While synthetic opiods are a relatively new class of drugs, opium has a long destructive history in trade wars and warfare, beginning with the First Opium War.
Articles on Opium Wars
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In his new history, Amitav Ghosh shows how the world’s first international drug cartels were run by the Dutch and British governments through their monopoly East India companies.
There are two histories of dagga in South Africa - the one of criminalising it and the other of the state trying to make money off it.
Opium played a fascinating role in southern African colonial politics, conflict and social change - from the poppy fields of Mozambique to the early days of Johannesburg city.
From colonial poppy fields to pharmatrash, southern Africa offers a fascinating history of drug regimes – one that helps us make sense of drug policies and legislation today.
As the UK sets up post-Brexit trade deals with Commonwealth countries, it should be mindful of history.
Christianity has grown at a rapid rate in China. The Catholic church, however, is split into an official one and an ‘underground’ one. A scholar explains how better relations with Vatican could help.
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Professor of History, University of Johannesburg
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Teaching Fellow in Colonial/Global History, University of Leicester
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Director, AIDS and Society Research Unit, University of Cape Town
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Assistant Professor, University of California, Santa Barbara
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Research associate, University of Pretoria
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Associate Professor, School of Languages, Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics, Monash University
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Director, McFarland Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture, and Director, Catholics & Cultures initiative, College of the Holy Cross
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Professor, English Language and Literature, Brock University