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Five Do’s and Don’ts for Using Digital Newspapers

By Nathaniel Zelinsky Nathaniel Zelinsky is an MPhil student in Historical Studies at the University of Cambridge. Digitized newspaper databases are an increasingly popular resource for young students of history. It is easy to understand their appeal to the “Google” generation: from the comfort of your own bedroom, you can access countless primary sources without…
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Cultural Memory and the Finnish Civil War

by Tiia Sahrakorpi “Why are Finnish people constantly discussing World War II?” The Second World War is brought up by many elderly Finns in interviews concerning Russia’s actions today in relation to Finland. World War II still forms an important part of Finnish cultural memory and self-identification. However, the Finnish Civil War of 1918 does not have…
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Period dramas and historical accuracy: “Mad Men”

by Florence Largillière As the first part of the last season of Mad Men comes to an end, it seemed a good opportunity to reflect on my interest for period dramas and historical fictions. For an historian, watching period TV shows and films can sometimes be irritating. Even though I know that they are not…
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What papers won’t tell you: “The battle of Algiers”

By Marta Musso I would like to inaugurate film reviewing on DHP with “The battles of Algiers” by Gillo Pontecorvo, perhaps the most important film on terrorism and counter insurgency ever made. It tells the story of the Algerian war by focussing on the years 1956-1957, the period of guerrilla warfare in the capital.
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Issues of Studying Nineteenth Century Women in Foreign Affairs

by Tiia Sahrakorpi A under-researched field is women in diplomatic history. Furthering this field would enhance the study of diplomatic history itself as mostly men are in the forefront as leaders of diplomatic missions. This leads to questions such as, “how to treat gender as a concept in foreign affairs and how to write about…
