Xu Zhen is a pivotal figure in the Chinese art scene, straddling the divide between the older generation of artists that emerged in the early 1990s and the younger generation, many of whom were born after 1980. Born in 1977, Xu Zhen is still quite young himself, buthe has been showing so long and with such potency that he is … Continue reading
Ezgi Başaran, coordinator of the Programme on Contemporary Turkey at Oxford University’s St Anthony’s College, on “Frontline Turkey: The Conflict at the Heart of the Middle East.” The book is a breezy 200-page summary of the country’s current impasse, addressing how the long-running conflict with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the rise and fall … Continue reading
Set in Alexandria, Out of Egypt chronicles the exploits of André Aciman (author of Call Me By Your Name, now an Oscar-nominated film adaptation) and his colourful Sephardic Jewish family from its arrival in Egypt at the turn of the century to its forced departure three generations later. Aciman tells a story of childhood innocence, of intricate … Continue reading
We thought you might like a little more insight into the editorial minds involved in our publishing process, so here’s a peek into the world of our Visual Culture team! Editor Lisa Goodrum has been been a part of the I.B.Tauris cohort for five fantastic years, moving from production through to editorial. With a background … Continue reading
In warzones, ordinary commercially-available drones are used for extraordinary reconnaissance and information gathering. They can also be used for bombings a drone carrying an explosive charge is potentially a powerful weapon. At the same time asymmetric warfare has become the norm with large states increasingly fighting marginal terrorist groups in the Middle East and elsewhere. … Continue reading
Today marks 100 years since women were granted the vote in Britain. To commemorate this centenary, we’ve put together an essential reading list of I.B.Tauris books covering the evolution of women’s position in British society. Continue reading
The Winchester Rifle, the iconic gun made in New Haven, Connecticut, and sold in its hundreds of thousands around the world, mirrors American expansion at a key period in the young country’s history. The lethal repeating rifle became the defining image of America’s frontier – and was known amongst Native Americans as “the spirit gun”. … Continue reading
As 2017 draws to a close, the I.B.Tauris staff have again taken the chance to reflect on their favourite books, from our own (strong) stable – and from further afield. As usual, there’s a wonderfully eclectic range, so dive in! Madeleine Hamey-Thomas; Visual Culture Editor I.B.Tauris Book of the Year: China’s Forgotten People: Xinjiang, … Continue reading
The 1943 battle to free the Soviet Black Sea port of Novorossiisk from German occupation was fought from the beach head of Malaia zemlia, where the young Colonel Leonid Brezhnev saw action. Despite widespread scepticism of the state’s appropriation and inflation of this historical event, the heroes of the campaign are still commemorated in Novorossiisk … Continue reading
Video games are a defining part of mass visual culture. Today over half of all American households own a dedicated game console and gaming industry profits trump those of the film industry worldwide. In this book, Soraya Murray moves past the technical discussions of games and offers a fresh and incisive look at their cultural … Continue reading
From the introduction by Toby Wilkinson This book tells the story of an Edwardian journey on the Nile in the winter of 1907–1908. At its core is a remarkable series of letters which provide a first-hand account of the three-month trip—the sites visited, the passengers aboard and the people encountered ashore, the clashes of culture … Continue reading
Created by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, ‘Yugoslavia’ was a combination of ethnically and linguistically diverse peoples – Slovenes, Croats and Serbs but also Bosnians, Kosovans, Macedonians, Muslims and Montenegrins. The Great Powers believed that a coherent identity could be formed in which all the differing people of the state could identify with a … Continue reading
As New Labour’s first period of government picks up steam, we find Bernard Donoughue working as a minister at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fishing and Food. In this, the second volume of Donoughue’s House of Lords diaries, he chronicles his experiences – often frustrating, often hilarious – serving in the early years of Blair’s government, … Continue reading
