When Tony Berry received an email from a hitherto unheard-of cousin researching her family history it set him off on an unexpected journey from his home in Australia to the valleys of Wales, the mill towns of Yorkshire and the Sussex coast. Along the way - and hand in hand with his cousin now his partner - he discovered unknown relatives in New Zealand, Norway and the USA. Stories were uncovered of abject poverty, sudden workplace deaths, hardship and perseverance. Instead of the hoped-for landed gentry and honoured dignitaries they found a family tree of labourers, tidewaiters, shipwrights, preachers, weavers, cotton pickers, maids, servants and paupers. This is their story ...written from the author's new home on the other side of the world.

Tracing the interwoven traditions of modern welfare states in Europe over five centuries, Thomas McStay Adams explores social welfare from Portugal, France, and Italy to Britain, Belgium and Germany. He shows that the provision of assistance to those in need has faced recognizably similar challenges from the 16th century through to the present: how to allocate aid equitably (and with dignity); how to give support without undermining autonomy (and motivation); and how to balance private and public spheres of action and responsibility. Across two authoritative volumes, Adams reveals how social welfare administrators, critics, and improvers have engaged in a constant exchange of models and experience locally and across Europe. The narrative begins with the founding of the Casa da Misericordia of Lisbon in 1498, a model replicated throughout Portugal and its empire, and ends with the relaunch of a social agenda for the European Union at the meeting of the Council of Europe in Lisbon in 2000. Volume 1, which focuses on the period from 1500 to 1700, discusses the concepts of 'welfare' and 'tradition'. It looks at how 16th-century humanists joined with merchants and lawyers to renew traditional charity in distinctly modern forms, and how the discipline of religious reform affected the exercise of political authority and the promotion of economic productivity. Volume 2 examines 18th-century bienfaisance which secularized a Christian humanist notion of beneficence, producing new and sharply contested assertions of social citizenship. It goes on to consider how national struggles to establish comprehensive welfare states since the second half of the 19th century built on the power of the vote as politicians, pushed by activists and advised by experts, appealed to a growing class of industrial workers. Lastly, it looks at how 20th-century welfare states addressed aspirations for social citizenship while the institutional framework for European economic cooperation came to fruition

A SPECTATOR and PROSPECT Book of 2022 'Ceaselessly interesting, knowledgeable and evocative' Spectator 'A fresh way to write history' Alan Johnson 'A quirky, amused, erudite homage to France . . . ambitious and original' The Times _____ Original, knowledgeable and endlessly entertaining, France: An Adventure History is an unforgettable journey through France from the first century BC to the present day. Drawn from countless new discoveries and thirty years of exploring France on foot, in the library and across 30,000 miles on the author's beloved bike, it begins with Gaulish and Roman times and ends in the age of #MeToo, Black Lives Matter, the Gilets Jaunes and Covid-19. From the plains of Provence to the slums and boulevards of Paris, events and themes of French history may be familiar - Louis XIV, the French Revolution, the French Resistance, the Tour de France - but all are presented in a shining new light. Frequently hilarious, always surprising, France: An Adventure History is a sweeping panorama of France, teeming with characters, stories and coincidences, and offering a thrilling sense of discovery and enlightenment. This vivid, living history of one of the world's most fascinating nations will make even seasoned Francophiles wonder if they really know that terra incognita which is currently referred to as 'France'. _____ 'Packed full of discoveries' The Sunday Times 'A gorgeous tapestry of insights, stories and surprises' Fintan O'Toole 'A rich and vibrant narrative . . . clear-eyed but imaginative storytelling' Financial Times 'Full of life' Prospect

Here we are again our second journey into Wednesfield's past. Our first journey produced a fantastic response from the folk of Wednesfield and indeed from other areas around the country and that is the reason for this second book and obviously my passion for Wednesfield's past. It's been really great giving talks to the kids at Wodensfield and St Patricks schools, and also at Long Knowle library and not forgetting the talks given in the Vine Inn on 6th August 2010 to celebrate the battle of Wednesfield's 1100th anniversary. Take this next journey with me into Wednesfield's past and be assured that it will bring back memories of your own journey. This 206 page book contains more than 138 photographs.

