Books & ideas

The Joys and Miseries of Marriage

Céline Surprenant — 2025-07-15T12:34:39Z

The “double life” of the great English novelist George Eliot combines the literary field with the experience of marriage. Her works form the crucible for reflections on love, social norms and freedom.

Pits and Perverts

Marc Lenormand — 2025-01-16T07:30:00Z

The encounter between British miners and gay and lesbian activists during the strikes of 1984-85 was explored in the celebrated film Pride. A historian looks back at this memorable period and reveals the continuities between the two movements.

Serving our great imperial family

Timothy Gibbs — 2022-12-13T08:30:00Z

In 1947, Princess Elizabeth promised to serve ‘the great imperial family', as part of the attempt to remake post-war Britain as a global power. The British Empire collapsed; but this language of service and Commonwealth allowed the Queen to take up the postcolonial concerns of the 21^st century.

Of Viruses and Men

Cynthia Colmellere — 2020-10-26T08:00:00Z

At the frontiers of epidemiology and social history, Delphine Berdah compares the very different health policies implemented in France and the United Kingdom in the fight against tuberculosis and foot-and-mouth disease.

Democracy Distorted

Ivan Ascher & Marieke Louis — 2020-10-13T07:30:00Z

Is it really the case, as is often alleged, that money decides everything about elections? As the US presidential election is looming, La Vie des idées/Books & Ideas and Public Books team up to examine the influence of money in today's electoral democracies.

Brexit and the Two Irelands

Ophélie Siméon — 2020-05-04T07:00:00Z

Signed in 1998, the Good Friday Agreement brought the three-decade civil war in Northern Ireland to an end. Most significantly, the treaty opened the Irish border, a move that played a key part in the peace process. But as Brexit looms, the border might be shut back once again.

Brexit and Scottish Nationalism

Alice Bonzom & Mélanie Cournil — 2020-01-27T08:00:00Z

The Brexit vote, welcomed with dismay in Scotland, has prompted the Scottish National Party to present itself as the only sound alternative to Westminster's policies, viewed as damaging to Scottish interests. F. Simpkins analyses the SNP's strategies and outlines the many political challenges ahead.

Northern Ireland and Brexit

Thibaud Harrois — 2019-01-31T07:00:00Z

How will the different regions in the UK be impacted by Brexit? Mary C. Murphy's book explores the unique case of Northern Ireland, a region isolated both geographically and politically from the rest of the country, in the run-up to the referendum as well as in its aftermath.

The Coal Economists

Gabriel Lombard — 2018-12-31T07:00:00Z

In the period between 1865 and 1931, economists were already questioning coal and the exploitation of “exhaustible” energies. Can their analyses shed light on the current environmental crisis?

Little Englanders vs Human Rights?

Anne Cousson — 2018-06-11T07:00:00Z

Why has the Human Rights Act of 1998 become such a politically charged issue in the United Kingdom? In a militant book, Conor Gearty debunks the myths surrounding the British human rights regime and calls for more comprehensive legislation.