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Category Archives: History
Posts on Corsican themes.
Seneca in Corsica The Roman senator and philosopher spent several miserable years in exile on the island in the first century A.D. Paoli in London ‘The 18th century Che Guevara’ produced one of the first constitutions of the enlightenment era and fought … Continue reading
When Corsica welcomed thousands of Serb refugees (1916)
Kathleen Courtney in Corsica. In 1916, around 5,000 Serb refugees were evacuated to Corsica via Salonika, Corfu and the Adriatic coast to escape the conflict in the Balkans. On arrival they were settled in the major towns of Bastia and … Continue reading
Pathologically wrong: Humours and Miasma.
Humours and Miasma: Science in Society 8. Humoral theory and miasma theory: two long-lasting medical paradigms now consigned to the history of human error but which shaped our ideas about health and disease and the development of medical practice and … Continue reading
Posted in History, Science in Society, Students
Tagged Blood & Guts, cholera, disease, germ theory, Hippocrates, history, humours, John Snow, medicine, miasma, public health, Robert Koch, Roy Porter, Science, Science in Society
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My islands – by Line Mariani Playfair
I have always had a strong affinity for atlases and islands. Whether a single volcanic rock or one likely to fragment or disappear underwater, each one seems to be calling me, speaking to my imagination. I was fascinated by Thor … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Guest blogs, History
Tagged Corsica, Dorothy Carrington, Line Mariani Playfair
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Matisse in Corsica.
The great artist Henri Matisse (1869-1954) was inspired to use colour in radical new ways during his first visit to Corsica. After their wedding in early 1898, Matisse and his wife Amélie Parayre spent their honeymoon first in London and … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, History
Tagged Ajaccio, Amelie Parayre, Art, Corsica, culture, Fauvism, France, Henri Matisse, Hilary Spurling, painting
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Brecht’s radical Galileo
Brecht’s ‘Life of Galileo’ is a great piece of theatre with universal appeal. It’s also a particularly good one for science students because it brings the scientific method to life. Galileo’s struggle to get acceptance for the ‘Copernican’ heliocentric model … Continue reading
Four cousins went to war.
This is a very brief account of the lives of 4 young men from around a century ago; all members of the same Scottish family. The accounts are neither special nor representative and they form a tiny fraction of the story … Continue reading
Posted in History
Tagged Anti-war, conflict, history, Ian Playfair, Lambert Playfair, Lyon Playfair, Patrick Playfair, peace, world war 1
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Les réfugiés francophones de Londres.
Nous nous sommes réunis au Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle le 19 Octobre pour rappeler les évènements qui ont bouleversé le monde il y un siècle. Avant d’évoquer le Londres de 1916, je me permets d’évoquer celui de 1966. C’est … Continue reading
London’s francophone refugees
We are roughly at the mid point of our commemoration of the First World War. Let’s look back just over a hundred years. London before the outbreak of war in 1914 was the greatest industrial city in the world and … Continue reading
Posted in History, Learning resources, NewVIc
Tagged Anti-war, France, Goldsmiths University of London, Jean Jaurès, London, refugee, Romain Rolland, world war 1, xenophobia
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Jean Jaurès: ‘what is courage?’
Jean Jaurès (1859-1914), member of the French National Assembly, leader of the Parti Socialiste Français and peace campaigner was an eloquent and compelling public speaker. One of his most famous speeches was his 1903 address to young people at the … Continue reading
Posted in History, Politics
Tagged courage, Discours à la Jeunesse, France, Jean Jaurès, peace
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Jane Addams and John Dewey
The Toynbee papers #2 An imagined conversation. Toynbee Hall, Commercial street, Whitechapel, 1921. Jane Addams of Chicago is greeting her old friend John Dewey who has just arrived. John, my dear friend – welcome to Toynbee Hall. I trust you … Continue reading
Posted in Education, History
Tagged Education, Jane Addams, John Dewey, Toynbee Hall
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Boswell in Corsica.
The Scottish lawyer and writer James Boswell (1740-1795), famous for his Life of Samuel Johnson, was also a great supporter of Pasquale Paoli and Corsican independence. Boswell met enlightenment thinkers such as Voltaire and Rousseau and was encouraged by Rousseau to … Continue reading
Posted in History
Tagged Corsica, Democracy, enlightenment, Equality, James Boswell, Pasquale Paoli, Samuel Johnson
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W.E.B. DuBois, black liberation and liberal education for all.
The great African American academic, socialist, peace and civil rights activist William Edward Burghardt DuBois (1868-1963) wrote about philosophy, sociology, history, race equality and education as well as writing fiction. He is best remembered for his The Souls of Black … Continue reading
Eddie Playfair 