Counter-Hegemonic Internationalisms: Perspectives from the Past

On 20 and 21 March 2025, diverse histories of activism will feature prominently at a conference hosted at Northumbria University: "Counter-Hegemonic Internationalisms: Perspectives from the Past". The programme for the event is available via this link.

The event is run within the framework of the "Rethinking Internationalism" project, which is funded by the UK's Arts and Humanities Research Council and run by a team comprising Jessica Reinisch (Birkbeck, University of London), Ria Kapoor (Queen Mary University of London), Daniel Laqua (Northumbria University) and Margot Tudor (City-St George's, University of London).

"Histories of Activism" group member Daniel Laqua is serving as the local organiser of the "Counter-Hegemonic Internationalisms" conference. The event will also feature a walking tour on "Internationalism and Empire in Newcastle" which Laqua and fellow group member Ed Anderson developed on behalf of the "Histories of Activism" group.

Online workshop on Transnational and Diaspora Politics and Activism

On 24-25 August, the Histories of Activism Research Group – in partnership with the Global and Transnational History Research Group - is hosting an online workshop that brings together 20 scholars conducting exciting new research on histories of transnational and diasporic political movements and activism. The topics explored at the workshop range from studies into pro- and anti-apartheid activism, to student and green politics, to black power and anti-colonial solidarities, to the politics of museum collecting, and much more. Please see below for the full programme.

Registration is free and open to all. It will take place on Microsoft Teams: links and further details will be shared with you once you register. To register, please visit the Eventbrite page here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/transnational-and-diaspora-politics-and-activism-workshop-tickets-162542169003 

The research presented at the workshop forms part of a body of scholarship, much of which has emerged only recently, that considers global and transnational dimensions to political movements and activist networks. Some of this explores various forms of international advocacy, civil rights campaigning, ‘long-distance nationalism’, anti-colonial struggles, sites of interaction and cooperation, and the transnational layers of connection and influence played by migrant and diaspora communities. This has been manifested in the realm of formal political processes, such as election campaigning and voting, as well as in numerous forms and hues of activism. Understanding these histories may have repercussions for how we make sense of transnationalism, citizenship, diaspora, sovereignty, cosmopolitanism, political ideology and praxis, and democracy itself.

The workshop has a particular (but not exclusive) focus on the 1970s. This decade - following the upheavals of the late-1960s - seemed to witness a number of significant expressions of transnational mobilisation, many of which have received little or no academic attention. By reflecting on the 1970s - in the context of decolonisation, the Cold War, evolving diaspora communities, and new forms of globalisation and transnational connectivity - we hope to explore concrete or theoretical ties between different episodes and movements during this important historical period.

For further details please email Dr Edward Anderson (Edward.anderson@northumbria.ac.uk).

 

 

Tuesday, 24 August 2021 

 

Panel One (10:00 - 12.30)

 

Transnational Solidarities and Racism in the Long 1970s

 

Chair: Liam Liburd (Durham University)  

 

JoAnn McGregor	University of Sussex	Southern African Liberation Movements and Networks of Military Support: ZAPU’s Diplomatic Offensive in the Early 1970s
Benjamin Bland	University of York	‘Against All Reason’: British Anti-Racism and Transnational Opposition to Apartheid in the Long 1970s
Evan Smith	Flinders University	From Wellington and Sydney to Salisbury and Johannesburg: Anti-Communist and White Supremacist Solidarity between Australasia and Southern Africa, 1950s-1980s
Emily Sharp	Northumbria University	British Students and Transnational Solidarity Networks in the Long 1970s

 

Break (12:30-13:30)

 

Panel Two (13:30-15:30)

 

Long-distance Nationalisms and Diaspora Activism 

 

Chair: Virinder S. Kalra (University of Warwick)

 

Edward Anderson    Patrick Clibbens	Northumbria University   University of Cambridge	The Indian Emergency (1975-77) and Transnational Networks of Solidarity
Pamela Pennock	University of Michigan-Dearborn	Free Palestine, Free Ourselves: Arab Americans and Transnational Activism in the 1970s
Sharon M. Quinsaat	Grinnell College	The Long Arm of the Dictator: Ferdinand Marcos and the Transnational Repression of Overseas Filipinos

