LSRG Seminar on 21 April: Yann Béliard on Labour and Decolonisation

On Tuesday, 22 April, the Labour and Society Research Group - a research forum that brings together Northumbria's 'Histories of Activism' staff and colleagues from Newcastle University - will hold its next event. We are delighted to welcome Yann Béliard, who lectures in British History at the Université Sorbonne-Nouvelle - Paris III. His paper is entitled 'Labour and Decolonisation: The British Experience'. Back in November 2013, Dr Béliard organised a conference on this subject, and his paper will build on these earlier discussions. For details of the earlier event, including audio files of the papers, please consult the event's website.

Yann Béliard holds a PhD from the Université Paris XIII, where his research dealt with social relations in Hull between 1894 and 1913. His work has appeared in journals such as Labour History Review, the Cahiers d'Histoire and the Revue Francaise de Civilisation Britannique as well as various edited collections. In 2014, he edited a themed Labour History Review issue on 'The Great Labour Unrest'. He is currently preparing a volume in French on the British labour movement before 1914.


The  talk will start at 5:00 pm and take place in room 2.20 of the Research Beehive (Old Library Building) at Newcastle University. A campus map can be accessed via this link.

Commemorating the centenary of the Women's Peace Congress of 1915

On Monday, 20 April, the Histories of Activism group is organising an event at the Newcastle Lit & Phil to commemorate the centenary of the Women's Peace Congress of 1915 - a major international meeting held at The Hague. Over 1,200 women came together to coordinate their efforts to bring an end to the Great War. Following on from their meeting in the Netherlands, participants travelled to European capitals to lobby the representatives of the warring nations.  The event also resulted in the creation of the International Committee of Women for a Permanent Peace, which was later transformed into the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) - a major pacifist organisation that still exists today.

A century on, our 'Women as Peacemakers' evening will allow us to reflect on the history, legacy and ongoing relevance of the women's peace movement. The event is open to the public and will start at 6:00 pm.

• Daniel Laqua (Senior Lecturer in European History at Northumbria University) will introduce the event by commenting on the history of peace movement up to 1914 as well as outlining the main features of the congress at The Hague.
• Sarah Hellawell (PhD candidate in British History at Northumbria University) will present findings from her doctoral research. She will focus on the British women who attended the congress as well as the subsequent creation of a British WILPF section. She will show how the British women's movement emerged from a section of the pre-war suffrage movement, and will also consider the tension between national loyalty to the British war effort and women's transnational efforts for peace.
• Ingrid Sharp (Senior Lecturer in German at Leeds University) will discuss the aims and achievements of the women at The Hague, explaining why it is important to remember them. In doing so, she will draw attention to the legacy and significance of this year's centenary, shedding light on the relationship between peace, women's rights and human rights.
• Jon Coburn (PhD candidate in US History at Northumbria University) will draw on his doctoral research on women's activism for peace in 1960s/1970s America. He will point out that women's groups have had a long and positive role to play in the American peace movement. He will highlight the connections between different waves of activism and demonstrate the enduring relevance of women's peace history for contemporary peace groups.

Participation in the event is free. There is no need to pre-register, but if you would like to let us know that you are coming, you can do so via our Facebook page.