Letter From the Editors

EPOCH Editorial Board

Dear Reader,

Welcome to Issue 24 of EPOCH! For the last ten or so days, the United Kingdom has been bathed in an uncharacteristically warm British spring sun – who needs Larnaca when you have Lancaster? – but our Editorial Team have nonetheless pulled themselves away from ice cream and sun loungers to bring you another edition packed with fascinating historical research. This time, we are exploring the theme of ‘Bodies and Emotions’, with an array of articles investigating how humans have attempted to treat, represent, regulate, control, and revolutionise our understandings of bodies and emotional experience.

            Before we turn to the work of our latest group of contributors, the EPOCH Editorial Team would like to say a word of thanks for two departing members of the magazine. Maritime History Editor Dabeoc Stanley joined the Editorial Board way back in Issue 07 during March 2022, served as Co-ordinating Editor in 2023, and has contributed countless hours to writing articles, editing and reviewing, and developing our website to what it is today. ‘Dibs’ is an incredibly popular figure at EPOCH as well as at Lancaster University more broadly, and as he focuses on submitting his PhD thesis he leaves with the best wishes of everyone connected to the magazine. Alex Rome-Griffin, our departing Antiquity and Archaeology Editor, needs little introduction. Alex joined the magazine for the launch of Issue 11 in March 2023, and like Dabeoc, has been a cornerstone of the magazine’s success over the last few years; his review of the 2022 ITN documentary Ancient Apocalypse remains the most read in the EPOCH archive, with over 57,000 views at the time of writing. Now ‘Dr. Rome-Griffin’ after a successful viva in December, Alex leaves the magazine and Lancaster University as a legend of the department; we hope to see him back in LA1 soon! We can also introduce you to the two newest members of the Editorial Team: David Gott as our History of Psychiatry Editor, and Desmond Ng as our new Political History Editor. David and Desmond are both PhD students at Lancaster University, and any potential contributors who work in fields relevant to their research can look forward to collaborating with them in future issues!

            As we move into summer we also move into the academic conference season for UK universities, and this year's North West Medieval Studies PGR Symposium will be held on 4 August at Chetham’s Library, Manchester. The symposium is all about those rabbit holes we find ourselves diving down as researchers: tangents, curveballs, and fascinating distractions that were outside the scope of your thesis. The symposium is open to any postgraduate student or ECR working on topics focused on the medieval and medievalism, and papers may come from any disciplinary background, whether that be history, literature, archaeology, or any other. To attend the conference, please complete the registration form and send any abstracts (150 words) with a title and author biography to nwmsreading@gmail.com by 17 July.

            Turning to Issue 24, we have been thrilled to attract so many wonderful articles fitting the issue theme of ‘Bodies and Emotions’. EPOCH Editors Aimée Wilkinson and Josh Coulthard sat down with Dr. Linda Fibiger of the University of Edinburgh to discuss her archaeological experience reinterpreting the bodies discovered Iron Age grave sites in Serbia, Dr. Isobel Gilbert of the University of Worcester untangled the impact of Aphra Behn’s writing on enslaved peoples, and Worcester colleague Esther Dobson explored how the rationing of clothing during World War Two exposed class inequalities in British society. Beyond these articles, we invite you to dive into the world of Viking disabilities, rethink our understanding of eunuchs, get to grips with the manufacture of Medieval textiles, tiptoe through the darkened streets of historic London where fear ruled supreme, discover the culinary history of the modern Malaysian state, and travel to South Africa to witness how Black identities have been constructed and negotiated through the development of Cape Jazz and Latin dancing.

            We also have a wonderful selection of articles on other themes beyond the titular ones of this issue. For literary enthusiasts, Vincent Kennedy explores how Shakespearean authors used rude language, Rebeka Erdyeliova investigates the novels which built modern occultism, George Tanton charts the commemoration of the Battle of Waterloo in British newspapers for its centenary in 1915, and James Jones examines how Private Eye magazine built an audience during the decline of the British Empire. Finally, we have a trio of fascinating works analysing concepts from the ancient world to the present, and perhaps the future. From the calculation of the date of Easter Sunday, to the idea of Translatio imperii, and philosopher Nick Land’s predictions for the future of capitalism.

            Hopefully we have managed to bring together a group of contributors who offer something of interest for every reader, and we thank them all for their hard work in making this issue of EPOCH possible. As ever, EPOCH will return on 1 September 2026 with an issue themed around ‘Hidden Histories’. If your research uncovers the voices of people silenced or oppressed throughout history, we encourage you to submit for this issue – but remember we consider all works with a historical focus! Until then, we hope you enjoy the summer months (our Co-ordinating Editor is already planning how many FIFA World Cup fixtures he can watch) and we will see you in September!

Sincerely,

The Editorial Board