Conference report: Essex and the 1984-85 miners’ strike

Paul Topley reports on a one-day event that brought together Essex trade unionists and others involved in supporting the 1984-85 miners’ strike. A one-day conference on the role of the Essex labour movement in supporting striking miners during the strike of 1984-85 took place on Saturday 9 March. Organised by Essex Association of Trades Councils, with financial support from the Society for the Study of … Continue reading Conference report: Essex and the 1984-85 miners’ strike

Small grants scheme backs six BME history projects

Six awards have been made in the latest funding round for BME history projects. Administered by the Social History Society, the BME small grants scheme is a partnership between the the SHS, Society for the Study of Labour History, the Economic History Society, History UK, History of Education Society (UK), History Workshop Journal, Royal Historical Society, and Women’s History Network. It was set up in … Continue reading Small grants scheme backs six BME history projects

E.P. Thompson at 100: the personal and political

Had he lived to see it, Edward Palmer (E.P.) Thompson would have turned 100 on Saturday 3 February. To mark the occasion Calderdale TUC, with support from the Society for the Study of Labour History, Yorkshire CND, Calderdale National Education Union, and the Independent Working Class Education Network, organised a celebratory commemorative event. The venue, Trinity Sixth Form Academy, located in the town centre of … Continue reading E.P. Thompson at 100: the personal and political

E.P. Thompson at 100: Halifax event, 3 February 2024

On Saturday 3 February 2024, historian and political activist Edward Palmer Thompson would have turned 100 – had he not passed away in 1993. Meanwhile, the year 2023 also marked the 60th anniversary of the publication of Thompson’s magnum opus, The Making of the English Working Class, commemorated by a set of essays broadcast on Radio Three. The responses to the Radio Three essays demonstrates that there is still … Continue reading E.P. Thompson at 100: Halifax event, 3 February 2024

Funding round for 2023 BME history projects now open

Applications for funding in the current round of the BME Small Grants scheme are now open. The deadline for receipt of applications is 5pm on 1 December 2023. The fund aims to support research, events and activities undertaken by BME historians or focused on the histories of BME people The scheme was launched in 2019 in recognition of the under-representation, structural inequalities and racism afflicting … Continue reading Funding round for 2023 BME history projects now open

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

Commemorating Robert Rumble and the tenants’ strike of 1938

Liz Millman reports on an event to mark a significant event in the history of Jamaica. On 23 April 1938, the Poor Man’s Improvement and Land Settlement Association set up by activist Robert Rumble sent a petition to the Governor of Jamaica demanding a minimum wage for agricultural workers and peasants, and an end to exploitation by landlords. The petition stated that a century after … Continue reading Commemorating Robert Rumble and the tenants’ strike of 1938

How Oldham found the funny thanks to Sam Fitton

Funding from the Society for the Study of Labour History helped to enable Gallery Oldham to take working-class history and Lancashire dialect to new audiences, as Karen Heatley explains. This year marks the centenary of Sam Fitton’s death. Fitton was fun-loving and multi-talented, his career started in the local textile mills but he went on to make a living as a skilled illustrator, poet, dialect … Continue reading How Oldham found the funny thanks to Sam Fitton

Report: Working-class Anti-imperialism and the Global Left: New Directions of Study

The Labour and Empire Working Group has held conferences and other events for nearly ten years as part of the European Labour History Network (ELHN). In 2023, the Group held a one-day conference titled ‘Working-class Anti-imperialism and the Global Left: New Directions of Study’ at the University of Bristol, which we were able to attend thanks to travel bursaries made possible by the Society for … Continue reading Report: Working-class Anti-imperialism and the Global Left: New Directions of Study

Moral Economy at the Crossroads of History and Social Sciences: Finding Customs in Common?

Call for papers: a workshop on Moral Economy at the Crossroads of History and Social Science is to take place at the University of Strathclyde in November 2023. Contributions are invited from academic researchers, practitioners, and activists. Abstracts of 250 words are due by 31 August. The event is supported by the Society for the Study of Labour History and the University of Strathclyde. Download … Continue reading Moral Economy at the Crossroads of History and Social Sciences: Finding Customs in Common?