Revolutionary Pasts: Representing the Long Nineteenth Century's Radical Heritage

How did activists remember, represent and reassess the revolutionary heritage of the ‘long nineteenth century’? On 4–5 November 2016, our conference on ‘Revolutionary Pasts’ will examine this question. The event is hosted by Northumbria University’s ‘Histories of Activism’ research

group, with support from the Society for the Study of Labour History (SSLH) and Durham University’s Centre for Nineteenth Century Studies. See the programme here.

Attendance of this event is free, but all guests are asked to register by 26 October via this link.

If you have any questions, you can contact the organisers (Daniel Laqua, Charlotte Alston and Laura O’Brien) either directly or via historiesofactivism@gmail.com.

Postgraduate Training Workshop 'Tracing Lives Beyond Borders'

On Friday 13 May 2016 the Histories of Activism PGR Workshop ‘Tracing Lives Beyond Borders’ took place at Northumbria University. The diverse programme was curated and organised by PhD researchers Jasmine Calver, Lara Green, and Sophie Roberts, kindly assisted by Dr Daniel Laqua. This workshop was the latest in a series of postgraduate-led events hosted by the Histories of Activism group and brought together postgraduate and academics from around the region and beyond to hear examples of exciting new research in the field and reflect on their own research practice. 33 participants and speakers attended (22 postgraduates from four institutions and 11 academic staff from five institutions) and the day offered the opportunity for postgraduates to expand their scholarly networks and to broaden their perspective.

The day began with ‘spotlights’ from Histories of Activism postgraduates Lara Green, Jasmine Calver, and Sophie Roberts based on their own research. The subjects of their short talks were Sergei Stepniak, Gabrielle Duchênne, and Peggy Duff, and the speakers gave interesting insights into how these individuals led lives that crossed borders but their work also had great transnational impact on political, social, and cultural movements.

Next, participants heard from Charlotte Alston (Northumbria University) and Matt Perry (Newcastle University) in conversation on the process of writing and framing a transnational biography for publication. Postgraduates enjoyed the chance to ask questions, particularly about designing a book and pitching it to publishers, using archival material to write biography and responding to gaps in the archive, and

After the first break, participants heard from Niall Whelehan (Edinburgh University) and Brian Ward (Northumbria University) who spoke on their own research showing two fantastic examples of how they combine transnational historical research with new approaches to the study of intellectual history and interdisciplinary research.

Participants then took part in breakout sessions led by André Keil, James Koranyi, and Tom Stammers (all Durham University) who each brought along sources from their own research to prompt discussion in small groups about the process of doing transnational history. Participants discussed a variety of issues, including understanding how archives come to exist in their current form, why they chose a transnational perspective for their own research, and whether or not ‘transnational’ has been overused as a term of reference.

To close the day, keynote speaker Christophe Verbruggen (Universiteit Gent) spoke about the use of digital toools to visualise data and to explore nineteenth century cultural and intellectual connections. One of the most important points Verbruggen made was the importance of transnational collaboration in order to create successful research, challenging postgraduates to think about the wider applications for the findings of their individual research projects.

In all, the day was a great success and the Histories of Activism group looks forward to hosting future postgraduate-led events. Thank you to all of the speakers and participants for their papers and contributions to discussions.

On 7 and 8 June 2016, you are invited to attend the conference ‘Two Centuries of Peacemaking’, to be held at Newcastle University and organised by scholars from Newcastle and Northumbria Universities, including Histories of Activism’s own Sarah Hellawell, Jon Coburn and Daniel Laqua. For more information please see http://historiesofactivism.blogspot.nl/2016/04/two-centuries-of-peacemaking-conference.html and to sign up please visit: http://webstore.ncl.ac.uk/browse/extra_info.asp?compid=1&modid=2&catid=52&prodid=465

Histories of Activism: Tracing Lives Beyond Borders Workshop, May 13

The ‘Histories of Activism’ research group at Northumbria University is delighted to host a half-day training workshop on ‘Tracing Lives Beyond Borders’, taking place on Friday 13 May. Please take a look at the attached programme.

·         The event is organised by three PhD students from the Histories of Activism research group – Jasmine Calver, Lara Green and Sophie Roberts. They will start off the workshop with brief case studies drawn from their own doctoral projects.

·         Matt Perry (Newcastle University) and Charlotte Alston (Northumbria University) will discuss the ‘challenges of biography’ with regard to monographs that they’ve written.

·         There will be research papers from Niall Whelehan (Edinburgh University) and Brian Ward (Northumbria University).

·         Three colleagues from Durham University (James Koranyi, Tom Stammers and André Keil) will facilitate break-out sessions for the participants.

·         Christophe Verbruggen – a historian from Ghent University – will give a keynote lecture on the way in which digital resources can be used to uncover and map transnational trajectories. He’s the director of the Ghent Institute of Digital Humanities and the chair of Flemish contribution to the European DARIAH initiative (Digital Research Infrastructure for the Arts and Humanities).

