Left-wing and the ‘Other’ History: The Revolutionary Life of Ito Noe

As I am writing International Women’s Day is around the corner, and I wanted this opportunity to discuss a radical woman from interwar Japan. Ito Noe (1895-1923) was a significant figure in Japanese interwar feminism and the anarchist movement. Holding radical ideas which challenged society’s conservative notion of womanhood, love, and the family, she would

The Making of Today: The Pima Revolt, October-November 1751

In November 1751, in what would become Arizona and Sonora in modern day Mexico and the US, communities of ‘Pima’, Akimel O’odham, came together and revolted against Spanish rule. This area had been slowly colonised by the Spanish, and heavily relied on Jesuit missionaries to help spread colonial rule. The Pima Revolt is a snapshot

The Making of Today: Hannah Snell, Warrior Women, and Gender Non-Conformity, April-June 1750

Welcome to the newest The Making of Today, and on June 2 1750 British soldier James Gray revealed that he was actually Hannah Snell, a woman who had adopted a male identity and fought alongside them for years. With the rise of the trans rights movement in recent years, it is important to remember that

Left-Wing and the ‘Other’ History: Magnus Hirschfeld and the Sexology Institute

We are unfortunately seeing, mainly in the UK and US, a wave of transphobia and enbyphobia driven by an unholy alliance of fascists, conservative commentators, and self-described ‘radical feminists’ including former stalwarts like Germaine Greer. As a result, many trans and non-binary people have been facing greater hardships – as I non-binary person I have

Left-Wing and the ‘Other’ History: International Workers’ Day

May 1 across the world is celebrated as International Workers’ Day by trade unions, leftists, and socialist organisations. From London to Shanghai, from Jerusalem to Buenos Aires, and from Algiers to Cape Town workers across the world come out to raise awareness and solidarity with one another. So today we’re going to look at how

Prisons in Colonial Africa: From the margins of colonial history

This article was first published by Retrospect Journal Prison-abolitionist Angela Davis once discussed how, ‘the prison is considered an inevitable and permanent feature of our social lives’, which makes it simultaneously ‘present in our lives’ and ‘absent from our lives’. Those incarcerated become part of the ‘margins’ of society – a warning about going against

Stormé DeLarverie: The Lesbian who Sparked a Revolution

Although the Stonewall Riot was not the first resistance against police brutality by the LGBTQ+ community, it was one of the most prominent and sparked the Gay Rights Revolution. One of the key but forgotten figures of Stonewall was Stormé DeLarverie. A butch lesbian from Louisiana she faced misogyny, racism, and homophobia throughout her life.

Papua Merdeka: West Papua’s Quest for Freedom

On 1 December 2020, just a few days ago at the time of writing, the leaders of one of the major West Papuan independence organisations, United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), declared they had formed a ‘government-in-exile’. The ULMWP’s leader Benny Wenda announced that ‘Today, we honour and recognise all our forefathers who fought

Left-Wing and the ‘Other’ History: Qiu Jin

The history of China is full of revolutionary figures, and one important but overlooked one is that of Qiu Jin. Born in 1875 she was a revolutionary feminist figure who went from a life of domesticity to leading a revolution against the ruling Qing dynasty. This remarkable woman became a martyr for feminism and social

Happy Pride: Celebrating Pride with the Past, Present, and Future podcast

As I am writing it is the anniversary of the Stonewall Riot which, in 1969, sparked the Gay Rights Movement. My close friend Josh Minster has got his own fantastic podcast called Past, Present, and Future (which is where I got the title of this blog from); and together we talked about the Past, Present,