Ariel Hessayon – The Conversation

Weary hunters return from an expedition with little to show for it in the 1565 Dutch painting, Hunters in the Snow. Pieter Bruegel the Elder

March 7, 2022

The original climate crisis – how the little ice age devastated early modern Europe

Ariel Hessayon, Goldsmiths, University of London and Dan Taylor, The Open University

The little ice age unleashed famines and revolutions which tested the very bonds of society.

Usually carried out in a public context, book burning is a method of censoring cultural, religious or political opposition. Shutterstock/Collin Hawley

February 15, 2022

How 17th century’s Britain’s ‘cancel culture’ can help us understand the importance of free speech

Dan Taylor, The Open University and Ariel Hessayon, Goldsmiths, University of London

Struggles to uphold free speech throughout the centuries teach us that we should never take it for granted.

At least no one got their head cut off … Emilio Lavandeira Jr/EPA

June 25, 2014

Bites, brawls and severed heads: football’s history of violence

Ariel Hessayon, Goldsmiths, University of London

Another game, another bite. That’s the allegation against Uruguayan Luis Suárez, anyway, who has been accused of sinking his teeth into an opposition player. For the third time. But a mid-game nibble on…

Man of the hour. Felipe Trueba/EPA

June 10, 2014

From violent peasants to multi‑million pound megastars: the history of football

Ariel Hessayon, Goldsmiths, University of London

With the World Cup about to kick off, there are many out there who have no idea about the history of this long-loved sport. If you love football, you’re probably only aware of its history from recent times…

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