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WELCOME TO ANTHROPOLOGY AND HISTORY
Tim Boatswain Professor of Anthropology & History
Chairman of TMC Academy, Singapore
Chairman TMCI, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Chairman British United College, Myanmar
Chairman of Blue Plaques St Albans
Chairman of Conservation 50
Council Member of SAHAAS
Trustee of OVO (Theatre) Charity
Welcome to Anthropology and History, a unique blog here for you to explore. Anthropology and History has added such value to my life, and I love having the opportunity to share my passions and thoughts with my loyal readers. Read on, and enjoy.
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A Blue Plaque Honours Holmes Winter
An important local artist was commemorated today (5th September 2026) with the official installation of a blue plaque for Holmes Winter at 9 Alma Road, St Albans. The ceremony not only honoured the artist himself but also celebrated a remarkable friendship with fellow artist Frederick Kitton, which was a partnership that helped preserve a record of St Albans' architectural heritage for future generations. The installation was formally introduced by Professor Tim Boatswain, Ch
Tim Boatswain
17 hours ago3 min read
Review: Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey"
Theatrical release poster When some friends offered me a spare ticket to see Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey at the Odyssey Cinema, St Albans, I felt I could not refuse their kind invitation. I confess I had been in two minds about seeing the film, partly because, as an erstwhile ancient historian, I was aware of some criticisms from classicists, in particular Emily Wilson's pointed concerns about the screenplay. Yet, having now seen it, I must concede that The Odyssey is a m
Tim Boatswain
6 days ago9 min read
Tim Curry
In the Public Domain: Tim Curry in a 1979 A&M photo promoting his second album Fearless. It was with a sense of loss that I learned of the passing of Tim Curry. To the world, he was the unforgettable Dr. Frank-N-Furter, the sinister Pennywise, or the bumbling concierge from Home Alone 2. But to me, and a small group of others at the University of Birmingham, he was simply a fellow student, a remarkably talented member of the Guild Theatre Group whose star quality was undeniab
Tim Boatswain
Aug 272 min read
What is Consciousness?
This is an introductory article to the next debate at Philosophy at the Lower Red Lion Pub. Nothing is more intimate than consciousness. It is the inward light by which you experience the warmth of sunlight, the ache of nostalgia, or the vivid redness of a rose. It is the immediate, continuous reality of being alive. Yet, despite being the single certainty of human existence, consciousness remains the ultimate mystery of modern science and philosophy. How does a three‑pound l
Tim Boatswain
Aug 243 min read
A Review of the National Theatre's Electra/Persona
It was a surprise and a delight when my friend offered me a ticket to see Electra/Persona, now playing at the National Theatre's Lyttelton Theatre. I think it is fair to say it is that rare and thrilling experience: a theatrical event that truly delivers on its audacious premise. As someone who studied ancient Greek, I was acquainted, if not familiar, with Sophocles' Elektra, but I had no knowledge of Bergman’s Persona, so I was intrigued to understand Benedict Andrews' produ
Tim Boatswain
Aug 233 min read
Blue Plaque for Holmes Winter
Blue Plaques St Albans is pleased to announce the unveiling of a new commemorative blue plaque honouring the life and work of the distinguished local British watercolourist, etcher, and draftsman, Holmes Edwin Cornelius Winter (1851–1935). The unveiling ceremony will take place at his former residence, 9 Alma Road, St Albans, on Saturday, 5th September at 11:00 AM. Holmes Winter was a prominent figure in the local arts scene during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Know
Tim Boatswain
Aug 201 min read
Power, Philosophy, and Pints: An Evening at the Lower Red Lion
AI generated There is a particular kind of magic that happens when you gather a group of people in a pub to discuss big ideas. The setting is unpretentious. The drinks are real. The conversation, however, can soar. Last Tuesday evening, twenty-plus members of Philosophy at the Lower Red Lion gathered in a room of that venerable Fishpool Street establishment to tackle one of the most enduring and contested questions in political thought: What is power? The session was framed b
Tim Boatswain
Aug 143 min read
A Roman Theatre Spectacle
OVO Theatre brings you Drama, Laughter, and Spectacle in Ancient Verulamium: On Sunday 9th August at 7.30 pm at St Albans Roman Theatre There is something extraordinary about watching a play in a place where theatre has been performed for nearly two thousand years. The Roman Theatre of St Albans, the only fully exposed Roman theatre in Britain, is one of those rare spaces where history and performance meet. This summer, the ancient stones will once again echo with the voices
Tim Boatswain
Aug 56 min read
Power and Victimhood
AI generated I have been thinking about the next philosophical topic for discussion at the Lower Red Lion: What is Power? (7 pm on 11th August), and I have gone slightly off piste from the classical -Plato to Foucault-approach, as this article is about the politics of victimhood and how victimhood has become a form of power in society. I posit that in the public forums of Western democracies, a curious inversion has taken place. Where vulnerability was once seen as a positio
