Blog

The blog highlights American Committee on Africa, module II's rich documentation of anti-apartheid activism, focusing on the National Peace Accord, global solidarity, and student-led divestment campaigns. It explores the pivotal role of universities, protests, and public education in pressuring institutions to divest from apartheid, shaping global attitudes toward social justice and reform.

This blog examines how primary sources can be used to trace the impact of young voices on society, particularly during pivotal voting reforms in the UK and the US. Explore materials that reveal insights into youth activism, intergenerational gaps, and societal perceptions, highlighting their interdisciplinary value for studying youth culture, activism, and girlhood across history.

Meu Mapa, by Atlas Weyland Eden, is a short piece of historical fiction inspired by digitised archival maps in AM databases, and written as part of the Imagining History UK programme.

In a guest blog, Kuba Jablanowski, a lecturer in Digital Sociology at the University of Bristol, explores how the university's use of AM Digital collections have enabled students to access crucial interdisciplinary content to support their research. 

The Imagining History Programme (IHUK) offers access to digitised archives, inspiring participants to merge historical research with storytelling. The program balances guidance with self-directed exploration, fostering critical thinking and narrative skills. 

In a guest blog, Lewis Goode, a graduate student from the University of Bristol discusses their use of AM's digital archives for research for their masters dissertation. Lewis highlights how the tools available through AM Explorer enable an enhanced research experience. 

The twentieth century marked a pivotal time for medicinal advancements but, when it comes to procedures to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, little has changed in over a century. Examining two global pandemics we consider the idea of social responsibility during the outbreaks of Plague (1918) and Coronavirus (2019).

AM's Felix Barnes and Courtney Priday explore the vital role of primary sources in fostering information literacy and critical thinking. By examining archival material and using tools from metadata to contextual essays, AM collections empower users to critically evaluate historical sources, encouraging informed perspectives on the past and its relevance to today.

Through British government papers, Apartheid South Africa, 1989-1994: Negotiation, Liberation and Democracy explores the dismantling of apartheid and the lead-up to free elections. Nick Jackson, Senior Editor at AM, looks at an example from this wealth of content, a Prime Minister’s Office (PREM) file about resistance to participation in the elections from the political leader of Bophuthatswana. 

Jennifer Wedge, AM's Metadata and Discovery Manager, explores the importance of metadata and how it is essential in helping users discover our collections. 

Film offers more than entertainment, it captures fleeting, candid moments that reveal the rhythm of everyday life in the past. Wanderings in Peking, from AM’s China on Film: Twentieth Century Sources from the British Film Institute, offers a glimpse of 1930s Beijing, revealing a city where tradition meets progress, with the camera often capturing its most compelling stories unintentionally.

James Prinsep, the son of an East India Company merchant and government official, holds a notable place in Indian history for his work in the Indian Mint and standardising currency. Records from East India Company, module VII show how Prinsep, and the British-run East India Company more broadly, reshaped India’s currency to suit their economic and administrative needs.

Foreign Office, Consulate and Legation Files, China: 1830-1939 contains a huge variety of material touching on life in China through the eyes of the British representatives stationed there. Nick Jackson, Senior Editor at AM, looks at an example from this wealth of content, one diplomat’s exploration of Chinese family relationships and how this narrative presented them to a British audience.

The Nineteenth Century Stage is a rich resource exploring the theatrical celebrities, artistry, and changing social roles of the era. It highlights Pamela Colman Smith, known for her Rider-Waite tarot illustrations and theatre work, whose influence shaped Victorian theatre. Despite being overlooked, her life and impact are vividly captured through striking art and intimate collections within this valuable resource.

In preparation for migration to AM Quartex, the University of Delaware Library, Museums and Press had to take stock of and rationalise seven distinct digital collections. Learn about how this was overcome in part three of this guest blog series.

From medieval markets to a global powerhouse, London’s evolution between 1450 and 1750 is vividly documented in the records of its livery companies. Central to the city’s economy, these institutions reveal how London navigated challenges like plagues, the Great Fire, and rapid growth, underscoring their vital role in shaping a thriving metropolis.

Editorial assistant Jade Lilliman reflects on the 20th anniversary of Movember, the annual movement encouraging men to grow moustaches to support awareness and fundraising for men's health issues like prostate cancer and mental health. Jade delves into the Movember mission alongside historical perspectives on facial hair from the Mass Observation Archive, drawing parallels between past and present societal pressures on appearance.

In preparation for migration to AM Quartex, the University of Delaware Library, Museums and Press is taking the opportunity to reassess its practices related to the quality of images that are created and displayed digitally. Learn more in part two of this guest blog series.

Seventy years on from publication of the first issue, Emily Stafford, AM Editor, explores how the American Committee on Africa’s newsletter, Africa Today, served the committee’s aim of informing the American public about African affairs and built on the collective power of small individual actions to effect change.

In the first of a guest blog series from the University of Delaware, discover the challenges and legacy systems limiting usage of the library's digitised special collections, and how the library team arrived at the decision to migrate its many-faceted, multimedia collections to AM Quartex.

As Los Angeles prepares for the 2028 Olympic Games, Matt Brand, Editor, delves into the city’s 1956 bid, revealing surprising twists and turns through promotional material and behind-the-scenes correspondence featured in The Olympic Movement: Sport, Global Politics, and Identity.

Discover the Mexican Revolution through the lens of Sara Castrejón, a trailblazing female photographer of the era. In this blog, AM’s Niamh Coffey delves into the transformative power of photojournalism, revealing how it brings to light the often-overlooked stories of marginalized individuals who shaped modern Mexico, yet remain hidden in conventional historical narratives.

Eighty years on from the occupation of Hungary by German troops during the Second World War, one woman’s diaries offer a personal perspective on a globally significant event. This blog explores the accounts of Scottish journalist Margaret Mackenzie Scott as she navigates her new reality under German occupation far from her homeland.

Following momentous votes in both France and the United Kingdom over the past month, Assistant Editor Alex Barr reflects on South Africa's 1984 general election, which marked a pivotal moment in apartheid history. Spearheaded by the nascent United Democratic Front, a mass boycott of this election undermined the legitimacy of the government and provided new impetus to the anti-apartheid liberation struggle.