My PhD research seeks to examine the relationship between anarchism and imperialism, and looks specifically at the interaction between anarchists in Britain and France and the anti-imperial movements and intellectuals across Africa from 1945-1970.  

In the summer of 2023, thanks to a bursary from the Society for the Study of Labour History, I had the opportunity to visit two international archive centres: the International Institute of Social History (IISH) in Amsterdam and Centre International de Recherches sur l’Anarchisme (CIRA) in Lausanne. These research trips were instrumental to help uncover new sources.

At the IISH I found ego-documents, such as personal letters and photos from several prominent anarchist thinkers of this period, including Colin Ward and Vernon Richards. The most significant discovery during this trip was of the link between the Freedom Defence Committee and various prominent anti-imperial figures. The Freedom Defence Committee was created in response to the arrest of the four editors of War Commentary, an anarchist anti-militarist newspaper established during the Second World War. Shortly following their arrest in 1945, Herbert Read, a key anarchist thinker in the post-war period, assembled the Freedom Defence Committee and launched an international campaign to help with this case. The campaign garnered wide ranging support and included prominent figures, among them George Orwell and Fenner Brockway. As a result of this campaign, networks of solidarity were forged between anarchist activists and those in the British colonies. Furthermore, key anti-imperialist figures, such as George Padmore sat on the board of the Freedom Defence Committee.

My second visit took me to CIRA, a renowned anarchist archive founded in 1957. Over two weeks, I found extensive material on my topic, including a collection of documents pertaining to efforts to re-establish an international network of anarchist organizations in post-war Europe. The records of international anarchist conferences held at CIRA shed light on the collaboration and exchanges that occurred among European anarchists during this era and their participation and understanding of anti-colonial events. Furthermore, this archive allowed me to further understand the work of Daniel Guérin, a key French anarchist in this period who was particularly involved in the anti-imperial movements. Through various rare publications in this archive, I was able to gain an understanding of Guérin’s insights and his involvement in setting up various groups with ties to anti-imperialism.

In conclusion, SSLH funding played an indispensable role in advancing my PhD research on the interaction between African anti-imperialism and European anarchism in the post-war period. The archive visits enabled me to access critical documents, uncover hidden connections, and gain a deeper understanding of the historical context. These findings have enriched my research, leading to the development of new insights and contributing to the broader discourse on the intersection of anti-imperialism and anarchism. I am immensely grateful for the support that made this research journey possible and look forward to sharing my findings with the academic community.

Eleanor Strangways is a doctoral researcher in International Relations, Politics and History at Loughborough University.

Find out more about bursaries on offer from the Society for the Study of Labour History.