Music has always been a powerful political tool. While anti-war, anti-capitalist, and anti-fascist lyrics are perhaps most readily associated with folk (as the borrowed titles on this page suggest), they are equally potent in punk, hip-hop, trova, reggae—any genre, band, or song has the potential to promote social justice. Musicians’ actions —together with those of … Continue reading Column: This machine kills fascists
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After handing over the reigns to Dr Jara Carrington for a great episode on Queer Anthropology, and to Ruthie Flynn for an insightful intro to Hunters & Gatherers, I'm back in the Producer role for our latest bite-sized overview of a key concept in anthropology: NGOs. I spoke to Dr Mark Schuller about … Continue reading Podcast: AnthroBites – NGOs
In May 2018, the director of the Victoria & Albert Museum, Tristram Hunt, announced: ‘I see the role of the museum not as a political force but as a civic exchange.’ For good measure, he added that he ‘was not so sure’ that museums ‘have a duty to be vehicles for social justice’. His naïve-at-best opinion … Continue reading Column: Rewriting history – museums and ‘neutrality’
Issue 223 of Red Pepper, focuses on new union-led battles and strategies in and beyond the UK. The culture section looks at political approaches to cinema, from the black liberation tradition of Sorry to Bother You to the rebel history of Peterloo, and a visit to Newcastle's community-run cinema, The Star & Shadow. This column introduced the … Continue reading Column: Beyond blockbusters
Very proud to have my research published in the Political and Legal Anthropology Review. The journal is doing an impressive job responding to current trends and events without long delay, and is making a great deal of material Open Access. Full citation: McGuirk, S. (2018), (In)credible Subjects: NGOs, Attorneys, and Permissible LGBT Asylum Seeker Identities. PoLAR, 41: 4-18. … Continue reading Publication: “(In)Credible Subjects: NGOs, Attorneys, and Permissible LGBT Asylum Seeker Identities”
After ten years of occasionally contributing to Red Pepper, now I'm back in the UK I am taking up a new role as a regular columnist and Editorial Collective member. My focus is building out the culture section and, as we move to a quarterly publishing cycle, I'm aim to take a deep look into … Continue reading Column: No magical realism please, we’re British