The event is free, but participants should register via https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/tracing-lives-beyond-borders-postgraduate-workshop-tickets-24588608189 by 6 May at the latest. For further information on the activities of the research group, feel free to visit http://historiesofactivism.blogspot.co.uk. 

Two Centuries of Peacemaking Conference, 7 and 8 June 2016

From the Histories of Activism blog:

 We are delighted to announce details of the ‘Two Centuries of Peacemaking’ conference, which will be held at Newcastle University and Northumbria University on 7 and 8 June. This event asks big questions about the direction and vitality of the peace movement over 200 years. It is a forum where scholars and activists will reflect on the past, present and future of the peace movement. Participants will consider the shifts that occurred in the peace movement, addressing issues such as conscientious objection and the importance of feminist/women’s activist roles, the geographical and historical coordinates and influence of the civil rights movement, King’s distinctive nonviolence, global peace movements, and much more.

We are organising this conference as 2016 is an anniversary year that encourages us to contemplate our understanding of peace and the paths towards it. Firstly, it is the centenary of Britain’s enactment of conscription during World War One, reminding us of those who rejected military service and became conscientious objectors. Secondly, June 2016 is the bicentenary of the establishment of the (London) Peace Society. Alongside the formation of the New York Peace Society, its appearance is commonly seen as the beginning of the modern peace movement. Thirdly, 2016 is the start of a year of activities that commemorate the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s visit to Newcastle, where he accepted an honorary doctorate in November 1967. His impromptu address, which fused together the issues of poverty, war and racism, has inspired research at the city’s two universities and informs the work of the Martin Luther King Peace Committee which seeks to honour King’s legacy by ‘building cultures of peace’.  >>> read more on the Histories of Activism blog

Commemorating the Centenary of the Women's Peace Congress of 1915

The following is a cross-post from the Histories of Activism Group.

On Monday, 20 April, the Histories of Activism group is organising an event at the Newcastle Lit & Phil to commemorate the centenary of the Women's Peace Congress of 1915 - a major international meeting held at The Hague. Over 1,200 women came together to coordinate their efforts to bring an end to the Great War. Following on from their meeting in the Netherlands, participants travelled to European capitals to lobby the representatives of the warring nations.  The event also resulted in the creation of the International Committee of Women for a Permanent Peace, which was later transformed into the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) - a major pacifist organisation that still exists today.

A century on, our 'Women as Peacemakers' evening will allow us to reflect on the history, legacy and ongoing relevance of the women's peace movement. The event is open to the public and will start at 6:00 pm.

Delegates to the April 1915 conference.

• Daniel Laqua (Senior Lecturer in European History at Northumbria University) will introduce the event by commenting on the history of peace movement up to 1914 as well as outlining the main features of the congress at The Hague.
• Sarah Hellawell (PhD candidate in British History at Northumbria University) will present findings from her doctoral research. She will focus on the British women who attended the congress as well as the subsequent creation of a British WILPF section. She will show how the British women's movement emerged from a section of the pre-war suffrage movement, and will also consider the tension between national loyalty to the British war effort and women's transnational efforts for peace.
• Ingrid Sharp (Senior Lecturer in German at Leeds University) will discuss the aims and achievements of the women at The Hague, explaining why it is important to remember them. In doing so, she will draw attention to the legacy and significance of this year's centenary, shedding light on the relationship between peace, women's rights and human rights.
• Jon Coburn (PhD candidate in US History at Northumbria University) will draw on his doctoral research on women's activism for peace in 1960s/1970s America. He will point out that women's groups have had a long and positive role to play in the American peace movement. He will highlight the connections between different waves of activism and demonstrate the enduring relevance of women's peace history for contemporary peace groups.

 Participation in the event is free. There is no need to pre-register, but if you would like to let us know that you are coming, you can do so via our Facebook page.

Mapping Tyneside Radicalism

Joseph Hardwick

The members of Northumbria University's Histories of Activism group are currently putting together a website that maps moments of radical activity that have occurred on Tyneside since the seventeenth century. The project was inspired by our belief that Tyneside’s rich and diverse radical history is only fitfully commemorated in the urban fabric of Newcastle and Gateshead. Mapping Tyneside Radicalism is designed to create a space where academics, researchers and local communities can work together to build a permanent memorial to the region’s tradition of radicalism and activism. This interactive website has gathered an archive of historic activism, and it allows users to map this archive on to the modern Tyneside landscape. Every event comes with a short commentary and links to further readings, and so this resource will be of considerable use to students, schoolchildren, researchers and members of the public. The website is currently being developed by the Community IT Academy and will go live in May 2015.

We are looking for members of the public to help us to develop our understanding of Tyneside radicalism. If you have an event that you think should be commemorated on this website, then please get in touch with the project coordinator, Dr Joe Hardwick, at joseph.hardwick@northumbria.ac.uk.

