At the event two books will be launched:
The Anarchist Imagination
Anarchism Encounters the Humanities and the Social Sciences, 1st Edition
Edited by Carl Levy, Saul Newman
(Routledge).
The Palgrave Handbook of Anarchism
Edited by Carl Levy, Matthew Adams
(Palgrave).
Carl Levy is Professor of Politics in the Department of Politics and International Relations, Goldsmiths, University of London. He is currently writing two books, 'Anarchists and the City' and a biography of Errico Malatesta: 'Errico Malatesta: The Rooted Cosmopolitan, the Life and Times of an Anarchist in Exile'.
Constance Bantman is Senior Lecturer in French and Director of Teaching and Learning and author of 'The French Anarchists in London, 1880-1914: Exile and Transnationalism in the First Globalisation'
Ole Birk Laursen is a literary critic and historian of Black and South Asian people in Britain and Europe, researching and writing about race, resistance, and revolution, focusing particularly on Indian anticolonialism, nationalism, and anarchism, as well as the contemporary legacies of colonialism, racism, riots, and human rights.
Carne Ross is best known for once working as a British diplomat before leaving the civil service in disgust over the Iraq war, and testifying against the government at the Butler Review. He has gone on to become an advocate for anarchist organising.
[Housmans listing continues - ]
[Some articles from the current issue, out now, are on the LSHG blog at link above.]
The Radical Sixties: Aesthetics, Politics and Histories of Solidarity
University of Brighton, UK
An international interdisciplinary conference jointly organized by the University of Brighton’s Centre for Applied Philosophy, Politics and Ethics (CAPPE); Centre for Design History (CDH) and Centre for Memory, Narrative and Histories (CMNH); with additional support from Radical Futures.
Opening public roundtable on Thursday 27 June 2019 at 5:00 pm
Speakers:
Bernadette Devlin McAliskey, S.T.E.P.
Karma Nabulsi, University of Oxford.
Conference days: Friday 28 and Saturday 29 June
Keynote speakers:
Vijay Prashad, Tricontinental Institute for Social Research.
Cynthia Young, Pennsylvania State University.
<< This conference seeks to decentre the established loci of “The Sixties”. It builds on recent efforts to expand and complicate the spatiality and temporality of the global sixties and calls for new analyses of this critical historical conjuncture from the standpoint of solidarity.
How was solidarity conceived, imagined and radically enacted in the border-crossings, both spatial and intellectual, of new revolutionaries in the “long” 1960s? How did it constitute a nodal theme for radical politics on the left? What are its intellectual frameworks and transnational politics, associated aesthetics and cultures of circulation.
With 60 international speakers, discussions will explore notions and manifestations of solidarity as articulated in the interstices that, more than 50 years ago, opened up shared spaces of political struggle and prefigured radical horizons of possibility. Papers will expand on histories of the radical sixties to include: Chile, China, Cuba, Egypt, Finland, Greece, Guinea Bissau, Hungary, India, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Lebanon, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Northern Ireland, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Portugal, South Africa, USA, UK, and Uruguay, among other translocal connections.>>
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Marxism 2019 - A festival of socialist ideas - 4-7 July, London
Capitalism is in crisis. Society is rapidly polarising between Left and Right. Marxism Festival 2019 is the place to debate how we can beat back the rise of racism, fascism and the far right. But thousands of people from around the world will also be discussing the alternative to the system that means chaos.
Speakers include:
Omar Barghouti • Extinction Rebellion • Ilan Pappé • Louise Raw • Ian Angus and more!
For more information and how to book see here
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Call for Papers, Deadline 15 May 2019:
Central London, 7-10 November 2019
Claps of Thunder: Disaster Communism, Extinction Capitalism and How to Survive Tomorrow [...]
[Fuller description of theme at title link]
"We welcome papers on [the following]:"
• Relationships between climate change, mass extinction and capitalism, and the consequences of ecological deterioration for the long-term reproduction of capitalism, the organisation of capitalist states, the viability of capitalist democracy, and new axes of imperialism.
• Potential for new modalities of racial capitalism, or a new form of ‘climate sovereign’ or ‘climate Leviathan’, to emerge around the militarisation of climate policy under the rubric of ‘natural security’.
• Commodification of climate change, as for example with the pursuit of carbon markets, ‘green capitalist’ technologies, and the opening of the Transpolar Sea Route and the military struggles for control over it.
• History of environmental struggles, from Bhopal to the Dakota Access Pipeline, the sometimes ambiguous role of the organised working-class therein, the salience of anti-racist and anti-colonial movements, and the ideological contest between various registers of ecological thought including eco-socialism, eco-Malthusianism, Deep Ecology, black ecology, the environmentalism of the poor, and eco-fascism.
