Lenin’s book, Materialism and Empiriocriticism: Critical Comments on a Reactionary Philosophy (1909), has often been noted for its lack of philosophical sophistication and vulgar materialism. This paper seeks to contextualize his book within the complicated and strained relationship he had with the understudied Alexander Bogdanov. Through an analysis of Bogdanov’s place in the Bolsheviks, his philosophy, and Lenin’s reactions to it, this paper shows that Lenin viewed Bogdanov and those influenced by empiriocriticism as a real threat to his intended direction for the Bolsheviks, harbouring the possibility of splitting them on philosophical grounds. This paper concludes that Materialism and Empirio-Criticism’s lack of sophistication should be understood as a consequence of Lenin’s goal of squashing the potentially fractionalizing philosophy of Bogdanov in order to actually carry out a revolution.
LIMC s.v. ‘Cesnola’ 7058 (mid-sixth century BCE) is a bronze mirror support of a young, nude girl discovered at the Apollo Hylates sanctuary in Cyprus. Despite this Cyprian provenience, however, archaeological and literary evidence points to Spartan production—specifically, to production ordered by a property-owning Spartan woman. This essay traces the archaeological history and social contexts of LIMC s.v. ‘Cesnola’ 7058, from the object’s exportation history to its associations with female ritual and dedication. I argue that the object represents a young girl engaged in ritual athletic activity, and that the mixed Lakonian-Cyprian provenance reflects female dedicatory trends in archaic Sparta, whereby ritual activity allowed women to exercise power beyond Lakonia.
This study examines the marginalized identity of Citizens in the Transtiberim and argues that they have an intersectional identity which is affected by their language, location, and status. The application of intersectionality is a new practice and one that has yet to be consistently used in the field of Classics. This paper uses modern scholarship on intersectionality to understand the identities of immigrant citizens living in the city of Rome. Through the literature and material culture, this paper shows that these men still connected themselves to their indigenous identities, while firmly integrating into their new citizenship. Such a duality, while a point of pride for these men, marginalized them as Romans despite their assimilation. The rules around citizenship and worship prevented these citizens from fully becoming Roman, forcing them to set up the foundations for future generations.
The failure of French propaganda during the Indochina War (1945-1954) highlights the initial structural limits of psychological warfare in colonial counterinsurgency. The Indochina War marked a critical moment in the development of psychological warfare, as France attempted to adapt emerging Cold War propaganda practices to colonial insurgency. Situating these efforts within the broader context of twentieth-century warfare, shaped by the Second World War and the Korean War, this study draws on French military archives to argue that French psychological warfare was largely ineffective due to late implementation, poor organization, and a fundamental misunderstanding and inability to connect with local populations. Linguistic diversity, widespread illiteracy, insecure pacification zones, and inconsistent propaganda distribution also contribute to the overall ineffectiveness of French propaganda. These efforts are contrasted with the Viet Minh’s adaptable and culturally refined propaganda techniques, which effectively targeted colonial soldiers from a variety of backgrounds. Although propaganda failed to influence the outcome of the Indochina War, the conflict served as a formative experience for the French military, shaping the institutionalization of psychological warfare during the Algerian War of Independence. The failures of French propaganda in Indochina highlight the limited initial understanding of psychological warfare use during a period when these techniques had yet to be fully institutionalized and developed.
The Cantigas de Santa Maria, a collection of monophonic songs compiled under the patronage of Alfonso X of Castile in the thirteenth century, are celebrated for their religious, cultural, and artistic significance. Beyond their devotional function, however, they provide insight into the political ambitions and social realities of medieval Iberia. This paper examines the Cantigas as both an instrument of royal propaganda and a reflection of Castile’s complex social structure, arguing that the collection helped articulate and legitimize Alfonso X’s broader political aspirations. Adopting a multidisciplinary approach that draws on musicology, history, religious studies, and medical scholarship, this study analyzes both the form and content of the Cantigas. Particular attention is given to conversion narratives and depictions of illness, where bodily and psychological crises often serve as narrative turning points. Descriptions of affliction - many of which resemble recognizable neuropsychiatric or physiological conditions - function as catalysts that culminate in miraculous healing, conversion, or public affirmation of Marian authority. In episodes involving Jews, Muslims, and other minority figures, these moments reinforce Christian supremacy while revealing underlying tensions surrounding convivencia in thirteenth-century Iberia. By situating these portrayals within their literary, musical, and performative contexts, this paper demonstrates how the Cantigas de Santa Maria operated simultaneously as expressions of devotion and as carefully crafted statements of power. The collection not only reflects the religious and social dynamics of Alfonso X’s reign but also participates in shaping them, offering a valuable lens through which to examine propaganda, minority representation, and social hierarchy in medieval Castile.
Modern Western thought has cautiously revived belief in a vital, animated world, yet it continues to resist granting spiritual significance to human-made objects. This article contends that nineteenth-century aesthetic philosophy offers resources for overcoming this hesitation by dissolving rigid divisions between nature and artifice. Through a genealogical reading that places contemporary debates in conversation with poetic theory and earlier esoteric currents, this essay shows how imagination and artistic production were understood as participation in a living cosmos. Reconsidering this lineage, it proposes a more expansive account of material agency that unsettles entrenched hierarchies between subject and thing.
