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)

 

Research group publishes themed journal issue on humanitarianism

In 2012, the 'Histories of Activism' group hosted a workshop on 'Transnational Solidarities', supported by the Department of Humanities and the Society for the Study of Labour History. We can now announce the publication of the first output that originated in this event – namely a themed issue of the Journal of Modern European History (vol. 12, no. 2), edited by Daniel Laqua and Charlotte Alston. Taken together, the articles shed light on ‘Ideas, Practices and Histories of Humanitarianism’. The issue contains the following contributions:

• Daniel Laqua, 'Inside the Humanitarian Cloud: Causes and Motivations to Help Friends and Strangers)'
• Norbert Götz, 'Rationales of Humanitarianism: The Case of British Relief to Germany, 1805-1815' 
• Charlotte Alston, '"A Great Host of Sympathisers": The Doukhobor Emigration and its International Supporters, 1895-1905'
• Stefan Dyroff, 'Minority Rights and Humanitarianism: The International Campaign for the Ukrainians in Poland, 1930-1931' 
• Isabella Löhr, 'Solidarity and the Academic Community: The Support Networks for Refugee Scholars in the 1930s'
• Angéline Escafré-Dublet, 'Aid, Activism and the State in Post-War France: AMANA, a Charity Organisation for Colonial Migrants, 1945-1962'
• Jochen Kemner, 'Fourth World Activism in the First World: The Rise and Consolidation of Euroepan Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples' 

You can access the articles via the following URL (please note that the first and final article on the site are separate pieces and do not form part of the themed issue).

Workshop on Activism in the 1970s

On Tuesday, 18 February, the 'Histories of Activism’ research group hosted a one-day workshop on  ‘Activism in the Face of Crisis: Conflict and Contestation in the 1970s’.

The half-day workshop included contributions from several visiting speakers:
Prof. Lawrence Black (York University) discussed the ‘New Right’ in Britain.
Dr Maud Bracke (Glasgow University) considered ‘second wave’ feminism in light of broader patterns of cultural change. 
Dr Eleanor Davey (Overseas Development Institute) examined French humanitarian campaigns.
Prof. Matthew Worley (Reading University) shed light on the relationship between punk and politics.

There were also several local speakers: Claudia Baldoli and Felix Schulz from Newcastle University compared developments in 1970s Italy and Germany; Nicole Robertson considered activism for consumers’ rights; and Daniel Laqua traced the relationship between left-wing politics and musical journalism in West Germany.