Historical Narrative Research Articles

Decoding the Ghanaian Coat of Arms: A Semiotic Analysis of Its History, Language, Ideology, Denotation, and Connotation

The impact of colonialism on the economic development, education, language, and religious systems of Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Ghana, is a critical area of study. This semiotic analysis of the Ghanaian Coat of Arms aims to decode the symbols and signs to shed light on how colonial legacy shapes modern Ghana and other African nations. The Coat of Arms, found on official government documents and currency, is often overlooked in terms of its symbolic significance in post-colonial and contemporary Ghanaian history. Guided by the research questions, the study explores how the semiotic concepts of denotation and connotation apply to the symbols and elements of the Ghanaian Coat of Arms, revealing insights into Ghanaian history and culture. Furthermore, it examines how the use of color in the Coat of Arms, as well as historical flags, functions as a semiotic tool to convey messages about Ghana’s wealth, political authority, and cultural heritage. The research findings indicate that the Coat of Arms encapsulates elements of Western imperialism and the assimilation of European culture by Ghana, evident in the adoption of foreign languages, educational policies, and religious structures. The research findings further demonstrate that Ghana’s Coat of Arms integrates historical and ideological aspects, representing both its colonial history and its journey toward independence. Additionally, the study highlights that many African nations, including Ghana, continue to experience elements of colonization in the post-colonial era, as evidenced by the persistent use of colonial symbols and signs. This study enhances the understanding of how national symbols, such as the Coat of Arms, convey broader socio-political and historical narratives. It includes a comparative analysis of the Coats of Arms of Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, exploring their similarities and differences to provide a more comprehensive perspective on how these symbols reflect and negotiate the complexities of colonial and post-colonial identities across the region.

On the Historical Narrative and Satirical Language in “Wichita Vortex Sutra” by Allen Ginsberg

Existing scholarship usually situates Allen Ginsberg’s iconic role as a countercultural poet, while few studies have examined him as a historical chronicler of the 1950s onwards, focusing on historical interpretations and irratio focusingnal narratives that appear in his poems. This study, then, examines the historical interpretive strategies employed in the narrative discourses on irrtionalism, counterculture, anti-war, post-industrial civilization and so on involved in “Wichita Vortex Sutra”. Specifically, it investigates satirical language as a kind of interpretive emplotment function to present Ginsberg’s irrationalism and anti-war narratives, by applying Hayden White “Metahistory” as its theoretical framework. It argues that Ginsberg's rearrangement, representation, and interpretation of Vietnam War narratives, achieved through poetic motifs and techniques, reveals an encoded satire on the U.S. politics, culture, and society. This part examines the primary level of Ginsberg’s interpretive strategies thus providing the foundation for subsequent analysis on his individual storytelling of 1960s America.

Translating War and Migration in Children’s Literature

Mexique, el nombre del barco (2017) is a picture book for children written by María José Ferrada and illustrated by Ana Penyas (2017). It narrates the migration of 456 Spanish Republican children fleeing the Spanish Civil War aboard the ship Mexique. This article explores the book’s multimodal nature as an act of translation, addressing both the migrant experience and its historical context.Through poetry and illustrations inspired by historical photographs, the first part of the book translates the children's emotions and memories into a narrative in which objects such as the ship, the moon, and the suitcases serve as symbolic bridges connecting their past and present. The second part provides a verbal translation of the historical context, complementing the emotional and symbolic elements of the first. Drawing on the notion of translatio as a transportation of meaning, the framework of intersemiotic translation (Jakobson 1959) and refraction (Lefevere 1992), and Vidal Claramonte’s perspective on storytelling as a form of translation, we explore how visual and verbal elements adapt historical narratives for a contemporary audience. By engaging with multimodal, emotional and historical translation, Mexique, el nombre del barco conveys the complex experiences of migrant children, fostering empathy and solidarity with past and present migrations.

Looking, Seeing, and Showing in Xenophon (on R. Harman, The Politics of Viewing in Xenophon’s Historical Narratives)

Looking, Seeing, and Showing in Xenophon (on R. Harman, The Politics of Viewing in Xenophon’s Historical Narratives)

Belonging, Gender and Selfhood: Women’s Life History Narratives and the 11+ Exam in England and Wales, 1955–1965

ABSTRACT Educational policies of the 1944 Butler Act sought to assign each child to a secondary school, dependent on their proven competence at the 11+. This paper draws on oral history interviews to explore notions of belonging and how the effects of perceptions of “passing” or “failing” the exam influenced, and continue to inform, women’s adult lives. Belonging is often understood to be structured on social inclusion, inhabiting an environment in which to flourish with and alongside others. Steedman describes marginalisation through an inability to belong as “a terrible exclusion, an exclusion from the experience of others.” These interviews suggest that belonging at secondary school required more than simply passing or failing the 11+, but also involves notions of class, gender and perceptions of inequality through differentiation. Informed by societal influences, experiences of belonging by intelligence are challenged by those of isolation, separation and eventual reconciliation.