El Escorial de San Lorenzo Real, built in the late sixteenth century by the Spanish Habsburg King Philip II, is one of the most influential buildings in early modern Spanish history. A site of architectural as well as artistic revolution, it brought a new flow of ideas and a shifting perspective on art itself, as well as new traditions of high altar decoration previously unseen in Spain. The basilica’s heavily ideological and propagandistic decoration provides an exclusive glimpse into the politics and religious beliefs of Philip II. My research examines primary sources surrounding El Escorial’s construction and secondary source analyses of the building and its art from a variety of perspectives, including art historians, architectural historians, and political and economic historians. To construct my argument, I draw a fundamental proposition from historian Magdalena S Sánchez: in early modern Spain, there was no discernible difference between the political, private, religious, or familial spheres of life. In light of this, I argue that El Escorial stands as not only a monument to Spanish Catholicism but also as an argument for the political power and influence of Philip II. By examining the intersections of the religious, political, and Habsburg dynastic subtleties in El Escorial, I construct a more complete picture of the building, the man who made and used it, and the Spain that made and used him.
Ovid’s Ars Amatoria has survived as one of the only Roman ‘sex manuals’ preserved in the modern day. Within it, Ovid details topics ranging from where to find a potential mistress to how to get her to stay with you. Living within the 1st c. BCE under the emperor Augustus, Ovid had to deal with public scrutiny regarding gender expectations and the emperor’s morality legislation. Despite his tense situation, the advice he offers in the Ars often subverts typical expectations for masculine behaviour. To limit backlash, Ovid uses many tactics to reaffirm his masculinity and avoid accusations of effeminacy, from using language of violence, to mythological examples, to drawing boundaries around what behaviour strays too far. Through analysis of his methods, we can see the pervasive nature of Roman homosocial expectations on all type of works, and how even when trying to attract women, the Roman citizen had to be considering the thoughts of men around him.
One may not be quick to perceive of archival preservation as a form of activism, but the work achieved by the women behind the Lesbian Herstory Archives may change that understanding. As queer radical activism began to flourish in the early 1970s, it became clear that queer history needed to be preserved before it was lost or destroyed. After facing exclusion from both the Gay Liberation Movement and Radical Feminist Movement, it was necessary for lesbians to carve spaces of their own. The Lesbian Herstory Archives became one such space. Embracing the histories of all lesbians regardless of race, class, or ability, the Archives embedded inclusion into their framework. In order to maintain their personal autonomy, the Archives rejected any public funding and was financially supported by members and organizations in the queer community. Not only the history preserved in the Archives, but the physical and social space it provided created a welcoming and inclusive space for lesbians to embrace their identity. While more subtle than some other political actions, the Lesbian Herstory Archives should be understood as a political and radical entity.
Roman mosaics depicting agricultural labour functioned more as ideological statements than portrayals of rural life. This paper examines how elite Roman landowners used images of viticulture and graniculture to romanticize farm labour while asserting their own prestige, moral authority, and stewardship over land and people. Through case studies of mosaics from across the Roman Empire, such as the "Grape Treading" mosaic from Mérida and the "Wheat Threshing" mosaic from Zliten, alongside elite literary sources such as Cato, Virgil, and Columella, and contemporary theory like Kilian Mallon’s concept of the “taskscape,” this paper argues that mosaics constructed idealized scenes of harmony, abundance, and order that obscured the physically demanding and exploitative realities of agricultural labour. By aligning visual imagery with elite literary ideals, agricultural mosaics allowed landowners to present themselves as virtuous stewards of the land and beneficiaries of prosperity. Through works like these, they reinforced elite identity and naturalized the socio-economic hierarchies underpinning Roman agricultural production.
This essay explores Han China’s perception of the Roman Empire. Using texts by modern scholars, it examines how the Han received information about Rome, the details–factual and inaccurate–they believed, and the interpretations they formed based on those details. This topic underscores the complexity of information transmission across ancient Eurasia and highlights how the dominant empire of East Asia acknowledged the existence of a powerful counterpart in the West.
This essay explores the pivotal role of women during the American Civil War, emphasizing their departure from traditional gender roles and their contributions to both the home front and battlefield. While the conflict is often framed around military strategies and political disputes, the experiences of women, both enslaved and free, reflect a profound shift in societal dynamics. The Civil War provided women with opportunities to defy expectations, from the leadership of Harriet Tubman in guiding enslaved people to freedom, to Clara Barton’s revolutionary role in nursing and battlefield care. The essay also examines how white women like Frances Anne Kemble confronted the institution of slavery, revealing abolitionist sentiments and challenging gendered restrictions. Despite their critical roles, post-war reforms largely neglected women’s rights, focusing instead on racial issues. Nonetheless, the actions of these women laid the groundwork for future suffrage and social justice movements. By examining the varied experiences of women during the Civil War, this essay highlights their essential contributions to the war effort and the broader struggle for freedom and equality.
