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Taking a lead from recent articles in "The History Teacher," the author placed history, popular culture, and historical literacy at the core of a history course entitled "Enchanted Capitalism: Myths, Monsters, and Markets." Drawing on folklore, literature, popular culture, and economics, the course explored the rise of capitalism and its relation to tales of monstrosity in England from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries, and the globalization of capitalism in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and its relation to tales of vampires and zombies from Sub-Saharan Africa, Britain, the U.S., and Japan. The course asked students to explore the relationship between capitalism and the rise of stories involving a new kind of monster-- one that is undead--and, in doing so, interrogate key symbolic registers in which capitalist commodification is experienced by people in established capitalist societies and in societies undergoing capitalist development at different times and in different places to see if there were important differences in the kinds of monsters each culture produced in folklore, literature, video, and film. This article describes historical contexts for the course, course goals and structure, teaching the course, and student engagement used to meet learning outcomes.

Historical pageants were important sites of popular engagement with the past in twentieth-century Britain. They took place in many places and sometimes on a large scale, in settings ranging from small villages to industrial cities. They were staged by schools, churches, professional organisations, women's groups and political parties, among others. This article draws on contemporary studies of heritage and performance to explore the blend of history, myth and fiction that characterised pageants, and the ways in which they both shaped and reflected the self-image of local communities. Pageants were important channels of popular education as well as entertainment and, although they are sometimes seen as backward-looking and conservative spectacles, this article argues that pageants could be an effective means of enlisting the past in the service of the present and future.

Was there ever a golden age of academe: a time when academics were able to pursue their own interests, had relatively light and undemanding teaching responsibilities, and enjoyed widespread respect from both the general public and policy makers? This article explores that question, primarily in the context of the United Kingdom, but with some reference to other systems as well. It attempts to separate the mythical elements of the golden age from the reported memories and analyses of both those who were there at the time and subsequent authors.

Two previous articles in this journal advocate the greater use of a behaviourist methodology called "Precision Teaching" (PT). From a position located within virtue ethics, this article argues that the technical feat of raising narrowly defined performance in mathematics and other subjects is not sufficient justification for the extensive use of behaviourist techniques such as this. The article uses ideas drawn from ancient Egyptian mythology as well as some more familiar Greek philosophy, to raise broader questions about the wisdom of relying too heavily on technical rationality in present-day educational practice. The polemical intent is to dismiss unreflective behaviourism and to offer a brief glimpse of a very new educational paradigm: "navigationism." (Contains 13 notes.)

Drawing on ancient Greek mythology, this article traces the learning experiences of 164 pre-service education students as they make the transition from a conventional face-to-face (f-2-f) learning environment to an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) rich setting. Influenced by Social Presence Theory (Short, Williams & Christie, 1976) the aim of this article is to critically examine the social presence weightings of nine key learning events in f-2-f and online learning environments to unravel threads of connection to the knowledge construction processes of our learners. Dimensions of social presence are defined and examined, and indices are assigned to nine f-2-f and ICT learning events for purposes of comparison. The argument concludes that attributions of social presence point to clear and very discernible differences in the "learning choices" and "patterns" of male and female respondents. By proxy, different learning patterns also point to substantial differences in the when, where, how and why of knowledge construction for different groups of learners. This preference for differentiation and the capacity of the ICT-supported environment to meet and extend this preference at the learning interface offers a productive model for the preparation of pre-service teachers. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

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The paper offers a defence of ambivalence as a response to the political polarisation of our era using multiple languages to present its case from psychology to sociology, political science, philosophy and critical theory. It suggests that the Brexit story can be told in a different key, whereby the politics that have led to entrenching 'leave' and 'remain' identities overlay a harder to assess ambivalence about the EU both in the UK and in the EU, a dynamic referred to as the 'Machiavelli Trap.' Accordingly, we ought to ground the future relationship in the recognition of the 'Brexit paradox' (you can leave and therefore you shouldn't), and its implications for the core principles that have shaped the Brexit debate and negotiations. In the end, the paper offers a plea for a politics that allows citizens to tune into their constructive ambivalence about the fundamental tension between control and cooperation which pervades both Brexit, EU and global politics at large. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cassirer's notion of myth and Langer's process philosophy are used to provide a novel perspective upon how feelings were both expressed and organised in the Brexit referendum, showing how multiple, overlapping organisations of feelings created a set of emergent rationalities. Political parties and campaigns, the media, and lived experience serve as analytic foci, and various feelings are identified. It is concluded that the result was largely rational on its own terms and that understanding this is central to the social psychology of Brexit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles in the issue on topics including neoliberalism in the economy and politics of western democracies, anti‐immigration and anti‐Islamic right, and failure of capitalism to sustain equal and sustainable societies.

