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Stories

  • Article

Colonialism and the origins of skin bleaching

The widespread practice of skin bleaching was heavily influenced by the Western colonisation and slavery of African and South Asian countries. Ngunan Adamu explores this toxic history.

  • In pictures

Hookah smoking in colonial Calcutta

Hookah smoking began in the royal courts of Mughal India, and like many other local customs, it was readily adopted by British colonials in the 18th century as a symbol of wealth and status.

  • Article

Indian botanicals and heritage wars

Colonial botanical texts, as astonishingly beautiful as they are, may cast very dark shadows.

  • Article

The colonist who faced the blue terror

India, 1857. In a British enclave, Katherine Bartrum watches her friend, and then her family, succumb to the deadly cholera.

All stories (65)

Images

  • Colonies of E. coli bacteria, LM
  • Salmonella colonies - MacConkey's Medium
  • Streptococcus pyogenes: colonies growing on blood
  • Brucella colonies growing on serum dextrose
  • Britannia pointing to Sanatogen, Formamint, and German colonies in Africa and the East Indies as new British possessions. Colour process print after E.F. Skinner.
  • The German flag is being pulled by the Allies from under a dachshund representing Germany; representig the seizure of German colonies by the Allies in the First World War. Drawing by A.G. Racey, 191-.
  • A view from the universe : St. Peter's at Rome : in which the various empires, kingdoms, republics, states, principal islands, colonies, and discoveries of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, alphabetically arranged, are shown at one glance, and included in a single line, with the situation, extent, chief cities, their population, distances in British miles from London ...
  • A view from the universe : St. Peter's at Rome : in which the various empires, kingdoms, republics, states, principal islands, colonies, and discoveries of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, alphabetically arranged, are shown at one glance, and included in a single line, with the situation, extent, chief cities, their population, distances in British miles from London ...
  • Traité de la culture du nopal : et de l'éducation de la cochenille dans les colonies françaises de l'Amérique. Précédé d'un voyage a Guaxaca ... Auquel on a ajouté une préface, des notes & des observations relatives à la culture de la cochenille ... / Le tout recueilli & publié par le Cercle des Philadelphes établi au Cap-Français.
  • Directions for bringing over seeds and plants, from the East Indies and other distant countries, in a state of vegetation: together with a catalogue of such foreign plants as are worthy of being encouraged in our American colonies, for the purposes of medicine, agriculture, and commerce. To which is added, the figure and botanical description of a new sensitive plant, called Dionoea muscipula: or, Venus's fly-trap / By John Ellis, F.R.S.
All images (386)

Catalogue

All works (8.9K)

Events

  • Discussion

The Visual Regime of Medicine in Late Colonial India

Online
Available to watch

Part of Exploring Research

  • Auto-captioned
  • Symposium

Decolonising Health

Henry Wellcome Auditorium
Past
  • Discussion

In Conversation with Grace Ndiritu

The Forum
Past
  • Speech-to-text
All events (3)