Letter From The Editors

EPOCH Editorial Board

Dear Reader,

It has been a scorching summer for our Editors based in Lancaster and across the UK; filled with heatwaves, long nights, and, of course, an English World Cup heartbreak at the hands of Argentina. Thankfully we seem to be through the worst of the heat now, and as we gear up for the start of another academic year it will not be long until we are cursing the cold, damp, dark weather that lies ahead.

With that pleasant thought in mind, welcome to Issue 25 of EPOCH! This time, we are focused on the theme of ‘Hidden Histories’ to foreground the stories of people, places, and experiences which have been overlooked, forgotten, or purposely ignored throughout time. This coincides nicely with EPOCH’s latest partnership with the ‘Save Ancient Studies Alliance’ (SASA), a worldwide project dedicated to reviving and developing the study of the ancient world. To celebrate their work and partnership with EPOCH, SASA members Jack Sheehan and Leon Corneille-Cowell have provided an outline of the vital work of their organisation for this issue. This ‘community’ spirit is reinforced by our traditional recap of Lancaster’s annual postgraduate history conference, LHPC. We are happy to report that LHPC 2026 was a roaring success, and Committee Chair Charlie Molony has detailed this years’ event with LHPC 2026 speaker David Lockwood providing an excellent piece on the construction of Arab identities.

   It has been particularly rewarding to receive many pitches which focus on our central ‘Hidden Histories’ theme, from MAs, PGRs, ECRs, and even industry professionals working outside of the academy. For the latter, EPOCH Editors Ila Manish and Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere sat down with Vicky Iglikowski-Broad from The National Archives in London to discuss how state archives navigate the diverse and complex material within their collections. Fellow EPOCH newcomers Thabile Nawe, Nilakshi Das, and Lucy Smith have contributed stellar pieces on the legendary cannibals of the Ilenge Mountain, the overlooked work of female scientists in India, and the continued abuse and harassment faced by the British-German community. Also ‘on theme’ are Alex Shenstone and returning contributor Sophie Riley, who have explored, respectively, how historical fiction writing can help us recover lost experiences and the life and afterlife of pacifist-turned-wartime spy Noor Inayat Khan. The EPOCH Editorial Board have also chipped in with the latest in our ‘Picks’ series, this time sharing some of our favourite ‘hidden’ historical topics.

            As frequent readers of EPOCH will know, we welcome all pitches regardless of issue theme, and to round off our cohort for Issue 25 we have curated several fascinating articles on a variety of periods and specialisms. Starting with more recent history, and the exemplary Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere has delved into how Arsenal F.C. have become the ‘culture club’ of British football. For those interested in histories of science and pseudo-science, Georgia Wallace of the Royal College of Surgeons has mapped experiences of harm and harmony within early printed medical handbooks whilst Ezequiel Varela Vázquez has explained how Spanish physician Gregorio Marañón constructed his theories of a ‘Latin Race’ in the 1920s and 1930s. We round up our articles for Issue 25 we a trio of identity-focused pieces: Eric Schubert has explored the life and times of the legendary local US politician and prohibition advocate Barr Spangler, Mustafa Roker has analysed embodied emotions within the Islamic historical tradition, and Matthew John Lumley has investigated the creation of 'Hybrid Kingdoms' after the First Crusade.

Hopefully you will agree that we have compiled something for everyone, and we hope all of our readers new and old enjoy Issue 25. A huge thanks must go to all of our contributors for sharing their fascinating research with us, and also to each member of the EPOCH Editorial Board for working hard throughout the summer to make the issue look as good as it does. EPOCH will return with Issue 26, themed ‘Trade & Industry’, on 1 December 2026. Keep a look out for CFPs on our social media in the coming weeks and, until then, we hope you enjoy Issue 25!

Sincerely,

The Editorial Board.