Events, Grants

Organise! Organise! Organise! From messy politics to the paperwork of petitioning and memories of protests

Vic Clarke reports on the conference ‘Organise! Organise! Organise! Collective Action, Associational Culture and the Politics of Organisation in Britain and Ireland, c1790-1914’ A rainy July day greeted us at Durham for the triumphant start of the Organise! conference, the first dedicated completely to political organisation in Britain and Ireland over the long nineteenth century. Papers ranged the chronological length and geographic breadth of the … Continue reading Organise! Organise! Organise! From messy politics to the paperwork of petitioning and memories of protests

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SSLH news

Society for the Study of Labour History AGM 2023

The Annual General Meeting of the Society for the Study of Labour History will take place at 12.15 on Saturday 28 October 2023. All members are welcome. The agenda and other items relating to the AGM can be found in Members’ Resources. The second annual John L Halstead Memorial Lecture will take place in the afternoon. Professor Keith Laybourn will speak on ‘The Rising Sun … Continue reading Society for the Study of Labour History AGM 2023

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Labour history news

Bread not bayonets: Chartism and the strikes of 1842 on film

The West Yorkshire town of Halifax was absolutely at the centre of the great strike wave associated with Chartism in 1842. And in the summer of 2022, the 180th anniversary of these strikes for bread and the ballot were commemorated at events backed by Calderdale Trades Council, the Society for the Study of Labour History and others – to great acclaim. Now there is a … Continue reading Bread not bayonets: Chartism and the strikes of 1842 on film

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Labour history news, SSLH news

Samuel Smiles and working-class politics: a new work from the late Malcolm Chase

A new posthumously published article by the late Malcolm Chase appears in the current issue of the Journal of Victorian Culture thanks to the efforts of his family and friends1. It deals with the champion of working-class self improvement Samuel Smiles, and is made available on open access here. The article is based on papers which were never published, but which Malcolm gave in person, … Continue reading Samuel Smiles and working-class politics: a new work from the late Malcolm Chase

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Bursary reports, Research bursaries

‘Glimpsus Ankli and Veenecki’: catching sight of women workers in First World War aircraft factories

Factory magazines enabled independent researcher Lily Ford to uncover women’s experience in the aircraft factories of the First World War, with the help of an SSLH research bursary. My research uncovers the women behind the scenes in British aviation. It offers a new view of the development of flight in Britain from the 1890s to the 1940s, and looks at areas where women were involved … Continue reading ‘Glimpsus Ankli and Veenecki’: catching sight of women workers in First World War aircraft factories

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Obituaries

Alan Haworth (1948 – 2023)

Family, friends and others who knew and respected Alan Haworth (Lord Haworth) continue to mourn his death on 28 August while on holiday in Iceland. There have been many tributes, including the obituary linked here in the Guardian. I first got to know Alan in the visceral days of 1970s Newham North East Labour Party. It was a difficult time for many people but Alan never lost his … Continue reading Alan Haworth (1948 – 2023)

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Labour history news

Scottish Labour History Society undergraduate essay prize

The Scottish Labour History Society has launched an essay competition for undergraduates. The competion, which comes with a cash first prize of £400 and publication of the winning essay in the journal Scottish Labour History, is open to anyone currently registered for a first degree in Britain or abroad, or to anyone who has completed such a degree no earlier than February  2023. Download the entry … Continue reading Scottish Labour History Society undergraduate essay prize

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Bursary reports, Research bursaries

Maya Adereth (LSE) on trade unions and friendly society benefits in the UK and US at the turn of the 20th century

My PhD thesis asks: when do trade unions come to support universal welfare policies? It pursues the question through a comparison of the British and American labour movements at the turn of the twentieth century. Thanks to the funding from the Society for the Study of Labour History, I was able to make two archival visits which hugely advanced my research. The first was to … Continue reading Maya Adereth (LSE) on trade unions and friendly society benefits in the UK and US at the turn of the 20th century

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Labour history news

The long view: three hundred years of British strikes: contours, legal frameworks, and tactics

Writing in the October 2023 issue of Workers of the World: International Journal on Strikes and Social Conflict, Dr Dave Lyddon explores ‘Three hundred years of British strikes: contours, legal frameworks, and tactics’. The article, which is available open access, is a first attempt to cover the topic over such a long time span.   Read the article in full. Abstract Britain has the longest … Continue reading The long view: three hundred years of British strikes: contours, legal frameworks, and tactics

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SSLH news

SSLH bursaries: financial support for labour history researchers

Are you supervising a student studying a labour history topic for their dissertation in 2023-24? Or do you know a postgraduate researcher (MA and doctoral) or independent scholar engaged in postgraduate-level research in labour history? A bursary could provide support to fund archive or library research. The Society for the Study of Labour History offers up to £500 for undergraduate (final year) and taught Masters … Continue reading SSLH bursaries: financial support for labour history researchers

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