Moroccan Teachers’ Perceptions About Integrating Historical Contexts and AI in the Seamless Transition from Classical to Quantum Mechanics

This article critically examines deficiencies in the final year high school programme, particularly in the Physics–Chemistry and Mathematics A and B specialties, focusing on the inadequate transition from classical to quantum mechanics. Based on teachers’ perceptions, the study analyses the value of integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and historical science narratives to address the complex relationship between classical and quantum mechanics. The analysis reveals a disjointed narrative hindering students’ understanding during the critical transition phase, emphasising the insufficiency of a single lesson, ‘Atom and Newton’s Mechanics’ at the academic year’s end. The proposed comprehensive methodology for curriculum revision aims to seamlessly integrate historical narratives into the educational framework, providing a nuanced understanding of the interconnectedness between classical and quantum mechanics. The discussion emphasises the potential positive impacts on student engagement, comprehension and enthusiasm for physics, extending beyond content adjustments to transform pedagogical strategies. The conclusion highlights the broader significance of these changes for science education, suggesting a curriculum overhaul informed by historical narratives and AI integration could shape a generation of scientifically literate individuals, adept at navigating contemporary physics complexities. The article serves as a call to action for teachers, curriculum developers and policymakers to innovate high school science education in line with the dynamic nature of scientific discovery.

Armed struggle is back in style

The ‘years of lead’, or anni di piombo, represented a dense moment of political and social tension in Italian history (from the late 1960s well into the 1980s) marked by widespread political violence, terrorism and intense conflict between armed revolutionary left-wing groups, clandestine left-wing organizations, such as the Red Brigades, as well as right-wing paramilitary organizations, the latter often linked to state actors. P38 is an Italian hip hop collective founded in 2020 whose songs and live performances construct an unmistakable visual and thematic parallel with militant left-wing organizations of the 1970s. Their debut record Nuove BR (New Red Brigades, 2021) is a direct reference. Notorious for wearing ski masks during their performances, the group hides behind pseudonyms (Yung Stalin, Jimmy Penthotal), and its name evokes the Walther P38 (the weapon employed by extra-parliamentary left movements). In line with the key themes of this special issue, this article examines how P38 selects and uses different, old and contemporary, musical and extra-musical elements (style, music, lyrics) by simultaneously engaging with and diluting established historical narratives, from the tradition of Italian protest music to a more locally specific interaction of rap music and hip-hop culture, passing via the dynamics of a larger global contemporary history of musical and political protest, rupture and dissent.

Introduction to the special issue

Popular music constructs, negotiates, and circulates representations of the past, thereby conveying historical knowledge and contributing to our understanding of the past. In short, popular music writes and rewrites history. Building on the notion that history constitutes an interpretation of past events strung together via narrative, the issue examines the critical role of popular music in constructing and negotiating historical narratives. By analyzing musical examples through various disciplinary and interdisciplinary lenses and drawing from a range of geographical contexts, including Italy, the Netherlands, Nigeria, the Philippines, the United States, and Uruguay, this issue contributes to an understanding of how music narrates the past through lyrics, musical motifs, song structure, genre, sound effects, images, intertextual references, musical instruments, as well as performative practices acknowledging the body as a means of ‘acting out’ of or ‘singing history’. Ultimately, the contributions suggest that history is not a chapter that is closed once it has been written. Instead, the articles demonstrate that when writing and rewriting history through popular music, the past is continually (re)negotiated, actively informing our present and taking a vital role in shaping our future.

‘Places research can’t go’

This article explores the historiographical dimension of the work of singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Rhiannon Giddens. Beginning with her revivalist endeavors with the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Giddens’s musical practice has evolved from popularizing significance- and value-driven revisions of the historical narrative to crafting a musical equivalent of Saidiya Hartman’s critical fabulation in an effort to recover the voices of enslaved women from lacunary archives. Her reclamation of minstrel music and her use of historical artefacts to imagine non-existent musical records of the past—as a solo artist and in Our Native Daughters—can be understood as Afrofuturist and chronopolitical as they evidence the temporal entanglement which best characterizes the afterlife of slavery. From this point of view, there is ground for considering Giddens’s historical practice as pertaining to the philosophy of history, as her Sankofic look backwards complements historians’ work with a practical past which circumvents the epistemological and emotional limitations of the archive. Being firmly rooted in an understanding of US music and history as always already creolized, Giddens’s revisionist approach and the emancipated futures it conjures up can ultimately be construed as reparational.

