Cultural Encounters

23/10/2023

New video just in time for our 1,000th subscriber on YouTube!

https://youtu.be/LeUptLuw5PU

The Parthenon Marbles are some of humanity’s finest achievements, spectacularly sculpted by master artisans over 2,500 years ago. But despite adorning the iconic Parthenon for over 2,000 years, they were forcefully removed and are now on display in London, along with about half of the remaining sculptures from the building.

Today, these masterpieces of classical sculpture are the center of a major dispute between Greece and the UK. So how did so much of the Parthenon Marbles end in the UK, and what can Greece do about it?

The Parthenon Marbles are some of humanity’s finest achievements, spectacularly sculpted by master artisans over 2,500 years ago. But despite adorning the ic...

23/03/2023

Benin Bronzes are some of the finest examples of brass sculpture from the Kingdom of Benin, made between the 15th and 19th centuries.

But far from being displayed in their intended location - the royal palace of Benin - they're scattered across the globe in museums - in cities like London, Berlin, and New York.

The truth is these sculptures, known as the Benin Bronzes, were looted by British Colonial Troops in an incredibly violent attack.

Today, calls to return the Benin Bronzes are increasing, both in Nigeria - where Benin City is located - and increasingly in the Western countries which house these artifacts in their museums.

So why should the sculptures be returned, and why are institutions like the British Museum so reluctant to let them go?

The Benin Bronzes are some of the finest examples of brass sculpture from the Kingdom of Benin, made between the 15th and 19th centuries.But far from being d...

07/02/2023

In the early 1800s, Napoleon's Egypt expedition reintroduced Europeans to Anicent Egypt's buildings - sparking an Egyptian revival movement in art and architecture.

When King Tut's tomb was found in 1922, a new era of Egyptomania started that led to the birth of Art Deco.

But the fascination with the Egyptian aesthetic goes back much further than you'd expect.

We'll take a look at all of this in this video and hopefully answer the question of why Egpyt's architecture is eternal.

In the early 1800s, Napoleon's Egypt expedition reintroduced Europeans to Anicent Egypt's buildings - sparking an Egyptian revival movement in art and archit...

07/10/2022

13-year old Megumi Yokota disappeared out of thin air on the night of November 15, 1977. Her parents had no idea what had happened to their daughter for 20 years, until they learned she was one of the Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korea.

13-year old Megumi Yokota disappeared out of thin air on the night of November 15, 1977. Her parents had no idea what had happened to their daughter for 20 y...

04/06/2022

https://youtu.be/l_T8KuN4ydc

Is History always written by the victors?

Nearly a century after the Spanish Conquest of Mexico, Domingo de San Antón aka Chimalpahin dedicated himself to preserving the knowledge contained in old books and known by a few elders.

He challenged the dominant Spanish narrative by meticulously recopying and cross-referencing ancient texts and oral histories.

Chimalpahin's contributions to our understanding of the Aztec worldview and history are only now starting to be appreciated.

Join me as I tell you the story of Chimalpahin and his quest to preserve his people’s knowledge of the past for future generations.

24/04/2022

Part II of our video on Isabella Bird's 1878 trip to Japan is now up!

Before paved roads, electricity, or modern medicine, Isabella Lucy Bird traveled to Japan to explore regions so infrequently traveled that they didn’t even a...

24/03/2022

Kokusai Analysis has become Cross-Cultural Encounters!

We're back with a brand new video about Englishwoman Isabella Bird's Unbeaten Tracks in Northern Japan in 1878

What happens when you take a woman from Victorian England and put her in the middle of rural Meiji-era Japan? The answer lies in Isabella Bird’s Unbeaten Tra...

22/12/2021

After the first few months of World War I, an unofficial truce broke out in many different trenches with British and German soldiers around December 24. This phenomenon is now known as “the Christmas truce.”

Merry Christmas if you celebrate Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

After the first few months of World War I, an unofficial truce broke out in many different trenches with British and German soldiers around December 24. This...

11/12/2021

Outsiders were forbidden from Japan. How did knowledge come in? https://youtu.be/bpbdoPMD2d0

Once upon a time, Japan was more cut off from the outside world than North Korea is today. Foreigners and even Japanese who ventured abroad were forbidden to enter the country, upon the penalty of death. In such a closed-off country, how did foreign knowledge manage to seep through the cracks?

Once upon a time, Japan was more cut off from the outside world than North Korea is today. Foreigners and even Japanese who ventured abroad were forbidden to...