Members and supporters of the Society for the Study of Labour History are invited to the launch of Shout for Freedom: A Sonic History of Chartism and the Origins of British Democracy, a new book by Dr David Kennerley.

From the clank of machinery to the beauty of birdsong, the tramp of marching feet to the exhilaration of a dance, the cheering of crowds to the silence of prison, sound was central to Chartism. In Shout for Freedom, David Kennerley, lecturer in modern history at St John’s College, Oxford, explores how sounds became central to Chartism. Dr Kennerley delivered the final concluding presentation on this topic at the Chartism Day 2026 earlier this summer, which you can read here.

Bringing together histories of politics, sound, and music, Shout for Freedom offers a radical reassessment of this crucial moment, arguing that the extraordinary eruption and forced silencing of Chartism reveal the nature, and the limits, of democracy in modern Britain. Kennerley’s books explore how debates about working-class citizenship intensified, and how Chartism’s championing of the collective voice of working people articulated and contested emerging understandings of democracy.

The launch event will take place in the Long Gallery, President’s Lodgings, St John’s College, Oxford on 19 November 2026 from 5pm to 6:30pm. Short reflections on the book will be given by Dr Robert Saunders (Queen Mary University of London) and Professor Katrina Navickas (Worcester College, Oxford) at 5:30pm.

Please RSVP to presidents.pa@sjc.ox.ac.uk by 6 November 2026 at the latest if you wish to attend.

Shout for Freedom: A Sonic History of Chartism and the Origins of British Democracy is published by Manchester University Press, 2026 in their new ‘Radical Histories’ series.