Author: EditorMC

I am a former journalist by trade, turned labour and family historian with a special interest in Chartism. I launched the Chartist Ancestors website since 2003, and am currently a member of the Society for the Study of Labour History executive committee, managing its website and social media in my free time.
Commentary

Recuperating and re-evaluating the life and work of Walter Kendall

Walter Kendall was a socialist historian and labour movement activist who for more than fifty years combined his research with a commitment to active membership of the shopworkers’ union USDAW and the Labour Party. Politically, he was a a Labour Party Marxist and opponent of Communism who occupied the ground between reform and revolution, becoming involved in initiatives such as the Socialist Workers’ Federation, the … Continue reading Recuperating and re-evaluating the life and work of Walter Kendall

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Labour history news

RHS finds cuts to history courses fall disproportionately on post-92 universities

The Royal Historical Society has warned of ‘an alarming increase’ in the number of university history departments facing cuts to staffing and degree options – even as numbers studying the subject at GCSE and A level continue to rise. A briefing paper issued by the Society suggests that its survey of historians working in UK higher education shows that 88% of post-92 universities and 68% … Continue reading RHS finds cuts to history courses fall disproportionately on post-92 universities

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Events

Exhibition: Hard Graft: Work, Health and Rights

An exhibition now running at the Wellcome Collection titled Hard Graft: Work, Health and Rights delves into the stories of under-represented workers and their rights within precarious and unsafe labour environments. From protests to healing practices, the exhibition unveils hidden histories of resistance and collective action through a collection of more than 150 items, including objects, artworks, films and new commissions. The organisers offer a … Continue reading Exhibition: Hard Graft: Work, Health and Rights

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Bursary reports, Research bursaries

David Torrance on researching the history of the Labour Party in Scotland

I am currently working on a book titled A History of the Labour Party in Scotland (to be published by Edinburgh University Press) which will examine the party’s origins in late nineteenth-century working-class politics and trade unionism, through to the formation of a distinct and ‘national’ Scottish Advisory Committee during the First World War. It will then chart the breakthrough of the Red Clydesiders’ at … Continue reading David Torrance on researching the history of the Labour Party in Scotland

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Members' Area, SSLH news

SSLH AGM set for 9 November

The 2024 annual general meeting of the Society for the Study of Labour History will take place on Saturday 9 November at Heritage Quay, University of Huddersfield. The agenda and other papers for the meeting will be found in Members’ Resources. The business of the meeting begins at 11am, with a lunch break from 12.30 to 2pm, including (at 1.30pm) an optional tour of Heritage … Continue reading SSLH AGM set for 9 November

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Events

Conference call: The Benn Legacy

The organisers of a major conference on the ‘legacy of inclusivity and change’ left by the Labour politician Tony Benn have issued a call for papers. Titled The Benn Legacy, the event will take place on the Marylebone Campus of the University of Westminster on 12-13 April 2025, marking the centenary of Benn’s birth. Speakers will include Yanis Varoufakis, Grace Blakeley, Frances O’Grady and Jeremy … Continue reading Conference call: The Benn Legacy

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Labour history news

People’s History Museum names Clare Barlow as Director

People’s History Museum has appointed Dr Clare Barlow as its new Director. Dr Barlow joins the Manchester museum from the Foundling Museum, where she was director of programmes and audiences, and has previously worked at the Science Museum, Wellcome Trust, Tate and the National Portrait Gallery. Dr Barlow completed her PhD in 2010, as an Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded collaborative doctoral award between the … Continue reading People’s History Museum names Clare Barlow as Director

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