The melodramatic and romantic cliche s that pervade popular conceptions of working-class Londoners in the 19th and 20th century are debunked in this innovative expose of proletariat London. The individual stories of muted historical figures, including an illiterate silk weaver, a grandmother in an asylum, a deserted family, an abused daughter, and a dead child, are brought to light through interpretations of the scraps they left behind-- gravestone inscriptions, photographs and certificates, the grimy contents of hidden cubbyholes, and even childhood recollections that have been passed down through the generations. The unusual contents of these stories intertwine to evoke a haunting and original picture of working-class London that adds a much-needed, though bleak facet to the city's social history.

Shortlisted for the James Cropper Wainwright Prize 2022 for Nature Writing - Highly Commended Winner for the Richard Jefferies Award 2021 for Best Nature Writing 'A rural, working-class writer in an all too rarefied field, Chester's work is unusual for depicting the countryside as it is lived on the economic margins.' The Guardian 'An important portrait of connection to the land beyond ownership or possession.' Raynor Winn 'It's ever so good. Political, passionate and personal.' Robert Macfarlane 'Evocative and inspiring...environmental protest, family, motherhood and...nature.' Claire Fuller, author of Unsettled Ground, Costa Novel Award Winner 2021 Nature is everything. It is the place I come from and the place I got to. It is family. Wherever I am, it is home and away, an escape, a bolt hole, a reason, a place to fight for, a consolation, and a way home. As a child growing up in rural England, Guardian Country Diarist Nicola Chester was inexorably drawn to the natural landscape surrounding her. Walking, listening and breathing in the nature around her, she followed the call of the cuckoo, the song of the nightingale and watched as red kites, fieldfares and skylarks soared through the endless skies over the chalk hills of the North Wessex Downs: the ancient land of Greenham Common which she called home. Nicola bears witness to, and fights against, the stark political and environmental changes imposed on the land she loves, whilst raising her family to appreciate nature and to feel like they belong - core parts of who Nicola is. From protesting the loss of ancient trees to the rewilding of Greenham Common, to the gibbet on Gallows Down and living in the shadow of Highclere Castle (made famous in Downton Abbey), On Gallows Down shows how one woman made sense of her world - and found her place in it.

An indelible exploration of the Cultural Revolution and how it shapes China today, Red Memory uncovers forty years of silence through the rarely heard stories of individuals who lived through Mao's decade of madness.

More than fifty years on, the Cultural Revolution's scar runs through the heart of Chinese society, and through the souls of its citizens. Stationed in Beijing for the Guardian, Tania Branigan came to realise that this brutal and turbulent decade continues to propel and shape China to this day. Yet official suppression and personal trauma have conspired in national amnesia: it exists, for the most part, as an absence.

Red Memory explores the stories of those driven to confront the era, who fear or yearn for its return. What happens to a society when you can no longer trust those closest to you? What happens to the present when the past is buried, exploited or redrawn? And how do you live with yourself when the worst is over?

This volume explores the life stories of ordinary Burmese by drawing on the narratives of individual subjects and using an array of interdisciplinary approaches, covering anthropology, history, literature, ethnomusicology, economics and political science. Burma is one of the most diverse societies in Southeast Asia in terms of its ethnic composition. It has a long history of resistance from the public realm against colonial rule and post-independence regimes. However, its isolation for decades before 1988 deprived scholars of a close look into the many faces of this society. Looking into the life stories of members of several major ethnic communities, who hail from different occupations and are of different ages and genders, this book has a particular significance that would help reveal the multiplicities of Burma's modern history. The authors of this volume write about stories of their long-term informants, close friends, family members, or even themselves to bring out a wide range of issues relating to migration, economy, politics, religion and culture. The constituted stories jointly highlight the protagonists' survival strategies in everyday life that demonstrate their constant courage, pain and frustration in dealing with numerous social injustices and adversities. Through these stories, we see movement of lives as well as that of Burmese society.

