Bursary reports, MA & BA bursaries

Marie Mrvova (Huddersfield) on using oral history to uncover the stories of women political prisoners

With the bursary awarded to me by the Society for the Study of Labour History, I was able to travel to the Czech Republic and successfully conduct oral history interviews for my research on women political prisoners and prison culture in Czechoslovakia 1948–1968. I will retell the stories of seven women (including my great-grandmother) using various materials, such as memoirs, biographies, archival materials, personal letters … Continue reading Marie Mrvova (Huddersfield) on using oral history to uncover the stories of women political prisoners

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Bursary reports, Research bursaries

Hannah Elizabeth Martin (Northumbria) uncovers Black colonial seafarers’ experiences of racism in the North East

Hostile, and often violent, relationships have been associated with the history of working class Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic British Colonial subjects throughout the early twentieth century. The central aspect of my thesis aims to uncover the formation, maintenance and articulation of everyday experiences of BAME British Colonial Seafarers in the North-East of England 1919-1938, detracting from ‘exceptional episodes’ of racialised violence thus creating a … Continue reading Hannah Elizabeth Martin (Northumbria) uncovers Black colonial seafarers’ experiences of racism in the North East

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Obituaries

J.F.C. Harrison (1921-2018)

Labour and social historians around the world will be saddened to hear of the death of the renowned J.F.C. Harrison, who has passed away at the age of 96. During his long and distinguished career, John held posts at the University of Leeds, University of Wisconsin and was Professor of Social History at the University of Sussex, where he was based until his retirement. He … Continue reading J.F.C. Harrison (1921-2018)

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Bursary reports, MA & BA bursaries

Matthew Thomas (Sunderland) visits Norfolk to investigate the Burston School Strike

Thanks to the bursary generously given to me by the SSLH, I was able to visit Norfolk Record Office to consult archive material on the Burston School Strike, the longest strike in British history. School strikes are underdeveloped events in historiography. It is the purpose of my study to examine the origins and impacts of strike action involving organised children. It will use an inter-regional … Continue reading Matthew Thomas (Sunderland) visits Norfolk to investigate the Burston School Strike

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Labour history news

Jules Durand, unsung human rights hero

Jules Durand (1880-1926) was a French longshoreman who led a strike of coal-porters in Le Havre in 1910, and was condemned to death after a frame-up organized by the Compagnie générale transatlantique, the leading shipper. June 15 2018 will be the one hundredth anniversary of his judicial rehabilitation and the association – Amis de Jules Durand – is planning a series of events to commemorate the … Continue reading Jules Durand, unsung human rights hero

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Bursary reports, Research bursaries

Ben Partridge visits Paris to compare strike photography in 1936 and 1968

This trip to Paris was a central part of the archival research for my PhD, an entangled comparison of the strike photography of 1936 and 1968. I will analyse the common threads running through the representation of both movements, but also how the medium contributed to the substantial legacies and mythologies each has taken on, and how this responded to their changing historiographies. It has … Continue reading Ben Partridge visits Paris to compare strike photography in 1936 and 1968

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Books etc

Workers’ playtime

The General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU) has published a collection of plays inspired by the trade union movement. Volume One features work by playwrights, directors and theatre companies that do not enjoy a large public profile, due to their basis in working-class communities: ‘They have been the anonymous writing about the anonymous – yet this is often the great strength of their work.’ This … Continue reading Workers’ playtime

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Obituaries

Rodney Bickerstaffe (1945-2017): labour historian

The former trade union leader and champion of the national living wage, Rodney Bickerstaffe, has died aged 72. In news that has shocked the labour movement and left, tributes have been led by current union leaders and prominent Labour politicians, including UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis and Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell. It has also come to light that, in addition to his work as a campaigner and union … Continue reading Rodney Bickerstaffe (1945-2017): labour historian

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Labour history news

Victorian Blogging – The Pamphleteers Who Dared to Dream of a Better World

Conway Hall, once the home of an eighteenth-century dissident congregation at historic Red Lion Square, has been awarded £88,000 by the Heritage Lottery Fund to support a new digitisation project. As Conway Hall states:Victorian Blogging – The Pamphleteers Who Dared to Dream of a Better World will digitise and open online access to over 1,300 19th century pamphlets, many extremely rare. Victorian radicals used this cheap … Continue reading Victorian Blogging – The Pamphleteers Who Dared to Dream of a Better World

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Labour history news

Britain and the Russian Revolution, 1917-1928

The Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick, has completed a project to digitise some of its archive holdings on the relationship between Britain and Russia / the Soviet Union in the decade after the Russian Revolution. The digital collection contains just over 650 documents (with full text transcriptions) – reports, correspondence, photographs, memoranda, ephemera and more – including documents from the archives of the Trades … Continue reading Britain and the Russian Revolution, 1917-1928

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