Songs as archives

This article explores the historical threads linking two significant tragedies in Nigeria’s history: the ‘Kalakuta Inferno’ of 1977 and the ‘Lekki Massacre’ of 2020. Examining popular music as a vital repository of historical narratives demonstrates how events are historicized, linked, memorialized, and contested through songs. The Kalakuta Inferno refers to the violent attack by the Nigerian military on the late Nigerian musician and activist Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s Kalakuta Republic commune, while the Lekki Massacre describes the deadly assault by Nigerian soldiers on peaceful demonstrators at the Lekki Toll Gate during the 2020 #EndSARS protests against police brutality. This article confronts the divergent narratives of ‘what happened’ versus ‘what was said to have happened’ by examining reports and commentaries about the events and Fela Kuti’s songs—‘Sorrow, Tears and Blood’ and ‘Unknown Soldier’—which were composed in response to the Kalakuta attack. It highlights how Fela’s songs reflect, reaffirm, and relive painful histories of state-sponsored violence while embedding complex, multilayered meanings within the broader sociopolitical landscape of Nigeria that resonate far beyond its borders. ‘Sorrow, Tears and Blood’ (1977) and ‘Unknown Soldier’ (1979) gained contemporary relevance on social media and the Nigerian consciousness after the massacre, serving as Fela’s posthumous commentary and a conceptual framework for understanding the 2020 event within Nigeria’s histories of state-sponsored violence.

‘A whisky for the fallen’

The post-dictatorship (1985–2000) Uruguayan culture placed the issue of historical and political memory at the center of its collective imaginary. In this context, musical humor emerged as a tool for musicians to assimilate, criticize, and navigate the period. With that in mind, this research aims to analyze the (de)construction and reinterpretation of Uruguayan historical narratives through musical humor in the post-dictatorship period. It examines three songs from the rock band Cuarteto de Nos: ‘El Día que Artigas se Emborrachó’, ‘Tabaré, That’s Right’ and ‘No Somos Latinos’. The analysis focuses mainly on musical elements that refer to ideas, discourses, and stereotypes about Uruguayan culture and other places in Latin America, which interact with the musical elements to generate humor. The inquiry follows three key axes of Uruguayan national identity based on different areas and ideas about uruguayidad, the de-sacralization of relevant characters in the history of Uruguay, and the play with their masculinity/hypermasculinity/femininity. Together, these aspects speak of a society where national myths are no longer enough to sustain the country’s identity.

Holocaust remembrance in the digital age: The transformative influence of technology, digital archives, and connective memory

The digital age has profoundly transformed Holocaust remembrance through the influence of digital archives, connectivity, and emerging technologies. This research investigates the transformation of personal memories into connective memory shaped by online social platforms, Internet search tools, and artificial intelligence. It employs an analysis of digital memory platforms and conducts interviews centered on a specific case study examining the memory patterns of a Holocaust survivor. The increasing reliance on algorithmic mediation raises concerns about the potential distortion and manipulation of historical narratives. This study highlights the need for human agency in memory construction and the challenges of technologically mediated memory. It suggests that collaborative efforts involving scholars, survivors, and community members should continue to play a central role in developing technological tools for remembrance. The implications extend beyond Holocaust memory, informing discussions on the digitization, preservation, and ethical dissemination of technologically mediated historical knowledge in the twenty-first century.

Authenticity and national loyalty: the intellectual roots of Islamist-leftist affective polarisation in post-2013 Egypt

ABSTRACT This article examines how the evolution of ideational conflicts between Islamist and leftist intellectual advocates over the past four decades has shaped the dominant discourse and narrative through which leftists have sought to justify the repression of Islamist currents in the aftermath of the 2013 coup. Since the mid-1970s, debates and conflicts between Islamist and leftist intellectuals and activists have generated a variety of historical narratives and a repertoire of language that endorsed the political exclusion of ideological rivals. The 1970s and 1980s saw the advent of an Islamist ‘authenticity critique’ of the left. That critique argued that leftist movements do not enjoy an organic connection with Egyptian society, presenting them as foreign implants with questionable national loyalties. The political victories of the Muslim Brotherhood in the late 1980s and Islamist attacks against secular intellectuals in the 1990s, paved the way for a leftist counter-critique of Islamists, one that continues to shape leftist discourse in the contemporary moment. Adopting a strong nationalist veneer, the counter-critique held that it was the Islamist movement that lacked authentic roots in Egyptian society, while arguing that Islamists’ loyalties lie not with Egypt, but with international networks of Islamist groups and governments. By historicising the discursive and narrative battles between Islamist and leftist currents, the article contributes to our understanding of the intellectual origins of ‘affective polarization’ in post-2013 Egypt, shedding light on why it has taken on an exclusionary and violent turn.