• Popular militancy, denial, apathy, anger and ‘melancholia’ in the face of climate crisis, and the ideological or psychoanalytic bases thereof.
• Emerging forms of climate reaction, from libertarian strategies of denial/affirmation, to eco-fascist Arcadias based on racist genocide.
• Ecological and political viability of strategies of mitigation — from Green New Deals to geoengineering to ‘half-earth’ strategies — and the meaning of any plausible scenario of communist plenty in a de-carbonised future.
• The recent ecological reformulations of historical materialism, the relevance of Marxist categories for analysing the geological scales of ‘Deep Time’ on which the climate crisis is predicated, and the relationship between Marxism and the ‘hard sciences’.
[Phew!]
The conference will also include streams on Marxist Feminism, Race and Capitalism, Work, and Sexuality and Political Economy (all to follow), but also open CfPs for paper/panel proposals that look at utopia and postcapitalist futures, the political struggles over sovereignty, the second wave of Arab uprisings and the capitalocene, Marxism and literature. In addition, the conference will, as always, be open to proposals not directly related to the main theme on all areas of Marxist and left-wing thought and politics, including political economy, political science and state theory, history and historiography, philosophy, law, cultural and aesthetic theory, science studies, and any other relevant discipline.
Please Note: Although we welcome preconstituted panels, after extensive feedback from previous years we are tightening up on panels with just titles or incomplete names. Panels should provide title, abstract and full names, emails of each participant and abstract/note of contribution (where relevant). Incomplete panel proposals will be put on the reserve list and may ultimately be rejected. We also reserve the right to reject certain papers in a preconstituted panel and to reconstitute panels as we see fit.>>
====================
From WCML
Working Class Movement Library
51 The Crescent
Salford M5 4WX
Invisible Histories talks
At 2pm on Wednesday 8 May, when Joe Darlington will speak about his recent book, British terrorist novels of the 1970s.
The 1970s saw a boom in novels, both popular and literary, with terrorists as their main characters. By placing the novels in their historical and political context, this talk explores the broad range of terrorist novels and proposes a model terrorist novel plotline against which the mass of texts can be measured.
22 May James Clarke The litten path, a novel set during the miners' strike. It tells the story of one mining family from the eve of the vote to strike in March 1984 to November of that painful year.
You can also hear James talking about his work in a recent edition of Radio 4's Open Book focused on working class writing - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0004l9s.
5 June Film screening Strata
We mark the 35th anniversary of the Battle of Orgreave with a showing of Strata, a two-screen, 40 minute film by artists Jacob Cartwright and Nick Jordan. The documentary explores the cultural, industrial and natural histories underpinning the former coal-mining region of Barnsley, and comparable locations across Europe. Focussing upon economic and social injustices, the film combines original cinematography with an atmospheric soundtrack score, voices from the community and archival film, forming a poetic picture of collective memory, shared experience and international solidarity.
Nick Jordan will introduce the film and share a Q&A session afterwards.
19 June Christine Lindey talk Art for all: socially committed art from the '30s to the Cold War
An illustrated talk by art historian Christine Lindey on her recent book which explores a vein of British art which kept alive the idea of socially committed and widely understandable art. Art for All reveals a forgotten or marginalised area of 20th century British art. Christine's book provides a vivid understanding of the political and aesthetic contexts that turned a wide variety of individuals into socially committed artists. It also examines the artist’s circumstances of production and patronage, and explains why these often handicapped those artists who were swimming against the current of their times.
3 July Alison Morgan talk plus musicians Ballads and songs of Peterloo
Alison Morgan’s new book includes over 70 poems, published either as broadsides or in radical periodicals and newspapers of 1819. Alongside her talk we will hear musical examples of some of the Peterloo broadside ballads from Pete Coe and Brian Peters.
Alison is a senior teaching fellow in the Centre for Teacher Education at the University of Warwick. Pete and Brian are professional folk singers & multi-instrumentalists who have been presenting traditional songs & music at concerts & festivals, home & abroad, for many years. They both have roots in the North West and have researched many songs from 18th & 19th century broadside ballad sheets.
More details at www.wcml.org.uk/events.
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Frow Lecture: '1919 - every place a storm centre'
The tenth annual Frow Lecture, in honour of the Library's founders Edmind and Ruth Frow, will be given at the Old Fire Station, Crescent, Salford on Saturday 11 May at 2pm by Professor John Callaghan from the University of Salford who will speak on the topic 1919 - every place a storm centre.