Rape myths affect many aspects of the investigative and criminal justice systems. One such myth, the 'real rape' myth, states that most rapes involve a stranger using a weapon attacking a woman violently at night in an isolated, outdoor area, and that women sustain serious injuries from these attacks. The present study examined how often actual offences reported to a central UK police force over a two year period matched the 'real rape' myth. Out of 400 cases of rape reported, not a single incident was found with all the characteristics of the 'real rape' myth. The few stranger rapes that occurred had a strong link to night-time economy activities, such as the victim and offender both having visited pubs, bars, and clubs. By contrast, the majority of reported rape offences (280 cases, 70.7%) were committed by people known to the victim (e.g., domestic and acquaintance rapes), occurred inside a residence, with most victims sustaining no physical injuries from the attack. The benefits of these naturalistic findings from the field for educating people about the inaccuracy of rape myths are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A common perception is that police officers hold very negative attitudes about rape victims. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to establish whether police officers do accept stereotypical rape myths at a higher level compared to members of other populations. There were 3 comparison samples, composed of police officers, law students, and psychology students, that completed the Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance scale. Male and female police officers accepted "she lied" myths at a higher level than the student samples. Student samples were found to accept 2 types of rape myths ("she asked for it" and "he didn't meant to") at a higher level compared to police officers. No significant differences were found in the other 4 subfactors. Therefore, the pattern of results suggests that police officers do not adhere to stereotypical myths about rape victims more than do other populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the connection between sport and the First World War. It challenges the conventional wisdom that the athleticism associated with a public school education made a significant contribution to the British war effort. Additionally it argues that athleticism had a negligible influence on elementary school pupils who comprised the bulk of the military forces. It also suggests that while army authorities eventually accepted that sport had a positive role to play and made it a compulsory element of military training, it also existed as an escape from hostilities rather than just preparation for them. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In his novella The Uncommon Reader (2006/2008) English writer Alan Bennett (1934 -) fictionally depicts the way in which one of the most prestigious institutions of Britishness, Queen Elizabeth II (1952 -), turns from a highly institutionalized symbol into a real person and a very uncommon reader. The article explores Bennett's fictional reconsideration of common myths connected to the British monarchy, a process which is activated by the Queen's new fondness for reading. The paper develops a possible reinterpretation of these myths, seeking to prove that Bennett's fictional exercise also sparks off the reflection of a number of common public concerns connected to the British monarchy and its position in relation to the social, economic or political life of contemporary Britain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyses the relationship between psychological-type theory and Christian theology through the lens of implicit religion, drawing on the conceptualisation of implicit religion proposed by Edward Bailey, on the methodology for identifying implicit religion proposed by Tatjana Schnell, and on an heuristic framework derived from systematic theology. The case is argued that psychological-type theory can be conceptualised as implicit religion and implicit theology in a way that enables dialogue (and conflict) between psychological-type theory and Christian theology to be reconceptualised within the established field of the theology of religions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that the British author J.R.R. Tolkien's novel "The Lord of the Rings" is surrounded of Middle-earth materials to create a mythology for England. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" is a human drama: despite the hobbits and elves, trolls, wizards and wargs. Tolkien associates the lands of Condor with those of historical Troy, and his identification of the city.

The article traces the travel route of blackface that links Christy's Minstrel troupe in Great Britain to mid-19th century South Africa. It analyzes the role of minstrelsy in the preservation of English settler identity and explores the use of minstrels by white settlers to negotiate mythologies of Xhosa identity. It highlights the emergence of American minstrel as a cultural expression of racially diverse working-class. It looks into the significance of surrogation of minstrel culture.

Orthotrichum cambrense Bosanquet et F. Lara, is described from material recently collected on trees in a small area of Carmarthenshire, south Wales. The new moss has a unique combination of morphological traits, several of them highly distinctive: characteristic almost flat leaves, with plane margins and frequently rounded apices; brood bodies common on leaves and rhizoids; emergent furrowed capsules with cryptopore stomata in their lower third; a peristome of 8 pairs of teeth and 8 segments; and the calyptra hairy, especially in the upper part. This moss is not believed to be close to other species with plane leaf-margins in the subgenus Puichella. However, several gametophytic and sporophytic details relate Orthotrichum cambrense to O. tenellum and similar species in this same subgenus. Reasons why such a distinctive moss has gone unnoticed until now are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study that investigates the historical origins, development and current manifestations of male rape myths prevalent in the Western Society. Literature related to male rape myths from medicine, law, media and the military are examined. It also distinguish possible means for eradicating male rape myths at the individual, institutional, and societal levels.

The article explores how King Harold II Goodwinson actually died at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 through the Bayeux tapestry, a 70 metre-long embroidery that depicts the Norman invasion of England. It takes into account the ambiguity of the Tapestry which depicts the death of Harold by an arrow-in-the-eye theory. It is stated that Harold's death as shown in the Tapestry is as gruesome as it random lends a certain tragic romance that is both repulsive and beguiling. The author argues that the idea that Harold was killed or at least mortally wounded through an arrow appears to be a myth, adding that the origin and propagation of the myth are based on a literal study of the said Tapestry and an over-reliance on certain primary sources.

