BBC World Histories Magazine Issue 16

We live in an era scarred by conflict, inequality and other complex problems–but that’s nothing new. Indeed, the pages of history are filled with hatred and oppression. In this issue, we explore some of the darker narratives of the past, from ongoing ethnic and social prejudices to the Atlantic slave trade. Yet if there’s a common theme emerging across the pages that follow, it’s the determination of individuals to fight back against forces that can seem inexorable. One such force is anti-Jewish hatred, which recently reared its head once more in British politics–the latest chapter in a long, ignoble history of prejudice. In this issue’s Long Read feature, Deborah Lipstadt offers her take on the roots of antisemitism and its continuing prevalence in political and cultural dialogue. “There are no…

Kevin Fong On page 79, the presenter of a major new BBC World Service podcast series discusses the 1969 Apollo 11 lunar mission. “Everyone knows who Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are, and almost nobody knows the names of the people in mission control. Yet they were as essential as the people who flew the spacecraft,” he says. Deborah Lipstadt On page 23, the influential author and historian explores the origins of antisemitism and the pervasive stereotypes that perpetuate it. “Its roots can be found in the New Testament and the story of the crucifixion of Jesus, but hostility towards Jews did not begin with the rise of Christianity,” she says. Suleiman Ali Mourad “The Middle Ages witnessed a lot of violence, but also countless cases of cooperation, political and…

Expert opinions on historical issues that touch today’s world On the evening of 15 April, people around the world watched as tragedy overtook ‘Our Lady of Paris’–the Cathedral of Notre-Dame. A fire, possibly caused by ongoing restoration work, rapidly spread and engulfed the Gothic monument in flames. The burning spire collapsed into the roof ’s forest of timbers–and hearts broke for France. Over the eight and a half centuries since its construction began in 1163, Notre-Dame has withstood various tests of time, surviving power tussles between church and state, attempts at rebuilding and two world wars. The global response to the conflagration speaks to our collective fascination with the monuments of our shared history and past achievements. But the fire has also led many to question whether other icons are…

We live in the age of the suicide bomber. The threat looms over families and cities from Brussels to Baghdad, London to Lahore: this is the real weapon of mass destruction. Since the first suicide bomber murdered Tsar Alexander II of Russia in 1881, there have been almost 14,000 more such strikes, killing and injuring at least 220,000 people–40% of whom were killed in the past five years. How did it come to this? If you accept the notion that ideas can leap from one culture to another–even ideas that convince devotees to die for a Utopia they will never inhabit–then Isis, and those who support it, might seem to have incorporated aspects of earlier suicide campaigns. For instance, like the Russian revolutionaries who launched at least four suicide attacks…

This year marks the 75th anniversary of D-Day, perhaps the most iconic military event of the Second World War. Veterans, politicians and heads of state from all around the world, along with citizens from many countries, will converge on the beaches of Normandy. They will be there to pay homage to those who stormed the shores of northern France in June 1944, launching the “Great Crusade” (as it was dubbed by US General Dwight Eisenhower in his speech to troops that day) to restore freedom to Europe. Much of what we will see, hear and read in the media will focus–not without reason–on individual acts of heroism and sacrifice. But the anniversary of D-Day also offers an opportunity to think about the contemporary relevance of the Second World War and…

1 NEW ORLEANS UNITED STATES Historic apology The mayor of New Orleans, LaToya Cantrell, has issued a formal apology on behalf of the city for the mob killing of 11 Italian-Americans in 1891–one of the worst mass lynchings in American history. After the city’s police chief was shot in October 1890, numerous Italian immigrants were arrested. Thousands of armed vigilantes then stormed Parish Prison and shot, clubbed or hanged 11 of the accused men. Several of the men had been acquitted, and none had yet been found guilty. 2 SANTIAGO CHILE Chile reception Thousands of artefacts taken from Easter Island by Norwegian explorer and ethnographer Thor Heyerdahl, and currently held in Oslo’s Kon-Tiki Museum, are to be returned to Chile following the signing of an agreement in Santiago in March.…