairs.org
March 15, 2025 at 9:34 PM
The renowned physicist started out as a Zionist, but ended up opposing the occupation of Palestine.
www.currentaffairs.org/news/2021/07...
www.currentaffairs.org/news/2021/07...
Reposted
1/3 One of the many points of difference between me and Lord Nigel Biggar, when contesting his justification of colonialism, was which of us was more aligned with Putin’s imperialist project.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
The British Empire in the Culture War: Nigel Biggar’s Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning
The British Empire has been politicised to an extent that many of us could never have predicted just a few years ago. The colonial past features especially prominently in the right wing-oriented pr...
www.tandfonline.com
March 15, 2025 at 10:49 AM
1/3 One of the many points of difference between me and Lord Nigel Biggar, when contesting his justification of colonialism, was which of us was more aligned with Putin’s imperialist project.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted
1/3 Interesting new article on British reactions against the Ilbert Bill, which sought to treat Indian judges as if they were equivalent to White judges in the Raj.
www.cambridge.org/core/service...
www.cambridge.org/core/service...
www.cambridge.org
March 13, 2025 at 7:39 AM
1/3 Interesting new article on British reactions against the Ilbert Bill, which sought to treat Indian judges as if they were equivalent to White judges in the Raj.
www.cambridge.org/core/service...
www.cambridge.org/core/service...
Reposted
1/4 Reading comments from culture-war infected, ‘anti-woke’ conservatives right now is like watching someone emerging, from under a spell, but only partially.
There’s a dawning realisation that US alt-right, anti-liberal, Christian Nationalist groups presenting …
www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
There’s a dawning realisation that US alt-right, anti-liberal, Christian Nationalist groups presenting …
www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
The US is much more foreign than we thought
Britain and America are two countries separated by … everything, and we are finally beginning to understand that
www.thetimes.com
March 11, 2025 at 7:40 AM
1/4 Reading comments from culture-war infected, ‘anti-woke’ conservatives right now is like watching someone emerging, from under a spell, but only partially.
There’s a dawning realisation that US alt-right, anti-liberal, Christian Nationalist groups presenting …
www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
There’s a dawning realisation that US alt-right, anti-liberal, Christian Nationalist groups presenting …
www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...