Tim Boatswain
Jul 295 min read
Radio Mix Podcast
In this podcast, Nick Hazell and Professor Tim Boatswain discuss the importance of emotional connection and the barriers put in place by systems and processes. https://mix926.com/podcast/systems-or-people-why-emotional-connection-matters/
Tim Boatswain
Jul 291 min read
The Forgotten Slave Trade of the Central Asian Steppe
Sergey Ivanov, Trade negotiations in the country of Eastern Slavs (1909), Sevastopol Art Museum Back in March, stimulated by a UN pronouncement and the late Christopher Hitchens, I wrote a blog about the Barbary Slave trade: https://timboatswain.wixsite.com/website/post/slavery-the-barbary-trade-to-modern-day Then a Russian friend of mine urged me to write about a trade that had enslaved so many Russians. The story of the slave trade of Central Asia is much less well-known. T
Tim Boatswain
Jul 105 min read
Why Emotional Attachment Matters in Every Service
AI generated It has long been a concern of mine that, in many areas of life, the services we rely on have lost their emotional attachment to people and their surroundings. I would argue we now live in an age where systems have lost touch with the people they serve; all too often it is “the computer says no”. Healthcare has become a system of appointments and targets. Planning has become a system of applications and regulations. Social care has become a system of assessments a
Tim Boatswain
Jul 34 min read
Samuel Ryder: Seeds, Civic Life, and the Cup that Bears His Name
Images 1) ©Snjezana Boatswain 2) ©Tim Boatswain 3) St Albans Museums I have to admit, until I moved to St Albans and found myself living less than a hundred yards from his Seed/Exhibition Hall, I knew nothing about Samuel Ryder. Blue Plaques St Albans, a voluntary organisation, which I set up and chair, has just installed a blue plaque commemorating Samuel Ryder on that building. Few figures in the history of St Alba
Tim Boatswain
Jun 244 min read
The significance of Waterloo
William Sadler, The Battle of Waterloo (1815) On this day, the Battle of Waterloo was fought in 1815. It is often remembered as a dramatic military clash that ended Napoleon's final bid for power. But for Britain today, its relevance is not merely historical. The battle's aftermath shaped the modern British state, its economy, its place in the world, and even its national character. This is why I think Waterloo still matters. Waterloo was the final act of the Napoleonic Wars,
Tim Boatswain
Jun 183 min read
Why is Hockney's Art Important
AI generated David Hockney died on 11 June 2026 (aged 88). I have to admit I am not a great fan of his art. I found the 'flat colour technique' rather gimmicky, but I do recognise that he is one of the most influential, versatile, and widely loved British artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. The range of his work is impressive: he spans painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, opera design, and digital art. Another one of his characteristics, like a lot of modern arti
Tim Boatswain
Jun 152 min read
The Edict of Milan: Why does it Still Matter in St Albans?
AI generated On this day, 13th June in CE 313, the Edict of Milan was issued. Most people who walk through St Albans today, past the Cathedral, or the Roman ruins of Verulamium, are unlikely to connect their surroundings to a piece of legislation issued by two Roman emperors in the city of Milan, over seventeen centuries ago. Yet the Edict of Milan, proclaimed in CE 313 by Constantine and Licinius, is one of the threads that ties St Albans' ancient past to its present identit
Tim Boatswain
Jun 134 min read
What is Power?
The philosophy of "What is Power?" is one of the most enduring and contested questions in political philosophy, social theory, and ethics. Unlike questions about truth or beauty, power is not an abstract ideal but a practical reality that shapes every human relationship, from the family to the state, from the workplace to the international arena. Philosophers have offered competing answers, but most agree on this: power is the capacity to produce effects – to make things happ
Tim Boatswain
Jun 76 min read
Does our Educational System Fail our Children?
AI generated I once gave a talk on the Future of Education at Kellogg College, Rewley House, which is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. In the talk, I criticised the UK educational system, particularly at the secondary school level, because it so often failed to enable the individual to reach their potential, and at the same time denied students the ability to think democratically. I had the audacity to propose a different model to the existing educational
Tim Boatswain
Jun 64 min read
The Healer of St Albans: Restoring the Grave of a Mental Health Visionary
The gravestones of Nathaniel Cotton and his wives, Anne and Hannah Under a gentle midday sun on Monday, 1st June 2026, a good turnout gathered in the historic grounds of St Peter's Churchyard for the dedication of a newly renovated monument: the gravestones of Nathaniel Cotton and those of his two wives, Anne Pembroke and Hannah Everett. Yet the atmosphere suggested something more significant than a simple repair. This was a long‑overdue act of gratitude for Dr Nathaniel Co
Tim Boatswain
Jun 44 min read
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Aug 272 min read
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