 

Wednesday, 25 August 2021 

 

Panel Three (10:00 - 12:00)

 

Transnationalism, the State and Non-State Actors

 

Chair: Daniel Laqua (Northumbria University)

 

Priya Swamy   Sarah Johnson	Stichting Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen	The (a)politics of Representation: The Dutch Ethnographic Museum and Afghan Collections 1970-1990
Ian Sanjay Patel	London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)	'A Diplomatic Offensive': State Mobilisation During the 1972 Uganda Expulsion
Kevin O’Sullivan	National University of Ireland, Galway	Environmental Futures: Green Activism in Britain and Ireland in the 1970s and early 1980s

 

Break (12:00-13:00)

 

Panel Four (13:00-15:00)

 

Transnational and Diaspora Identities: Class, Race and Ethnicity

 

Chair: Kennetta Hammond Perry (De Montfort University)

 

Simone Battiston	Swinburne University	Transnational Experiences of Diasporic Political Activism in Australia in the 1970s and 1980s: Exploring the Case Study of Pierina Pirisi
David Featherstone	University of Glasgow	Seafarers’ Struggles for Equality and Transnational Class Formation in the Conjuncture of Decolonization
Robin Bunce	University of Cambridge	The Black Eagles: The Changing Face of Black Power in Britain
Fatima Rajina   Victoria Redclift	De Montfort University   University College London	Remembering the Liberation War of 1971: Transnationalism and Racism

 

Concluding thoughts and comments (15:00 - 15:30)

Workshop in London: Student Contributions to Peace, Refugee Aid and Anti-Racism

How have student activists sought to promote peace and reconciliation? How have they challenged racism? And what efforts did they launch to support refugees? This event brings together academics and activists to investigate the lessons of the past and the challenges of the present.

The workshop will take place at Macadam House, the London office of the National Union of Students (NUS). It is based on a project involving the NUS and researchers from University College London (UCL) and Northumbria University. At the event, there will be contributions from student campaigners and NUS representatives who will share their experiences, while the historians Jodi Burkett, Georgina Brewis, and Daniel Laqua will speak about past examples of student activism.

The workshop will take place on Friday 24 November, from 12:00 noon until 4:30 pm. It will begin with a light lunch and the opportunity to view a pop-up exhibition on students' experiences and activities after the First World War. The main part of the event will consist of sessions on peacebuilding, refugee relief, and anti-racism. Each session will comprise short presentations and a discussion with the audience. Together, we will reflect on the obstacles that campaigners have faced both in the past and present.

The event is free, but for planning purposes, we’d like everyone to sign up via our Evenbrite site by 21 November. For any questions about the event, feel free to contact Georgina Brewis (g.brewis@ucl.ac.uk) or Daniel Laqua (daniel.laqua@northumbria.ac.uk).

12h00	Registration, light lunch and exhibition
13h00	Opening Welcome from the organisers Student activism today: ‘The NUS and its Work for Peace, Refugee Aid and Anti-Racism’ (Izzy Lenga, NUS) Discussion with the workshop participants
13h45	Session on Peacebuilding Historical case study: ‘International student activism in the era of the two world wars’ (Daniel Laqua, Northumbria University) Discussion with the workshop participants about contemporary implications
14h25	Tea and coffee break
14h40	Session on Refugee Aid Historical case study: ‘Student solidarity across borders: Students in Britain and Refugee Crises, 1933–1973’ (Georgina Brewis, UCL Institute of Education) Discussion with workshop participants about contemporary implications
15h20	Tea and coffee break
15h40	Session on Anti-Racism  Historical case study:  ‘Protesting at the poly: Portsmouth student anti-racist activism in the 1970s and 1980s’ (Jodi Burkett, Portsmouth University) Discussion with workshop participants about contemporary implications
16h20	Conclusion (Sarah Lloyd, University of Hertfordshire; Mark Freeman, UCL Institute of Education)