De Heliogabalo fertur (ferunt), dicitur..

The text analyzes the incidence of the verbs fertur (ferunt) and dicitur in the biography of Elagabalus from the Historia Augusta, reaching the conclusion that they are found almost entirely in chapters XVIII, 4-XXXIII – a “catalogue” of multiple and unbelievable excesses of Elagabalus, committed overwhelmingly as privatus; they introduce apocryphal dialogues, direct or indirect dicta principis, allusions, rumors that the anonymous hypocritically tries to avoid, calumnies, fabellae difficult to verify, lines reproduced from ancient poets, parodied after them or “originals”, omina imperii invented. Therefore, both expressions are part of the category of narrative tools that reveal the uncertainty of what is reported, the relative quality of the sources, the filtered, “secondary”, “retold”, “ambiguous” character of the historical narrative, the absence of documentary support in some columns of the biography, a fact that gave free rein to imagination and exaggerations.

The Sogdians' Influence on the Silk Road from the 4th to the 9th Century

As an important land trade route, the ancient Silk Road has fallen into decline many times in history due to many factors. During the Tang Dynasty in China, the Silk Road once again ushered in its heyday. During this golden age of trade, the Sogdians played an important role on the Silk Road. As a unique ethnic group, the Sogdians have long been marginalized by the mainstream historical narrative. This article focuses on the Sogdians, analyzing their uniqueness and how they controlled the Silk Road from the 4th to the 9th century, and hopes to show their importance by showing their contribution to the prosperity and development of the Silk Road. Utilizing the literature research methodology, this article explains how the Sogdians eventually led to the revival of the once interrupted Silk Road trade by sorting out their influence on the Silk Road in the areas of trade, politics, military, religion and culture.

Historiografi Perkembangan Islam Pada Era Klasik

This study describes several main aspects, including the early period of the development of Islamic historiography and the transformation of Islamic history writing from time to time. This study uses the literature review method and thematic analysis. This analysis technique has three stages: compare, contrast, and criticize. The results of this study indicate that the historiography of the development of classical Islam includes studies of pre-Islamic Arab society, which became the initial foundation for the tradition of writing Islamic history. During this period, historiography was marked by the emergence of various genres, such as maghazi (stories of the Prophet Muhammad's wars), sirah (biography of the Prophet Muhammad), tarikh or akhbar (historical records and news), and nasab (genealogy). Along with the development of the era, this tradition began to be integrated with the methodology of dirayah (content criticism) and riwayah (sanad criticism) in compiling and verifying historical narratives. Geographically, Islamic historiography developed through various schools, such as the Yemeni school, the Medina school, and the Iraqi school, each of which had a different focus and approach to recording historical events. In addition, philosophical thought, kalam science (rational theology), tasawuf (Islamic spirituality), and Fiqh (Islamic law) also enriched the intellectual dynamics of that period, making a major contribution to the development of Islamic science and civilization

Exploring the Creative Art of Sergei Kuriokhin—Avant-Garde Musician, Cultural Theorist, and Cineast: Four Sergei(s) and Two Memoir Interviews

This text explores the life and legacy of Sergei Kuriokhin, a multifaceted artist who profoundly impacted Soviet and post-Soviet culture. Known for his radical experimentation in music, theater, and film, Kuriokhin defied conventional genres through his groundbreaking project, ‘Pop Mechanics’, which blended jazz, classical music, rock, circus acts, and more. His provocative performances often included surreal elements and bizarre satire, challenging cultural norms and the boundaries of Soviet censorship. Kuriokhin’s influence extended into politics, where his satirical “Lenin was a Mushroom” program questioned historical and ideological narratives, stirring public debate. His charisma, intellectual depth, and penchant for the absurd made him a central figure in Leningrad’s avant-garde scene. Kuriokhin collaborated with prominent artists and philosophers, leaving an indelible mark on Russian art and political discourse. This work, presented through the reflections of his close associates, offers insights into his lasting impact on Russian culture, blending history with personal mythologies.

