"Nineteen Eighty-Four" has had extraordinary longevity as a go-to text for political commentary. There are many explanations for its staying power, but right now a key feature of it may be its relevance to thinking about both repression of dissent and Newspeak-style propaganda in many individual countries – and the unsettling geopolitical tensions in the world at large. Dr Emrah Atasoy (Heritage Collections Postdoctoral Fellow, 2026) would like to share his recent publication, titled "How George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four predicted the global power shifts happening now"Read it here: https://theconversation.com/how-george-orwells-nineteen-eighty-four-predicted-the-global-power-shifts-happening-now-273122The article, originally published in The Conversation, has been translated into French, Italian, Portuguese, and Polish. The Independent, Scroll.in, MENAFN - The Middle East North Africa Financial Network, and Yahoo News re-published the article.Nineteen Eighty-Four has had extraordinary longevity as a go-to text for political commentary. There are many explanations for its staying power, but right now a key feature of it may be its relevance to thinking about both repression of dissent and Newspeak-style propaganda in many individual countries – and the unsettling geopolitical tensions in the world at large. This article was published on Tuesday 3 February 2026
