Entertaining Ginnie: Visiting the Cinema and the Theatre, 1939–1945

Recent studies of the context of cinema as cultural practice have, for the Second World War period, inevitably had to rely on memories for evidence, and have often concentrated on those of working-class cinemagoers. This study, however, interrogates a largely-unused archive of letters and diaries for contemporary evidence of the wartime entertainment experiences of a relatively wealthy American woman living in Britain. It analyses quantitative and qualitative data on visits to both cinema and theatre, and explores their social context. It also discusses her film and theatre preferences as revealed in her letters, and her reactions to film stars. In consequence, it produces contemporary comparative evidence for themes that have often been discussed in studies of wartime cinema, such as social class, propaganda, relationships with the USA, and differences between cinema and theatre audiences, and concludes, with Farmer (2016), that there was no single relationship between the British and the wartime cinema.

‘THE DELIGHT of REAL BOYS’: MALE ROLE MODELS IN THE SILENT-ERA BOYS’ CINEMA WEEKLY FAN PAPER

The little-studied ‘Boys’ Cinema’ (1919–1940) was an adolescent-targeted British weekly paper. In addition to prose retellings of films and serials, it contained, until 1926, a wide array of non-fiction items including regular film star profiles and (mostly ghosted) columns and features by popular male actors. Scholarship about silent-era fan magazines has, to date, been characterized by an overwhelming emphasis upon female-targeted publications and by a disproportionate focus on women’s engagement with films and stars: an empirical limitation that has impeded a comprehensive understanding of the broader spectrum of fan magazine contents and readership during this period. As the only cinema-inspired publication of its time designed for a young male readership, ‘Boys’ Cinema’ provides a uniquely compact and focused resource for redressing this imbalance and interrogating the scope of juvenile male fandom in the early inter-war years. Making particular reference to material ostensibly authored by Hollywood actors and those intimately associated with them, this article examines the ways in which the paper sought to shape juvenile male fan behaviors, and how it positioned film stars as imitable exemplars of socially desirable models of adult masculinity.

‘Grands Enfants’, or Potential Rebels? Newsreel Censorship in the Belgian Congo (1952–56)

The colonial government in the Belgian Congo feared the potentially subversive impact of cinema on the indigenous population, and consequently censored films from 1917 until decolonisation in 1960. This article examines the film censorship policies and practices in the Belgian Congo during the 1950s, specifically from 1952 to 1956, four years prior to Congo’s independence. Archival material from the Africa Archives and 206 physically excised segments found in newsreels and fiction films formed our empirical base. Nearly half of all removals erased images of violence and armed rebellion, while another 39% suppressed strikes, demonstrations, or interracial solidarity. The pattern exposes a transition from paternalist tutelage toward anticipatory repression designed to pre‑empt anti‑colonial mobilisation. Case studies on newsreels covering the Algerian War, Korean POW exchanges, and the Indochina conflict reveal a consistent excision of scenes that exposed European vulnerability or represented collective resistance. These findings complicate the familiar ‘infantilisation’ thesis: censors simultaneously positioned Congolese viewers as naïve ‘grands enfants’ and as politically savvy subjects who had to be contained. By mapping that doubleness, the study shows that censorship did more than react; it actively produced the visual language of Belgian imperial power and its epistemic anxieties on the eve of independence.

Josephine Baker’s Secret War: The African American Star Who Fought for France and Freedom HANNA DIAMOND, 2025, New Haven and London, Yale University Press, pp. xvi + 326, Appendix, Bibliography, Index, $35.00 (hardback), $35.00 (ebook)

The Formation, Progress and Legacy of the Committee on the Employment of Married Women in the 1920s

