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History, music, cooking, travel, books, theatre, film – but also with an eye on the ‘culture wars’, nationalism and identity.
In Byline Times’ fourth anniversary print edition editorial, Peter Jukes and Hardeep Matharu explore how and why the established media continue to have a monopoly over the damaging narratives shaping our politics and culture – more than a decade after the phone-hacking scandal
With inflation up, growth down, and 80% of Britons unsatisfied with the political system, Matthew Gwyther explores a catastrophic loss of faith in our economic system
It’s not hard to see how the evolution of cooperation and the evolution of language are mutually reinforcing, writes John Mitchinson
Penny Pepper shares her thoughts on finally catching the virus as a Clinically Extremely Vulnerable disabled person
We must all examine our values and actions in relation to vulnerable populations, writes Iain Overton
Perhaps it is the atavistic fear of something growing inside us and consuming us from within that makes us feel so ambivalent towards fungi, writes John Mitchinson
Stefano Goodman explains how impairment can lead to sudden physical reliance on strangers – and how this shapes our personalities
Penny Pepper wears her bloody, beaten heart on her tattered sleeve in this powerful snapshot of the constraints imposed upon disabled people
In a country at war, the simple club night has become a symbol of resistance, a source of mental rejuvenation and even a way to help bring victory closer. Violence often visits the capital Kyiv, in short bursts maybe once or twice a week in the form of cruise missiles and kamikaze drones that send…
Having spent the last year here as a refugee, Maria Romanenko sees Ukrainian music, literature, sport and drama booming in the UK, but wonders when academic recognition will come. Published in conjunction with the Kyiv Post
Otto English takes a deep dive into the chilling world of a big new theory that has caught the eye of libertarian influencers, extremists and members of the public alike
If voters can’t be scared by the threat of the ‘woke left’ devaluing their house – they might be scared by it devaluing their childhood, writes Graham Williamson
In a dialogue with ChatGPT, Iain Overton explores whether truth and meaning can really be left to machines
The decision to alter Roald Dahl’s texts to make them more inclusive misses the mark – and ignores wider failures of diversity in children’s publishing, writes Sian Norris
John Mitchinson explores the lasting impact of a controversial American study steeped in the institutional racism which continues to permeate the country today
Do disabled people have sex? Of course we do, writes Penny Pepper. Why are you so surprised?
Matthew Gwyther looks at the public’s contradictory ideas of leadership and how women are (on the whole) confounding them
At the heart of any resolution of the war in Ukraine is the issue of the Crimean Tatars. Maria Romanenko explains how a play, part of the UK/Ukraine season of culture, explores their subjugation and resistance
The longer we look at this traditional music, the more we see that its very malleability is its strength and its challenge, writes John Mitchinson
Penny Pepper pens an open letter to her Conservative MP, explaining why the NHS crisis is personal and political for those ‘living in the real world’
From Partygate to Trussomics, the death of the Monarch, and the humiliation of Vladimir Putin, OttoEnglish’s review of the year takes us on a roller coaster of major fails and meteoric falls
There’s a reason Dickens’ Christmas Carol is a perennial festive favourite, says A V Deggar – the Malthusian ideas of Scrooge are still with us
Stephen Unwin explores how the famed author’s views about disability were typical of a growing intellectual endorsement of the dangerous ideology of eugenics in the early 20th century
Shreya Bansal explores how patriarchy in Indian households impacts the experience of growing up as daughters in the country
John Mitchinson explores the enduring relevance of the “little Christmas book” the author penned in 1843
Penny Pepper reflects on what the festive season means for her, as politicians and the media continue to marginalise the creation of new cultural narratives around disability
Dan Clayton looks at a rising tide of martial, dehumanising and manipulative metaphors over asylum seekers and migrants in the UK
Did the Greeks invent irony? Rahila Gupta makes the case for Britain’s mastery and ownership of the device
Albanian citizen Gresa Hasa explains why she wants an apology from the UK Government
Iain Overton reflects on the Government’s policy of Free Trade Deals with countries regardless of their human rights
The career of the civil rights activist is celebrated in a new Netflix documentary. To mark its release, he spoke to Adrian Goldberg for the Byline Times Podcast
John Mitchinson explores how our brains reflect our lives not our genitals John Gray’s Men are from Mars, Women are From Venus was the highest-selling non-fiction title of the 1990s. With sales of over 15 million copies across 40 languages, it created its own publishing ecosystem: Why Men Don’t Listen and Women Can’t Read Maps;…
The former Culture Secretary’s plans for privatisation of the self-funding public service broadcaster have already cost £2m, but they appear to be based on a mountain of misunderstandings
As Britain welcomes its first Asian Prime Minister, Hardeep Matharu explores how our pluralistic society is reflected in the multiplicity of its migrant experience – as demonstrated by the different reactions to Rishi Sunak’s rise
The whiff that lingered at the announcement that Qatar would host the 2022 tournament has never faded, writes Gary Gowers
As the famous tournament kicks off this weekend in Qatar, Adrian Goldberg explores why this year’s event is attracting a more muted excitement
Composer Howard Goodall unpicks Art Council England’s announcement that it will be redistributing £50 million of funding for the English National Opera outside of London and the south-east