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A watercolour drawing shows a sketch painted image of a ship’s mast, with multiple lascar sailors working on the rigging. The image is painted from below, as if the viewer is looking up at the men as they work. The immediate background around the sketched painting is a bright blue to capture the impression of sky.

From the Engine Room to the Asylum: Mental Distress and Disability Among Lascar Sailors

"Mental distress, disability, and institutionalisation were not marginal experiences but formed part of the broader human cost of Britain's maritime empire."

Hasaam Latif

7 hours ago

Thomas R. Metcalf (1934-2026)

Thomas R. Metcalf passed away on June 18, 2026.

NACBS Digital

Jul 3

A black and white cartoon shows a bridge with two groups of men on opposing sides. At the front of each group stands a shorter man, hunched slightly, with hands cuffed. The men all wear dark suits and hats, and look like caricatures of spies.

Just Another Cold War "Gay Spy" Scandal?

“Vassall’s spy career was shaped by, and in turn shaped, Britain’s Cold War diplomatic service.”

Kristina Kelehan

Jun 24

All About Travel: Gay Tourism and Activism in the 1970s

"Gay Liberation called on queer people to form themselves as a counter public, but it was often in spaces of commerce that the call was heard and answered."

Gil Engelstein

Jun 19

“Hello, Gay Switchboard?”: Tracing queer life through telephonic helplines in the 1970s and 1980s

"Switchboard logbooks are delicate artefacts that hold the personal stories of anonymous callers seeking help and advice."

Katherine Wallace

Jun 17

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Broadsides Series

Artificial Intelligence

A black and white line drawing shows a confusing shape, which, from afar, looks somewhat like a cactus or a close up of cellular structures. On closer inspection, the image shows a tree with huge bubbly leaves that each show a different topic or subject. The text is in French, and a large bubble labeled “Histoire” appears in the lower left.

The Humanities Paradox in AI: Why Praise Isn’t the Same as Hiring

Chloe Northrop

Apr 2

A black and white ink drawing shows depicts a bare tree with many branches. On each branch, even as they get smaller and smaller, a topic is written. The base of the three features philosophy, history, fine arts with smaller branches labelled diplomacy, poetry, biography, botany and so on.

Back to Basics? Historical Methods and the Rise of AI

Chris Campbell

Mar 12

An image shows a colorful red and yellow line drawing. Pulled from the page of book of facsimilies of 9th century illuminated manuscripts, the image shows a lion, mid-jump in the center of the page. A simple red boxed pattern decorates the page behind the figure of the lion.

Contesting Colonial Technologies: Historical Models for Resistance

Margaret K. Smith

Mar 6

A black and white print shows the internal gears of a chronograph. The circular shape of a watch or clock face is stuffed with machine parts. Gears, axels, and cogs all intersect in a busy pattern.

Deus in Machina: AI and Divine Rhetoric

Tobias Wilson-Bates

Feb 26

Pride Month

A brown wash pen and brown ink drawing shows a view of the Monghyr fort as if approaching from the bridge. The entrance of the bridge sits at the foreground of the drawing, and two men chat while leaning against the side of the bridge. A camel approaches from the other side of the bridge in the distance. In the top right, the fort can be seen amongst some trees.

The British Colonial Connection to the Contemporary Attack on Transgender Rights in India

Arnav Bhattacharya

Jun 26

Just Another Cold War "Gay Spy" Scandal?

Kristina Kelehan

Jun 24

All About Travel: Gay Tourism and Activism in the 1970s

Gil Engelstein

Jun 19

“Hello, Gay Switchboard?”: Tracing queer life through telephonic helplines in the 1970s and 1980s

Katherine Wallace

Jun 17

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British Studies Outside the Anglophone Academy

A dramatic seascape painting titled by Carl Neumann, depicting the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801. The scene shows British and Danish warships engaged in intense naval combat amidst turbulent seas. Explosions and smoke rise from the ships, with cannon fire illuminating the dark sky. The Danish fleet is anchored near the coast, while British vessels maneuver in the foreground. The painting captures the chaos and scale of the battle, with detailed depictions of the ships' rigging and the surrounding environment.

Teaching Incidental British History around the Globe

Jessica Hanser

May 8, 2025

A stylized oil painting depicting a fairground scene from 1931. The central figure is a Black man dressed in a bright red coat and white gloves, standing in front of a velvet-draped entrance to a carnival ride. The background features a shadowy, indistinct figure, adding to the mysterious atmosphere. The composition reflects Philpot's modernist approach, characterized by flattened forms and bold color contrasts, capturing the allure and intrigue of the fairground setting.

Teaching Black London in Pandemic Paris

Laura Carter

May 6, 2025

The Prospects for British Imperial History: The View from Macau

Joshua Ehrlich

May 1, 2025

"Detailed black and white engraving showing San Domingo Street in Santiago, Chile, in 1822. The scene features colonial-era buildings with tiled roofs lining a wide, unpaved street. Several figures in period clothing walk or stand along the street, including women in long dresses and men in coats and hats. In the background, the Andes mountains rise prominently, partially veiled in haze, anchoring the setting in a South American landscape. The perspective draws the viewer's eye down the street toward the distant mountains, capturing the architectural and natural elements of 19th-century Santiago."

Addressing the Inequality of Languages: a proposal for teaching and writing British History from Latin America

Laura Tavolacci

Apr 29, 2025

Britain and the US Presidency

Washington, US Revolution, and the British Atlantic

Troy Bickham

Jan 24, 2025

In the Graveyard of Empires: The United States, Britain and the Afghan War

Sarah Burns

Jan 22, 2025

Public Utterances and Private Thoughts: A Perspective on the Eisenhower and Churchill Relationship

Justin Olmstead

Jan 20, 2025

London & the Making of Herbert Hoover

Tammy Proctor

Jan 17, 2025

British Studies: State of the Field

A Way Forward: Look Local

Priya Satia

Feb 16, 2024

A Teachable Moment?

Catherine Chou

Feb 13, 2024

British History, Once and Future

David Cressy

Feb 9, 2024

British History in Canada: No Jobs, No Field

Ted McCormick

Feb 6, 2024

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Historiography of Ireland/Northern Ireland Series

"The Irish do not live in the past rather Ireland’s history lives in the present"

Laura McAtackney

Nov 3, 2023

Why the Inertia? Situated Knowledge and Action in Northern Ireland

Jennifer Todd

Oct 31, 2023

The Start of the Troubles and Real Politics

Simon Prince

Oct 25, 2023

Consensus and Debate: Walking the 'New' Northern Ireland

Elizabeth DeYoung

Oct 20, 2023

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Broadsides is the official blog for the North American Conference on British Studies. This digital forum offers an accessible, communal space to host scholarly discussion of interest to our membership. You can read more about this NACBS initiative here.

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From the Engine Room to the Asylum: Mental Distress and Disability Among Lascar Sailors

"Mental distress, disability, and institutionalisation were not marginal experiences but formed part of the broader human cost of Britain's maritime empire."

Hasaam Latif

7 hours ago