In the light of recent debates on the declining take-up of languages in English schools, and on pupils' motivation towards language learning, this article furthers discussion and asks broader questions. Is there a coincidence between trends in British attitudes to Europe and the growing or waning enthusiasm for language learning across all sectors? What role is played - and what attitudes revealed - by the pronouncements and actions of British politicians when they are not specifically addressing language issues? Is public xenophobia echoed or shaped by the printed and broadcast media? And when so many initiatives are seeking to address British insularity and monolingualism, is there more that can be done? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the anti-Semitic myths of ritual murder in medieval Spain and in Northern Europe. It states that claims of Spanish cruelty toward its religious and ethnic others emerged from economic and religious rivalries between England and Spain. According to the author, the anti-Semitic mythography in Spain's medieval and early modern period is concerned of the fact that Christians and Jews interacted for far longer than other European countries. Moreover, it presents a psychoanalytic criticism of "The Prioress's Tale," a representation of the murdered child's mother, which is contrasted with the very different one in Damián de Vegas' "Memoria del Santo Niño de La Guardia."

This essay concern the European dimension of Cromwell's myth in the seventeenth century. It starts examining the writings which were published and circulated in the Italian states of the time, and then it compares Cromwell's representations among contemporary Italians with both English and European reputations of him. Finally, it aim to demonstrate how the prevailing seventeenth-century image of Cromwell as a machiavellian schemer relates both to the shared European heritage of tacitism and machiavellism, and to the capacity of the Lord Protector of embodying the prevailing conceptions of politics and statecraft of the time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cecil Court is a small pedestrian passageway in the London Borough of Westminster. Under its more famous name of Flicker Alley, it is also the mythic birthplace and romantic heart of the early British film industry. This essay sets aside romantic myths and adopts the economic theory of agglomeration, using the film businesses moving in and out of Cecil Court as a case study to demonstrate the changing patterns within the industry. In doing so it charts the growth patterns and expansion of the British film industry from 1897 to 1911. It shows its development from its origins in equipment manufacture, through to production and finally to rental and cinema building and outfitting, marking the transition from its small-scale artisan-led beginnings into a large and complex network of distinct but interlocking film businesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When migrants from the British Isles came to New Zealand, they brought not only sheep, dogs, and gorse with them, but also many vernacular cultural traditions. This article proposes a research programme in folklore studies and cultural anthropology to investigate those parts of Pakeha (non-Maori) cultural continuity that can be traced to a set of largely working class and rural rituals and practices from Britain. These rituals and practices have been adapted in New Zealand and continue to thrive. Work on such a research programme has barely begun, in part because New Zealand intellectuals and state agencies neglect the myths and realities of origin in their search for a national identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the debates in the field of science of which sociological studies became a privileged target, with reference to volume 29 of the journal "Social Studies of Science." Principles that led to the development of sociological studies as a discipline in the British universities and colleges; Exposure to postmodernist myths related to social sciences from a discussion with various associated scholars; Inferences related to scientific theories that can be drawn from the criticism of the literary work "A House Built on Sand: Exposing Postmodernist Myths About Science," in the volume 29 of the journal "Social Studies of Science."

Argues that journalistic collegues who display extravagant behavior symbolize the personal autonomy and sense of adventure which are at the core of professional aspirations, with focus on identity and mythology in Great Britain press journalism. Reference made to the work of journalists Michael VerMeulen; Implications of the death of VerMeulen on Great Britain's journalism; Comparison between architecture and journalism; Reference made to occupational identity.

The author reflects on the wrong beliefs about rainbow query established in physics in Great Britain. He justifies the rainbow query notion in a form of "myths." Some of the wrong notion on rainbow query includes all international reflections are total, laser beams are parallel and the law of universal gravitation implies that there is an inverse square law of force between any two bodies. He cites that physics is played important role to correct the wrong notions about rainbow query.

The article presents news updates on the Sociological Society of Great Britain, compiled as of January 1913. The meetings of the Session 1912-13 began on October 15 (evening) with a lecture on "Mythology and Life: An Interpretation of Olympus"; On October 29, at an evening meeting, F.W. Mott, read the paper on "Is Insanity on the Increase?"--Edward Brabrook was in the chair. On November 12, at an afternoon meeting, A.K. Coomaraswamy read a paper on "Sati: A Vindication of the Indian Woman"--Sir Francis Younghusband was in the chair. The paper will be published in the April number of the "Sociological Review." On November 26, at an afternoon meeting held in the library of the Royal Asiatic Society, B.L. Hutchins read the paper on "Fatigue and Efficiency."

The article states that abstracts are invited for a conference titled "Myth and the New Science," which will take place at the University of Bristol in Great Britain in July 2006. This conference will explore the many relationships between different forms of "scientific" knowledge and myth. Topics that will be covered at the conference will include myth and the new sciences of antiquity, Renaissance humanism, the enlightenment, history of science, the new historicism psychoanalysis, postmodernism and the role of history in the discourses of mythology.

The article presents a set of topics for a school debate that have been resolved. The debate has concluded that apples are a better than oranges. It has also been concluded that historical stories are more interesting for children than myths. It has been proven that America has done more for the industrial progress of the world than England.