Re-reading collections. A sustainable toolkit to achieve gender equality in museums

ABSTRACT During the last century, collections in heritage institutions have been constructed with heteropatriarchal bias, considering women as desired objects rather than creators, patrons, and artists as active protagonists of historical narratives. Excluding them as exceptions creates an important bias in how culture is approached. Nonetheless, some heritage institutions are eager to transform their sustainability aspirations and commitments into action. In this context, the Re-reading Collections Toolkit was produced to address Sustainable Development Goal 5 (part of UN Agenda 2030) ‘Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls’. This paper presents the rationale behind the development of such a toolkit and its application in the National Museum of Ceramics (Spain). This paper presents an initiative that aims to pave the way for gender equality in the Cultural Heritage sector at the time and provides credible evidence to demonstrate that heritage collections can contribute significantly and measurably to sustainable development

A CONCEPTUAL PAPER ON VISUAL CULTURAL INTERPRETATION OF SELANGOR IDENTIFICATION DEVELOPMENT

This conceptual study analyses the visual cultural depiction of Selangor's identity, emphasising how visual aspects embody the state's cultural, historical, and social essence. The study examines critical enquiries: What are the principal visual icons of Selangor? In what manner do these symbols communicate cultural and historical narratives? How do visual features amalgamate traditional and contemporary facets of Selangor's culture? Prior research has emphasised the importance of visual identity in place branding and cultural representation. Past studies examine how designers employ visual tools to express urban identities, highlighting the relationship between design decisions and cultural significance. Previous research examine value creation in cultural businesses, highlighting the significance of meaning-making in cultural products. This paper presents a paradigm for analysing Selangor's visual identity through semiotic and cultural perspectives, building on previous observations. The process entails a qualitative examination of visual artefacts, such as governmental emblems, architecture, and public art, to interpret their denotative and connotative significances. Research indicates that Selangor's visual identity is a dynamic fusion of its rich legacy and current advancement, embodying a balance between multicultural customs and contemporary development. This study enhances comprehension of the role of visual features as cultural signifiers, providing insights for policymakers and designers in cultural preservation and place branding. This article elucidates the visual semiotics of Selangor, establishing a platform for further research into the visual depiction of regional identities.

서유영(徐有英)의 기행시 고찰 - 임한정(臨漢亭)·금강산(金剛山)·송도(松都) 연작시 중심으로

The literary contributions of Sŏ Yu-yŏng (徐有英, 1801-1876?) hold an undisputedly prominent position in the history of 19th-century Korean literature, demonstrating remarkable breadth and sophistication. Furthermore, his life and social interactions provide valuable insights into the intellectual networks of his time. However, compared to studies on his novel Yukmidanggi (六美堂記) and his vernacular Kŭmkye P’ilt’am (錦溪筆談), research focusing on his poetic works remains notably underdeveloped. This paper investigates one aspect of Sŏ’s poetic work by analyzing his journey poems, particularly those found in Unko Sicho (雲皐詩抄). These poems exhibit three key characteristics. First, many belong to the Akpu (樂府) poetic tradition, including subcategories such as Haedong Akpu (海東樂府), Chukji sa (竹枝詞), and Chap’yŏng (雜詠). Second, from the perspective of travel literature, they can be categorized into observational travel accounts (kwanyu kihaeng, 觀遊紀行) and exile journeys (yup’ae kihaeng, 流配紀行). Third, these poems were often composed during poetry gatherings and involve fellow members of literary societies. The analysis examines a series of journey poems depicting Sŏ’s experiences visiting Imhanjŏng (臨漢亭), Mount Kŭmgang (金剛山), and Songdo (松都), representing his engagement with literary societies, observational travel, and exile journey. The Imhanjŏng poems reflect Sŏ’s participation in the Nam-Sa (南社) and his desire for “one who truly understands him” (chiaja, 知我者), both conveyed through specific locales. The poems from Mount Kŭmgang, composed during three journeys, reveal a literary worldview deeply influenced by Taoist influences from Silla (新羅) and Buddhist ideologies. Meanwhile, the poems from Songdo, written during his exile, emphasize regional identity and historical narratives over the scenic beauty of the landmarks, drawing a connection to Yu Tŭk-kong’s (柳得恭) Isib’il-to Hoegosi (二十一都懷古詩). This study fills a critical gap in scholarship by bringing attention to Sŏ Yu-yŏng’s poetic works, which have been largely overlooked. Furthermore, it contributes to reconstructing the literary and cultural activities of 19th-century Kyŏnghwa sejok (京華世族), particularly their participation in poetic societies such as the Nam-Sa. For the first time, Sŏ’s travel poetry is examined in detail, offering fresh insights into the places imbued with his profound thought and emotional depth. This paper also seeks to support further research on Sŏ’s attachment to and reflections on specific locations, enriching the broader understanding of 19th-century Korean literary culture.