The digital storytelling project Humanizing Deportation invites migrants to present their own stories in the world's largest and most diverse archive of its kind. Since 2017, more than 300 community storytellers have created their own audiovisual testimonial narratives, sharing their personal experiences of migration and repatriation. With Migrant Feelings, Migrant Knowledge, the project's coordinator, Robert Irwin, and other team members introduce the project's innovative participatory methodology, drawing out key issues regarding the human consequences of contemporary migration control regimes, as well as insights from migrants whose world-making endeavors may challenge what we think we know about migration. In recent decades, migrants in North America have been treated with unprecedented harshness. Migrant Feelings, Migrant Knowledge outlines this recent history, revealing stories both of grave injustice and of seemingly unsurmountable obstacles overcome. As Irwin writes, "The greatest source of expertise on the human consequences of contemporary migration control are the migrants who have experienced them," and their voices in this searing collection jump off the page and into our hearts and minds.

In 1884 begin Hendrik Witbooi en sy Namavolk met 'n profetiese trek na die vrugbare noorde om aan die droogte van die Kalahariwoestyn te ontsnap. Terselfdertyd stap die keiserlike afgevaardigde dr. Göring sowat 'n honderd kilometer daarvandaan aan land in die nuwe Duitse kolonie Suidwes-Afrika - die huidige Namibië.

Daarop volg 'n stryd om lewe en dood tussen die Duitse Schutztruppe en die Afrikane wat vir hul onafhanklikheid veg.

Die honderde briewe wat deur Hendrik Witbooi aan Duitse goewerneurs, Engelse magistrate en Afrikaleiers geskryf is, het aan Conny Braam unieke insig gegee in die wêreld van Witbooi: sy liefde vir die ou volk van die Khoisan, die leringe van sendeling Olpp, sy verontrusting oor die Westerse kredietstelsel wat van sy volk slawe sou maak en sy intense verdriet toe hy besef dat keiser Wilhelm II die totale vernietiging van die opstandige inheemse bevolking eis.

In 1904 lei die tagtigjarige Hendrik nog een keer die opstand teen die Duitse koloniale leër. Hy sou die geskiedenis ingaan as een van die grootste vryheidstryders wat Afrika geken het.

“'n Verhaal wat onder geen omstandighede vergeet mag word nie.” - Trouw

Witchcraft continues to play a role in the modern European imagination and in its cultures. This book brings together studies of its most important modern manifestations. The volume includes a major new history of the origins and development of English 'Wicca', an account of satanic abuse mythology in the Twentieth Century and a survey of the continued existence of traditional witchcraft.

Embark on a global journey with Charles Koopman, an intrepid American teacher who has traversed over one hundred countries, gathering profound insights along the way. In “Man in the Mirror,” Koopman delves into the rich tapestry of cultures he’s encountered, illuminating their unique approaches to life’s challenges and the attitudes that shape their perspectives. As a self-described “man without a home,” Koopman intimately understands the nuances of diverse societies, revealing how certain universal truths emerge amidst cultural diversity. Through the exploration of fifty maxims, both familiar and obscure, he unpacks their relevance to the myriad landscapes he’s explored, from the bustling streets of South America to the tranquil villages of China, the enigmatic bazaars of the Middle East, and the vibrant tapestry of Africa, juxtaposed with his experiences in his homeland, the United States.

Koopman fearlessly confronts the blurred lines between truth and fiction in today’s media landscape, using age-old adages to shed light on the complexities of perception. By challenging entrenched stereotypes—such as the notion of Africa as a land of desolation—he urges readers to embrace empathy and abandon preconceived notions. Drawing from his immersive firsthand experiences, Koopman encourages readers to step outside their comfort zones and embrace the wisdom of diverse perspectives. “Man in the Mirror” is not merely a reflection on the world as it exists, but a compelling call to action for greater understanding, compassion, and solidarity. In a world plagued by discord and inequality, Koopman’s poignant exploration underscores the imperative of empathy, offering a roadmap towards a more harmonious and equitable future.

The self-published book is inspired by fifty proverbs that the author explains through his own experiences of the countries he has visited. Like his father, another globetrotting educator, Charles can offer readers highly philosophical insights about the world around us and what makes the human race such a fascinating topic. If there is one thing his travels have taught him, it is that every moment should be lived to its fullest as opportunity may never knock again.

