Featured stories about History
Stories about History
16 March 2019
Biryani Stories: How Dhaka’s Biryani went from being the food of the elites to the dish everyone eats
After a period of Mughal rule in the greater Indian subcontinent, many foods were added to Bengal's culinary culture, including the delicious Biryani of Dhaka.
‘Racism is the shackles holding back our Republic,’ says Brazilian anthropologist Lilia Moritz Schwarcz
The killing of an unarmed black teen inside of a supermarket was the last reminder of racism in Brazil. Global Voices talked to Moritz Schwarcz to understand this context
9 March 2019
How social media recounted the story of the latest India-Pakistan conflict
Social media plays a prominent role this time around as both government actors and ordinary citizens on both sides of the border report events online minute by minute.
8 March 2019
March 7th: The day Gandhi preached non-violent revolution in Myanmar
“I have no other and no better guidance to offer to you than to commend to your attention the general principle of non-violence, in other words, self-purification.”
23 February 2019
Tension between India and Pakistan mounts after terror attack in Kashmir
"amidst the political upheaval, some are urging the public to remember that when there is violence -- everyone suffers"
21 February 2019
A look at Syria's long history of feminist movements
"The 2011 revolution was a revolution against everything, and so the women had a role as revolutionary activists at the forefront of the revolution"
Hungary's Viktor Orbán is pouring cash into military sports and historical reenactments to boost patriotism
This approach matches the broader education strategy of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose government has rewritten the national curriculum multiple times to include military training and military history.
20 February 2019
150 years of Ceylon Tea: A day in the life of a plantation worker
The wages Sri Lankan plantation workers earn are nowhere near enough to bear the costs of living for the family, so many are forced to look for work elsewhere.
17 February 2019
Dapper former eye surgeon retrains sights on Afghanistan’s presidency
Few give 2014's runner-up Abdullah Abdullah a hope of winning and his entry into the race has given many a feeling of deja vu.
16 February 2019
Biryani Stories: In search of the origin of Biryani
Whether it had its beginnings in modern-day Iran or the Indian subcontinent, everyone agrees that Biryani is "the king of South Asian cuisine".
12 February 2019
Nigeria's presidential elections — a test for democracy in Africa
"If the upcoming presidential election in Africa’s most populous country are free, fair and credible, it sets a strong example for the continent’s other democracies."
10 February 2019
‘Serene and committed.’ This legendary Afghan educator's legacy will burn brightly through generations
"This is a huge loss for Afghanistan, a country too poor when it comes to such figures."
In Bangladesh, vigilante justice leads to the death of three alleged rapists by self-proclaimed ‘Hercules’
In Bangladesh, three alleged rapists are executed by a vigilante who signs his victim's death "confessions" with the name 'Hercules'.
29 January 2019
Once-beloved youth magazine is accused of whitewashing legacy of Serbian Nazis
How did a magazine that enjoyed a cult status all over Yugoslavia seems to have betrayed its progressive values.
23 January 2019
Biryani Stories: Is Biryani the national dish of Pakistan?
Biriyani might be considered the king of South Asian cuisine, but is it the national dish of Pakistan?
14 January 2019
Rare film footage with sound of Kyoto, Japan, from 1929
What makes this film notable is that it features actual sound footage of Japanese city life at that time. Usually, newsreels from that era are silent.
1 January 2019
New Year's Eve 2018 marked the end of an era in Japan
For Japan, 2018 was the year of Heisei saigo (平成最後), "the last time we'll do this in the Heisei era" — especially year-end New Year's events.
23 December 2018
The untold tragedy of 28 Mauritanian soldiers executed on Independence Day
"Great nations ... never try to erase a dark episode out of their history, but instead, show it to the world for everyone to remember and say 'NEVER AGAIN'."
9 December 2018
Japan Times backtracks on editorial policy redefining ‘comfort women’ and ‘forced labor’
"We can discuss nuance all day long, but at the end of the day, it was Japan that invaded Korea and used slave labor."
8 December 2018
Massive farmers’ march highlights India’s stark inequality
In 2018, Indian farmers staged two big protests to draw the Central Government's attention to the deepening agrarian crisis and resulting farmer suicides. Will these really change their future?
