Author: gregorybillam

Labour history news, SSLH news

SSLH Statement: History at the University of Hertfordshire

The Society for the Study of Labour History is deeply saddened and shocked to learn that the University of Hertfordshire intends to make cuts across a range of humanities subjects, including the closure of its taught history provision. In recent years, a number of universities have embarked upon programmes of voluntary redundancies and departmental restructuring, about which we have previously expressed our grave concern. In an … Continue reading SSLH Statement: History at the University of Hertfordshire

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Events

Retracing the voices of Eva and Clements Kadalie in Southern Africa

Following the publication of Militant Migrants: Clements Kadalie, the ICU and the Mass Movement of Black Workers in Southern Africa, 1896-1951 and the launch of the play, Forgotten Voices, historian Henry Dee, and playwright David Moorhead, reflect on their journey to retrace the voices of two of the most significant figures in the Southern African Black liberation struggle. In the early 20th century, Eva and … Continue reading Retracing the voices of Eva and Clements Kadalie in Southern Africa

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Labour history news

North East Labour History Society Award

The North East Labour History Society has launched an essay competition for research into labour history in the North East of England. The Sir Chaplin Labour History Award is awarded to the best essay submitted on any aspect of the history of labour in the North East. The competition, which includes a £100 book token and publication of the winning essay in the journal North … Continue reading North East Labour History Society Award

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Bursary reports, Research bursaries

Zuzubee Huidrom (University of Edinburgh) on Manipuri women and British colonialism.

Manipur was a princely state under British India from 1891 to 1947. Currently, it is a federal state of India located in the far eastern corner, sharing a border with Burma. My research examines the central role of Manipuri women in ensuring economic survival through their work in the market, and how British colonial economic policies and the Second World War in Manipur transformed and … Continue reading Zuzubee Huidrom (University of Edinburgh) on Manipuri women and British colonialism.

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Events, SSLH news

1926 General Strike centenary open day report

Academics, independent historians, heritage professionals, trade unionists, activists, and many more gathered in Manchester at the People’s History Museum for a one-day conference marking the centenary of the 1926 General Strike. May 2026 marks the centenary of the 1926 General Strike when, for nine days – from 3 to 12 May 1926 – industrial production across Britain ground to a halt as trade unionists and … Continue reading 1926 General Strike centenary open day report

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Events, Labour history news

Event: Blood is the price of coal: coal communities, health and welfare in Britain and beyond

The University of Warwick’s Modern Records Centre is hosting a free one day conference on 18 June (9:15am – 5:30pm) to explore the history of health and welfare in Britain’s coal mining industry. Held jointly by the University of Warwick’s Centre for the History of Medicine, Science and Technology, and Modern Records Centre, the conference aims to bring together researchers from higher education, libraries, archives, museums, and … Continue reading Event: Blood is the price of coal: coal communities, health and welfare in Britain and beyond

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Events

Event: Spineless Wonders: songs and street literature

On 6 May, acclaimed performer, balladeer, and SSLH EC member Jennifer Reid will be performing a unique set of historic broadside ballads at the John Rylands Library, University of Manchester. This unique event offers the chance to hear selections from the library’s broadside ballad collections brought vividly to life. Broadside ballads were short narrative verses or songs, printed on a single sheet of inexpensive paper … Continue reading Event: Spineless Wonders: songs and street literature

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Events, Labour history news

Joshua Hobson: His radical publishing and work on the Northern Star

Earlier this week, Dr Vic Clarke delivered a lively talk on Joshua Hobson, his radical publishing, and his work on the Northern Star at the University of Huddersfield for the annual Luddite Memorial Lecture. Vic Clarke focused on Hobson’s life as a publisher and politician, charting his journey from teenage handloom weaver to a radical publisher of the unstamped press, through to his entry into … Continue reading Joshua Hobson: His radical publishing and work on the Northern Star

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Labour history news

Call for poems for the 1926 General Strike Centenary

The Fig Tree online webzine and Crooked Spire Press of Chesterfield have announced a new special issue to commemorate the centenary of the 1926 General Strike. Submissions are sought for poems covering the following topics: The General Strike of 1926. The union movement – its history and benefits. Historic strikes both before and after 1926. The role of unions in the modern world. Poems written … Continue reading Call for poems for the 1926 General Strike Centenary

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