Son Jarocho was born as the regional sound of Veracruz but over time became a Mexican national genre, even transnational, genre-a touchstone of Chicano identity in the United States. Mario Barradas and Son Jarocho traces a musical journey from the Gulf Coast to interior Mexico and across the border, describing the transformations of Son Jarocho along the way. This comprehensive cultural study pairs ethnographic and musicological insights with an oral history of the late Mario Barradas, one of Son Jarocho's preeminent modern musicians. Chicano musician Francisco Gonzalez offers an insider's account of Barradas's influence and Son Jarocho's musical qualities, while Rafael Figueroa Hernandez delves into Barradas's recordings and films. Yolanda Broyles-Gonzalez examines the interplay between Son Jarocho's indigenous roots and contemporary role in Mexican and US society. The result is a nuanced portrait of a vital and evolving musical tradition.

Genealogy and Social Status in the Enlightenment is at the crossroads of the history of science and the social history of cultural practices, and suggests the need for a new approach on the significance of genealogies in the Age of Enlightenment. While their importance has been fully recognised and extensively studied in early modern Britain and in the Victorian period, the long eighteenth century has been too often presented as a black hole regarding genealogy. Enlightened values and urban sociability have been presented as inimical to the praise of ancestry and birth. In contrast, however, various studies on the continental or in the American colonies, have shed light on the many uses of genealogies, even beyond the landed elite. Whether it be in the publishing industry, in the urban corporations, in the scientific discourses, genealogy was used, not only as a resilient social practice, but also as a form of reasoning, a language and a tool to include newcomers, organise scientific and historical knowledge or to express various emotions. This volume aims to reconsider the flexibility of genealogical practices and their perpetual reconfiguration to meet renewed expectations in the period. Far from slowly vanishing under the blows of rationalism that would have delegitimized an ancient world based on various forms of hereditary determinism, the different contributions to this collective work demonstrate that genealogy is a pervasive tool to make sense of a fast-changing society.

The experience of Central Americans in the United States is marked by a vicious contradiction. In entertainment and information media, Salvadorans, Guatemalans, Nicaraguans, and Hondurans are hypervisible as threatening guerrillas, MS-13 gangsters, maids, and "forever illegals." Central Americans are unseen within the broader conception of Latinx community, foreclosing avenues to recognition. Yajaira M. Padilla explores how this regime of visibility and invisibility emerged over the past forty years-bookended by the right-wing presidencies of Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump-and how Central American immigrants and subsequent generations have contested their rhetorical disfiguration. Drawing from popular films and TV, news reporting, and social media, Padilla shows how Central Americans in the United States have been constituted as belonging nowhere, imagined as permanent refugees outside the boundaries of even minority representation. Yet in documentaries about cross-border transit through Mexico, street murals, and other media, US Central Americans have counteracted their exclusion in ways that defy dominant paradigms of citizenship and integration.

John R Hume is Scotland's foremost expert on industrial heritage. John's greatest passion was - and is - industry. Over the course of the 1960s, 70s and 80s, he took over 25,000 photographs of late-industrial and post-industrial Scotland. His collection is a remarkable portrait of a way of life that has now all but vanished. His drive to act as a witness to Scotland's industrial empire, and its steady disintegration, took him to every corner of the country. John's photography produces an exhaustive and objective record. Yet it also reveals remarkable and poignant glimpses of domestic life - children playing in factory ruins, high-rises emerging on the city skylines, working men and women dwarfed by the incredible scale of an already crumbling industrial infrastructure. In A Life of Industry, author Daniel Gray tells John's story, and the story of what has been lost - and preserved.

Journey through thousands of years of human history (now with the women put back in).

From the earliest human civilizations through to the present day, the stories of countless influential women – leaders, artists, warriors, scientists and more – have been ignored, forgotten, or actively suppressed. You may not have encountered the likes of Fatima al-Fihri (an Islamic World visionary who founded the world's first university), Ching Shih (the most successful pirate in history), or Huda Sha'arawi (a pioneering Egyptian feminist leader, suffragist, nationalist, and founder of the Egyptian Feminist Union), but that's about to change.

In What’s Her Name: A History of the World in 80 Lost Women, authors – and sisters – Olivia Meikle and Katie Nelson weave together the captivating stories of these fascinating figures to tell an alternative, enthralling and deeply researched historical narrative. A truly global history, What’s Her Name features biographies of incredible women spanning six continents and thousands of years, from Ancient Egypt and the Roman Empire to imperial China, the Americas and post-war Europe.

Drawing on years of study and interviews with dozens of experts, this is an entertaining, thought-provoking look at the trailblazing women you may not have heard of (but should have).