The title is a quote from 1919 from then Foreign Secretary Lord Curzon, whose words convey something of the turbulence in the colonial world as seen from London in 1919. Lord Curzon had been Viceroy of India at one time. India was now one of the storm centres he had to reckon with, others included Iraq, Egypt and Sudan. Europe was no better in this Conservative view. The Bolshevik 'contagion' had spread to Hungary and Germany. It also imperilled India, even Britain itself.
For those wanting to improve the world the immediate post-war situation seemed, for all these reasons, more attractive. The Great War was over, a League of Nations was coming into being, universal suffrage had arrived in Britain and the Labour Party had adopted socialism as its ultimate goal. The talk now was of social reform at home, as the economy boomed, and of a lasting peace based upon disarmament, national self-determination and international arbitration of disputes between states. For those who wanted to see, however, the obstacles to progress were already visible.
Admission free; all welcome; light refreshments available. The Library is grateful to the University of Salford for once again hosting this event.
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Museums at Night: Oliver James Lomax
Oliver James Lomax, a poet from Bolton, has recently been working with WCML to respond and write poems about the Peterloo Massacre, and these were much admired when read as part of our recent Radical Readings fundraising event. He will perform these poems here this Friday, 17 May alongside new work from his next collection, as the Library's contribution to the national Museums at Night festival.
Come along from 7pm and browse some of the Library's rich collections relating to Peterloo. Oliver's poetry reading will begin at 7.30pm.
Free (though donations very welcome!); light refreshments available.
---------------------------
Townsend Productions: The ragged trousered philanthropists
Returning by popular demand on Friday 31 May and Saturday 1 June (7.30pm), this one-man show is based on the book by Robert Tressell, using Magic Lantern and projected animation, with political conjuring tricks and live music and song. This production sold out when it was last at the Library - don't miss it this time around!
Tickets price £12 plus booking fee (£10 concession, £6 student) available here.
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Breathe Out Theatre: The Riot Act
On Saturday 15 June at 8pm we welcome Breathe Out Theatre to perfom new play The Riot Act.
On 12 August 1842, just 23 years after the Peterloo Massacre, Lancashire cotton workers again marched in protest at appalling pay and conditions. Reaching Preston’s Lune Street, the protestors were confronted by the authorities and read the Riot Act. By 13 August seven men had been shot and four were dead.
Written by Rob Johnston, winner of Best Drama at the Greater Manchester Fringe Festival for ‘Dark Satanic’ and long-listed for The Royal Exchange Bruntwood Prize, The Riot Act mixes humour and tragedy to tell the story of all those caught up in the momentous events of 1842.
Admission free
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Not just Peterloo - a series of talks on state violence
Wednesdays at 7pm -
26 June with historian Katrina Navickas reflecting on the history of suppression of political meetings in Manchester and Salford during the 19th century.
3 July Michael Sanders "How many shots were fired?": the 'Plug Plot Insurrection' and Peterloo
10 July Jennifer Luff State surveillance of the 20th century left
[See illustrations from MI5 files on this blog]
17 July Joanna Gilmore Lessons from Orgreave: policing, protest and resistance
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An important note for WCML readers
Work is still continuing on a major project to eradicate the damp in our cellar. The project will have major benefits such as increasing our storage capacity, as well as ensuring vastly improved storage conditions for the precious material stored on the 0.7kms of cellar shelving. The first phase of the project (installation of a new boiler) was completed in October 2018. The second phase (installation of an environmental management system) has just been granted Listed Building Consent, and we expect work to start in mid-June 2019 and with luck to be completed by early autumn.
Though we have tried to keep this to a minimum, there is unavoidably some disruption to the usual running of the Library while this work is underway. In particular, it will not be possible for readers, during the imminent second phase of the work, to have access to the full range of our boxes of pamphlet material/newspapers/journals, as the majority of these will be in off-site storage. If you are planning a trip to use our collections, PLEASE contact us in advance to check availability of material you wish to see and save yourself a potential wasted journey.
Sorry, but we also are still not in a position to accept donations of material during this period (donations of money of course are always welcome! Click here...).
----------------------
Our current guest exhibition Sylvia and Silvio runs until Thursday 23 May. Our exhibition Peterloo: news, fake news and paranoia opens soon
As is well known, 2019 marks 200 years since a peaceful crowd in St Peter’s Field calling for electoral reform was attacked by the Manchester & Salford Yeomanry, an event that has become known as Peterloo. Our bicentenary exhibition will explore in detail the historical context, the prevailing paranoia and the reactions of the establishment, utilising the Library’s extensive Peterloo holdings.
