Stories about History from January, 2024
The true cost of Japan’s Linear bullet train
Rising environmental and human costs for Japan's planned "maglev," a super-fast, super-conducted bullet train set to link Tokyo to Osaka by 2045, are drawing the ire of many residents.
Uzbekistan’s repression survivors tell their harrowing stories in a new documentary
This is one of the first attempts to tell the story of more than 18,000 people who were jailed on trumped-up charges and labelled “extremists” by Uzbekistan's Karimov government.
Exploring migration, belonging and the meaning of home in Sri Lanka
At an arts exhibition in the Sri Lankan capital, multidisciplinary artist Firi Rahman portrays the agony of Slave Island residents who face the threats of gradual gentrification.
Russian series on Perestroika-era youth gangs breaks popularity records, defying attempts to ban it
Russian streaming services premiered the series "Slovo Patsana. Krov’ na asphalte" (The Boy’s Word: Blood on the Asphalt). Within just a month, it was breaking popularity records in Russia.
Terrorists from Tajikistan have become a global menace
Over the last decade, Tajikistan’s foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) have brought their homeland under a negative limelight on numerous occasions.
Residents of Rio de Janeiro's favelas make unprecedented claim for reparations for persecution under dictatorship
An organization bringing together residents' associations saw leaders arrested, and was considered subversive in the 1960s, under Brazil’s military dictatorship
Desi Bouterse's post-conviction disappearance leaves Suriname in turmoil
The shocking turn of events has stirred reactions of disbelief, anger and concern, as well as loss of faith in the judicial system.
In Georgia, controversy over a Stalin icon makes headlines at home and abroad
Georgia was thrown into controversy when worshipers found a painting of Saint Matrona of Moscow, a 20th-century Russian Orthodox Church saint, with a man who appears to be Joseph Stalin.
The descendants of Buryat migrants in Mongolia have no feelings towards Russia
The Buryats left the Soviet Union for Mongolia in three waves in the beginning of the 20th century.
Kazakhstan’s national identity is deeply connected to its food culture
Kazakhstan's modern cuisine has been significantly influenced by the eating habits of the peoples who were deported or moved to Kazakhstan.
Is the Bouterse verdict a symbol of justice in Suriname's turbulent past?
Bouterse's conviction on December 20, 2023 raised questions on national identity. Divided reactions reflect Suriname's struggle with its Dutch colonial past and its quest for a future balancing justice with reconciliation.
What did Central Asian presidents talk about in their New Year's addresses?
These New Year's addresses provided a glimpse into Central Asian governments' perspectives on their countries' achievements and challenges.
On the first day of 2024, former Trinidad & Tobago prime minister Basdeo Panday dies
Panday "[created] labour and political history and [became] one of Trinidad and Tobago’s most compelling post-independence figures.”
The Sniper Alley Project: Testimony to the resilience of Sarajevo siege survivors
Džemil Hodžić established the Sniper Alley Project in 2019, with the aim of collecting photographs, particularly those of children who lived through the siege of Sarajevo (1992–1996).
