Mapping Gendered Agency in Berlin Alexanderplatz (1929)

Digital Humanities gives us tools to analyze stories. But what kind of insights do we really gain from them? In this blog, Lyna Meyrer will use the experimental modernist novel Berlin Alexanderplatz (1929) to show what digital cartography reveals about this complex story of human relationships.

Lyna Meyrer • April 13, 2023

“A Weasel is Wild. Who knows what he thinks?” A reading of Annie Dillard’s “Living like Weasels” (1982)

In this post, LUCAS lecturer Jessie Morgan-Owens revisits an essay that is a joy to teach: “Living like Weasels” by Annie Dillard (1982). This essay invites us to imagine life outside the binary of culture/nature, and asks, what would it be like to live only for necessity, like a weasel?

Jessie Morgan-Owens • February 15, 2023

Quartiere Vittoria, a Little-Known Italian Novel with German Roots

There are many novels in danger of being forgotten. In this blog, Carmen Van den Bergh sheds light on one of these endangered books: Quartiere Vittoria (1936) by the Italian writer Ugo Dèttore. Van den Bergh will re-vitalize this book by positioning it in the context of European Modernism.

Carmen Van den Bergh • June 09, 2022

LUCAS Explains #10: Why is it so important to us to feel comfortable in our own skin?

In this time of social distancing, physical contact, and therefore our skin, has become the subject of discussion on a global scale. Has the skin always been this important in the social life of human beings? And in what ways? Glyn examines these questions for Greek antiquity.

Glyn Muitjens • September 29, 2020

The Cat in Medieval Western Europe

How come cats were worshipped in ancient Egypt and reviled in medieval times? It seems that the spread of Christianity is to be blamed. Fortunately for the cat, the feline folklore is still going strong.

Johanna Feenstra • February 06, 2020

‘Je kunt me vinden in de Westside’: Expressions of Local Identity in Contemporary Dutch Hip-hop

Dutch hip-hop artists continuously invite us to their neighborhoods and districts through their music. What do we hear when we listen to the language of the streets?

Aafje de Roest • October 31, 2019

Milk Matters: Some Reflections on the Use of Human Milk in Hippocratic Recipes

In this blog, Glyn Muitjens examines the application of human milk in medical recipes of the Hippocratic Corpus, to demonstrate that its use can teach us something about Greek culture. In fact, human milk played a central role in policing female bodies.

Glyn Muitjens • June 27, 2019

Switching the academy for the Academy

How can academics benefit from listening to artists and professionals? Matthew writes about attending an intersectoral conference.

Matthew Payne • January 10, 2019 • 1 comment

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