Marriage bars were re-established by many employers following the end of the First World War. The 1919 Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act proved to be of no assistance as a restrictive interpretation meant that it did not prevent gender discrimination. Contemporaneous materials suggested that the re-imposition of marriage bars was meekly accepted by women. Other narratives depict feminist groups as doing little to resist due to division in their ranks. However, this piece demonstrates by use of archival research how leading Equalitarian and Difference feminist groups both prioritized this issue and worked together to establish a Committee on the Employment of Married Women (‘CEMW’) in February 1922 to challenge marriage bars. This article investigates the work and progress of the CEMW, including how they drafted and developed the Married Women's (Employment) Bill, which was presented to Parliament in 1927. This research illustrates that although this legislation was unsuccessful, it was not because of division between feminist campaigning groups, but due to the methods and arguments used by powerful male opponents and the male domination of marriage in that period. Ultimately, the important work of the CEMW had an indirect impact, acting as a foundation for marriage bars being overturned in subsequent decades.

Changing Routes: The Impact of Traumatic Life Events on Life Satisfaction Among Syrians Under Temporary Protection

Since 2011, the civil war in Syria has displaced millions, resulting in a major migration crisis. Syrians under temporary protection in Turkey have faced traumatic events and challenging living conditions. This examines how such experiences affect their life satisfaction. Using a quantitative research method, the study included 106 participants aged 18 to 70. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that avoidance and reexperiencing explained 21.3% of the variance in life satisfaction, making them significant predictors. Additionally, participants who lost a loved one during the war or had acquaintances exposed to violence during migration reported lower life satisfaction, with higher scores in event impact, reexperiencing, and hyperarousal. These findings highlight the need for host countries to implement policies within a rights-based framework to safeguard the mental health and social integration of individuals under temporary protection. Strengthening psychosocial support systems, such as therapy and group sessions, alongside general health screenings, is crucial to improve life satisfaction and aid in post-traumatic recovery. Future research should conduct applied intervention studies to evaluate the long-term effects of such programs. The findings of these studies could contribute to the development of targeted social work interventions, thereby helping to address the complex needs of forcibly displaced individuals.

“No Heart for Sympathy ” : Qualitative Analysis of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence in Chenna Kebele , Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Despite high incidences of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) against Amhara women and girls by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front’s (TPLF) fighters, during the two-year war in northern Ethiopia, there is little scholarly attention given to understand the experiences of CRSV survivors. This study aimed to understand lived experiences of CRSV survivors in the Chenna Kebele community, within the Amhara region of Ethiopia. A hermeneutic phenomenological design was employed to explore the lived experiences of sexual violence survivors. Snowball sampling was used to select nine (9) survivors. Qualitative data were collected using open-ended interviews, and were analyzed thematically. The results of the study revealed three key themes: understanding nature of CRSV; explanations of CRSV; consequences of CRSV on survivors. This study provides significant insight into the lived experiences of sexual violence survivors in a conflict-affected area. The study further contributes to understanding the interplay between gender and ethnicity in dealing with sexual violence in conflict ridden area, suggesting that an intersectional perspective can be helpful in understanding conflict-related sexual violence against women and girls in Chenna kebele . The intersectional understanding has implication for clinical social work practice with survivors of gendered sexual violence, and addressing gender injustice.

Reconstructing the plug orders for intercepted Enigma Uhr messages

This study of recently discovered World War 2 German Air Force Enigma cipher messages that used the relatively rare Uhr attachment suggests a cryptanalytic method which may have been used by the British Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS).

Revealing secrets from WWII: the original German instructions of Schlüsselgerät 41

Schlüsselgerät 41 (cipher device 41) is a rare but very advanced mechanical cipher machine from World War II. It was developed by Fritz Menzer in 1941, and used by the German Abwehr at the end of the war. Virtually nothing was known about this machine until the last decade. The authors of this study recently succeeded in finding the previously missing operating instructions and key documents in Czech archives. As a result, last unanswered questions about how the machine worked and how it was used in the field can now be clarified.

Crisis, war, and the holocaust in Lithuania by Saulius Sužiedėlis, Newton, MA, Academic Studies Press, 2025, 625 pp., $42 (Paperback), ISBN 9798897830008