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Sun, May 19, 2024 07:44 PM All times are UTC

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Gervase Phillips

Principal Lecturer in History, Manchester Metropolitan University
My research revolves around human conflict. This covers struggles between and within nations, religions, ideological groups and also more one-sided instances of persecution and enslavement.
I am interested in the causes, conduct and, hopefully, the ultimate resolution of such conflicts. I also pursue related themes, such as technology and warfare and the military use and treatment of animals. I am inquisitive, bookish and freethinking. Away from work, I generally like to be on a horse or rolling dice.

Why do I teach?
I am committed to the study of history by my belief in the integral worth of the discipline. History has been a major contributor to human knowledge over the last 2500 years. History develops students into rigorous thinkers and fluent communicators. As a subject it produces open-minded, reflective and empathetic individuals, tolerant of difference, adaptable and humane in their values.

Words of wisdom
History is the story of humankind. What more important story is there than that?

How I’ll teach you
As a teacher I aim to be: enthusiastic; supportive and a little provocative...

I strive to keep students interested and well-motivated, through engaging and thought-provoking lectures and seminars. By using role-play or dissecting an original document, I hope to encourage analytical thinking, challenging ideas and an appetite for research. I constantly remind students about the importance of reading. So pick up a book!

Global Geopolitics Series

Ukraine war: a warning for Kyiv’s western allies from the failed Polish uprising of 1830-31

Mar 16, 2024 07:20 am UTC| Insights & Views

It has been reported that the US president, Joe Biden, has managed to scrape together US$300 million (235 million) as an emergency measure to supply the Ukraine military with at least some ammunition as it struggles to...

Fourth of July: national celebrations mask America's centuries-old divisions

Jul 07, 2019 15:14 pm UTC| Insights & Views

President Donald Trumps extravagant celebration of the Fourth of July in 2019 with special sections for favoured VIP guests, and political donors able to purchase tickets to the event has attracted intense criticism....

Economy

What should you do if you can’t pay your rent or mortgage?

The cost of living crisis is making it difficult for many people to pay their bills, including housing costs. Private sector rents have increased by an average 9% over the year to February 2024, and rising interest rates...

Reducing energy demand and improving efficiency will help prevent the next gas crisis

Gas prices have relaxed, Europe has come out of the winter with record gas storage levels and a surfeit of liquefied natural gas is set to reach the shores of Europe over the coming years. Many commentators are hopeful...

Minimum wage for South African farm workers: study shows 2013 hike helped reduce poverty even though compliance was poor

Minimum wage policies are typically aimed at reducing poverty. Yet there is little direct evidence of this effect, especially in developing countries. And none for South Africa. In a recent paper, we consider the...

Gas is good until 2050 and beyond, under Albanese gas strategy

The Albanese government is talking up the crucial role of gas as a transition fuel through to 2050 and beyond. In a gas strategy to be released on Thursday, the government envisages the fuels uses would change over...

South Africa’s plan to move away from coal: 8 steps to make it succeed

The South African governments Just Energy Transition Implementation Plan was launched in November 2023. It is a roadmap guiding the country away from reliance on coal-fired power towards renewable energy alternatives by...

Politics

Donald Trump Allegedly Offers Oil Execs a Deal to Scrap EV Incentives for $1B Donation

Former President Donald Trump reportedly proposed a $1 billion deal to oil executives, offering to end electric vehicle (EV) subsidies in return for campaign funding, according to The Washington Post. This move underscores...

US Supreme Court upended decades of precedent in 2022 by allowing voters to vote with gerrymandered maps instead of fixing the congressional districts first

For the 2022 midterm elections, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Alabama to use congressional districts that violated the law and diluted the voting power of Black citizens. A 5-4 vote by the Supreme Court in February...

Germany lowers voting age to 16 for the European elections

Ahead of the European parliament elections in June, Germany has lowered the age limit on participation to 16. This makes it the largest of just a handful of states in the EU to allow people under the age of 18 to vote....

South Africa will be president of the G20 in 2025: two much-needed reforms it should drive

South Africa will play an important international role in 2025 as president of the G20. The G20 is a group of 19 countries as well as the African Union and the European Union. Between them they represent 85% of global...

What early 2024 polls are revealing about voters of color and the GOP

By the end of winter 2024, the return of Donald Trump to the top of the GOP presidential ticket has revealed a surprising trend in the former presidents base of support: his increasing popularity among Black and Latino...

Science

Is dark matter’s main rival theory dead? There’s bad news from the Cassini spacecraft and other recent tests

One of the biggest mysteries in astrophysics today is that the forces in galaxies do not seem to add up. Galaxies rotate much faster than predicted by applying Newtons law of gravity to their visible matter, despite those...

Why are algorithms called algorithms? A brief history of the Persian polymath you’ve likely never heard of

Algorithms have become integral to our lives. From social media apps to Netflix, algorithms learn your preferences and prioritise the content you are shown. Google Maps and artificial intelligence are nothing without...

IceCube researchers detect a rare type of energetic neutrino sent from powerful astronomical objects

About a trillion tiny particles called neutrinos pass through you every second. Created during the Big Bang, these relic neutrinos exist throughout the entire universe, but they cant harm you. In fact, only one of them is...

The Mars Sample Return mission has a shaky future, and NASA is calling on private companies for backup

A critical NASA mission in the search for life beyond Earth, Mars Sample Return, is in trouble. Its budget has ballooned from US$5 billion to over $11 billion, and the sample return date may slip from the end of this...

Dark matter: our new experiment aims to turn the ghostly substance into actual light

A ghost is haunting our universe. This has been known in astronomy and cosmology for decades. Observations suggest that about 85% of all the matter in the universe is mysterious and invisible. These two qualities are...

Technology

Massive SHIB Transfers Occur Despite Sharp Decline in Shibarium Transactions

Shiba Inu (SHIB), a dog-themed cryptocurrency, has seen a startling 3,015% increase in large holder NetFlow, which provides insight into whales changing positions. However, this impressive surge comes with a...

SHIB Whale Activity Surges Amid Plummeting Shibarium Transaction Volumes

While the Shiba Inu developer team continues to work on and implement key updates to the Layer-2 blockchain, Shibarium is seeing a significant drop in transaction volume, which has been ongoing for about a month. This...

AirTag With New Chip and Improved Tracking Due Next Year; No New Mac Studio, Pro Until Mid-2025: Mark Gurman

Apples upcoming AirTag, equipped with an upgraded chip and enhanced tracking, is expected to launch by mid-2025, as detailed by Bloombergs Mark Gurman. He also claimed that Apple will not update the Mac Studio and Mac Pro...

Shibarium Faces 97% Drop in Transactions, Yet Transfers Rise Steadily

High FDVs on Binance Listings Lead to Investor Losses, Analysis Reveals

An analysis of Binance listings over the past six months reveals that high fully diluted valuations often lead to token value loss, adversely affecting regular investors while benefiting insiders. VC-Backed Tokens on...