The exhibition opens from Friday 31 May at 1pm and runs until 19 September. It will be open Wednesdays to Fridays 1-5pm, and the first Saturday of the month 10am-4pm.
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There will of course be very many other events relating to Peterloo taking place in our area over the next few months. The main database of events, exhibitions and activities is searchable at https://peterloo1819.co.uk/events/.
====================
From IWCE
Independent Working Class Education Network
What might happen in the first 100 days of a Corbyn-led Labour government?
IWCE invites your contribution to this half Day School in Norwich on Saturday 22nd June.
- "What can we hope for in the first Queen's Speech?
- Could we dig up that Magic Money Tree in the Cayman Islands?
- How vicious might the opponents be?"
Saturday 22nd June 12- 4pm
at the Chapel Field Road Methodist Church, Norwich NR2 1SD.
Venue is fully accessible.
For more information, contact Dave Welsh 07946 284089
Supported by Unite and Norfolk Union Learning Group (NULG) and Independent Working Class Education Network.
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Also from/via IWCE:
Film Premiere
‘The Big Meeting’ will be shown for the first time at Redhills: Durham Miners Hall Saturday 22 June before it goes on general release in cinemas later this summer:
Friends of Durham Miners Gala are delighted to announce that the new feature film about the Durham Miners’ Gala will receive its premiere in the city next month, featuring a panel discussion with director Daniel Draper and some of the stars of the film. Doors opening at 6pm.
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From: CND Campaign magazine <information@cnduk.org>
No thanks for nukes: read all about our Westminster Abbey protest -
"Our protest at Westminster Abbey last week received wall-to-wall media coverage, reflecting the breadth of public opposition to the National Service of Thanksgiving taking place there... Read more about the event in this month's Campaign magazine, as well as a report from New York [about] a conference on nuclear disarmament.
-------------------------
Also from CND:
Protest: Together Against Trump - stop the state visit
Donald Trump will visit the UK next month. CND is helping to organise a 'Trump-free zone' protest in Trafalgar Square on the 4th June to oppose the dangerous policies he represents.
UPDATE:-
The police must let protesters march against Trump's state visit to Britain
The police are refusing to allow anti-Trump protestors to march down Whitehall when Donald Trump is in London on the 4 June.
We believe this is a denial of the right to protest against a state visit most Londoners oppose.
Taxpayers' money should not be spent shielding Donald Trump from legal protest.
We demand protestors be given the right to march.
- If you agree with us, please sign the petition addressed to the London Metropolitan Police.
Join the protest : Together Against Trump - stop the state visit
- Tuesday 4 June 2019 - gather 11am - Trafalgar Square, London
- Sign up and share with your Facebook contacts
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From Sparrows' Nest -
Please see below for information about an upcoming history walk through Nottingham, organised by our friend Mo Cooper. We can highly recommend this walk, Mo is a great guide and this is a great chance to learn about some amazing and inspirational stories.
All the best
A Sparrow
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Poverty, Prosperity and Politics
Thursday, May 23, 2019 at 7 PM – 9 PM
meet near to the castle gate house (by the hoarding)
finish Market Square
Part of Mo Cooper's Spring 2019 history walks programme.
The original Women’s History walk of Nottingham.
Learn about the ‘She Devil of France', the worn steps of the old Women’s Hospital, Alice who died through the ‘instigation of the devil’, Lady Ludd, and what the suffragettes planned for the king’s visit.
£4 payable on walk.
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... hosting Dr. Enmanuel Vigil Fonseca, a Henry Reeve International Medical Brigade volunteer on a trip to the UK, for a talk on the Cuban health system and medical internationalism
BMJ Paediatrics Open Editor-in-Chief, Emeritus Professor in Child Health at Nottingham University, and Medact member Imti Choonara will chair the talk and discussion - in which Dr. Fonseca will draw on his experiences from Haiti, Western Sahara, West Africa and Ecuador.
This free talk will take place at 6.30pm on Monday 10 June at Queen Mary University of London (next door to Barts hospital),
Register via Medact website
==============================
From achac Research Group
Le 1erjuillet 2019, de 14h00 à 15h00
British Library (Londres)
La British Library de Londres (Royaume-Uni) organise un séminaire en ligne, ou « webinaire », sur le
Endangered Archives Programme (EAP) qui tente de sauvegarder des collections d’archives en péril à l’aide de subventions. Ce séminaire introductif au projet sera l’occasion de présenter le projet et son fonctionnement à travers une session de questions/réponses en direct.
1-7-19, 2-3 p.m.
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NOTICEBOARD
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Updates and additions to follow as notifications come in.