Volume 66 Issue 1 January 2016

Edward Bernays: The Original Influencer

An uncanny ability to mould public desire made Edward Bernays one of the 20th century’s most influential – yet invisible – characters, the architect of modern mass manipulation.

Out of Jail in Ghana

A photograph of a released political prisoner prompts Roger Hudson to survey Ghana’s postcolonial history. 

Shell Shock: The Racket and the Fear

‘Shell shock’ is associated in particular with the First World War. Stuart M. Archer recounts the often brutal treatment meted out to sufferers of the condition and looks at how use of the term fell into disrepute. 

ISIS and the Abuse of History

The defeat of ISIS can only be achieved if we take a long view and question the Jihadists’ simplistic interpretation of the West’s troubled relationship with the Middle East.