Workshop 'Students of the World Unite’

A crosspost from the Histories of Activism group

On Wednesday, 3 December, the Histories of Activism is holding a workshop entitled 'Students of the World Unite? Education and Internationalism in the Twentieth Century'. This half-day event is divided into two main sessions - one dedicated to various international ventures that students engaged in during the 1920s and 1930s, the other drawing attention to radical activism at school and university in and beyond the 1960s. As a whole, the event encourages reflection on the spaces in which students and educators operated, with a particular emphasis on the way in which the transnational related to the political.

13h30: Introduction

Daniel Laqua and Nicole Robertson

13h40: Students and internationalism in the interwar years

Tamson Pietsch (Sydney / Brunel): The Floating University: educational travel and international politics, 1926-27

Daniel Laqua (Northumbria): A new generation within a new world order: student activism as a form of interwar internationalism

Georgina Brewis (IOE): Service, self-help and international understanding: the work of European Student Relief / International Student Service between the World Wars

Chair: Tim Kirk (Newcastle)

15h10: Coffee break

15h30: Radical activism in and beyond the 1960s
Sarah Webster (Manchester): British students and transnational solidarity in Cold War Britain: activism beyond the NUS

Sylvia Ellis (Northumbria): British student activism and the international protests against the Vietnam War

Say Burgin (Leeds): 'We must understand how sexism, racism and imperialism are connected': Boston's free schools and anti-imperialist feminism in the 1970s

Chair: Martyn Smith (Newcastle)

17h00 Conclusion

Brian Ward (Northumbria)

To register for this event, please contact Daniel Laqua by 30 November. Alternatively, you can register your attendance on Facebook.

Research Group Publishes Journal Issue on 'Transnational Solidarities'

Daniel Laqua

The following is a cross post from the Histories of Activism blog.

Earlier this year, members of the Histories of Activism research group published a themed issue of the Journal of Modern European History, discussing 'Ideas, Practices and Histories

of Humanitarianism' - you'll find the relevant information in one of our earlier blog entries. We are now delighted to announce our second publication for 2014: a special issue of the European Review of History: 'Transnational Solidarities and the Politics of the Left, 1890-1990'. Co-edited by Charlotte Alston and Daniel Laqua, this journal issue investigates campaigns and trajectories that transcended national boundaries. In this context, the authors consider forms of activism in which ideas or professions of activism featured prominently. The different articles can be accessed via the journal's website. There are altogether eleven contributions:

• Charlotte Alston (Northumbria University) frames the other articles by means of an introductory essay, drawing out various connecting themes.
• Robert Henderson (Queen Mary, University of London) sheds light on the wider context of the Hyde Park Rally of 1890; he considers how and why different groups – from British trade unionists to Russian exile activists – protested against the killing of Russian opponents of the Tsarist regime.
• Daniel Laqua (Northumbria University) traces the international mobilisation on behalf of Francisco Ferrer - a Catalan anarchist and educator whom the Spanish authorities sentenced to death in 1909 - drawing attention to the role of freethinkers, republicans and anarchists in the pro-Ferrer protests.
• Michael Goebel (Free University of Berlin) investigates the transnational trajectories of the revolutionary and anti-colonial activist M.N. Roy, with a focus on Roy's involvement in the foundation of the Mexican Communist Party in 1919.
• Gleb Albert (Bielefeld University) examines the case of Soviet citizens who sought to support Republican Spain in the struggle against Franco's Nationalists and who wrote to the secretary of the Comintern with the aim of being accepted as volunteers in the Spanish Civil War.
• Anne-Isabelle Richard (Leiden University) discusses the Congress of the Peoples of Europe, Asia and Africa (held at Puteaux in 1948), placing this event within its wider context, namely socialist visions of a united Europe and their relationship to anti-colonial stances.
• Jodi Burkett (Portsmouth University) analyses the internationalism of the National Union of Students of England, Wales and Northern Ireland (NUS) during the 1950s and 1960s, both with regard to its link to international student organisations and its involvement in transnational campaigns such as the anti-Apartheid movement.
• Sylvia Ellis (Northumbria University) studies the variety of British protest against the Vietnam War, shedding light on the perspectives of labour activists as well as the activism of groups such as the CND, the British Council for Peace in Vietnam, the Vietnam Solidarity Campaign.
• Eleanor Davey (Manchester University) sheds light on French Third Worldism and the creation of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), exploring the relationship between humanitarian and revolutionary discourses.
• Christian Helm (Hannover University) focuses on West German solidarity with the Sandinistas, tracing the motivations and experiences of Germans who travelled to Nicaragua and who organised solidarity events in their own country.
• Kim Christiaens (KU Leuven) considers the wider Nicaragua solidarity movement, with particular emphasis on the role of exile activism and the transnational strategies of the Sandinista Liberation Front (FSLN).