The Conversation
A unique collaboration between academics and journalists.
The US is turning 250 – and Trump is making it all about him
Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty ImagesIt’s almost the Fourth of July and Donald Trump is making the most of the 250th anniversary of American independence. He has all but declared himself Patriot-in-Chief. He’s putting his face on commemorative $250 bills and passports. A giant structure on the White House’s South Lawn, built for a pay-...
With the World Cup in full swing, why have the geopolitical criticisms quietened?
We are well into this largest and longest FIFA men’s World Cup. Before it kicked off in Mexico City on June 11, there was intense media and public discussion of its geopolitics. After all, it is the first to have a co-host (the United States) engaged in open military combat with one of the participating FIFA members (Iran). This tension is ac...
Friday essay: how the Murdoch media’s loyalty to Israel births hypocrisy, attacks and ‘failed journalism’
When it comes to covering the Middle East, News Corporation has two guiding principles. The first is that it supports Israel, which means it opposes any nation, organisation or individual that doesn’t. This support is decades old and it’s unwavering, even in the face of global condemnation of Israel for the atrocities committed in Gaza. News...
How an El Niño becomes a super El Niño
El Niño has begun and forecasters predict a more than 60% chance that the naturally occurring phenomenon could become a very strong, or super El Niño later in 2026. El Niño begins with warmer water in the Pacific Ocean near the equator and can have a cascade of dramatic effects on the world’s weather. But what chain of events has to happen...
Ulysses in isiZulu: why an African translation of the classic Irish novel matters in today’s world
Every year on 16 June, readers around the world celebrate Bloomsday, the annual commemoration of Irish writer James Joyce’s landmark 1922 novel Ulysses. The date marks the single day on which the novel unfolds: 16 June 1904, when its protagonist, Leopold Bloom, wanders through the city of Dublin. What began as a literary observance has becom...
The rhythms that broke Bashir: how Sudan’s music shaped a revolution
The revolution in Sudan in 2019 has been eclipsed by the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, which began in April 2023. But the events of 2019 demand greater attention as they hold lessons for a post-war Sudan. Music was central to the protests in 2019. The camp outside military headquarters in Khartoum, wher...
Canada’s little-known role in helping to spur American independence in 1776
A John Trumbull painting of the death of Gen. Richard Montgomery in Quebec on Dec. 31, 1775, during the American war of independence. DeAgostini/Getty ImagesStrange as it is to say, the U.S. Declaration of Independence has deep roots in Canada. That assertion may come as a surprise to people in the United States ahead of its 250th anniversary...
Five hidden pitfalls of fitness tracking
LightField Studios/ShutterstockMany people in the UK now use apps, smartwatches or wearable devices to track their physical activity. Fitness trackers promise to help users become fitter, happier and healthier versions of themselves. For many people, they can be useful: a nudge to move more, a way to notice patterns, or a reminder that activi...