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).

LSRG Workshop on Labour Movements and Religion in the 19th and 20th Centuries

On 22 May 2014, the Labour and Society Research Group - a joint research project of Newcastle and Northumbria University - will host a workshop on 'Labour Movements and Religion in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries'. The event features speakers from both universities: Joan Allen, Claudia Baldoli, Martin Farr, Matt Perry and Felix Schulz from Newcastle; Charlotte Alston and Daniel Laqua from Northumbria.

The keynote speaker is Prof. Patrick Pasture, head of the Centre for European Studies at KU Leuven. His lecture is entitled 'Standing Up: Christian Social-Political Activism in the Twentieth Century'.

SHS Conference at Northumbria

From 8 to 10 April, the annual conference of the Social History Society (SHS) took place at Northumbria University, preceded by a pre-conference event on 7 April. The largest annual gathering of social and cultural historians in the UK, the conference brought 220 delegates from 15 countries to Newcastle. There were 191 papers presented across seven thematic strands.  The conference attracted new and established scholars in the field. The 'Histories of Activism' group was responsible for the local organisation of the event, with Daniel Laqua and Nicole Robertson acting as coordinators and several PhD students and Northumbria historians helping out as volunteers.

In addition to the conference panels, the event featured a number of special activities: on 7 April, an afternoon event inaugurated the new conference strand on ‘Global and Transnational Approaches’ (reflecting Northumbria’s own work in this area). On 8 April, a reception at the Great Hall of the Sutherland Building marked the launch of the SHS’s new book series. This was followed by a very memorable event at the North East Mining Institute, with stories and folk music performances by Vic Gammon and Benny Graham. Finally, on 9 April, we had the pleasure to welcome Prof. Colin Jones, who gave the keynote lecture on the topic of ’24 hours in the French Revolution’, followed by a conference dinner at the Assembly Rooms.

British Academy support for 'Portraits of Integrity'

We are delighted that the British Academy has agreed to support a project that the 'Histories of Activism' group is involved in: Portraits of Integrity. This initiative has secured £9,068 in funding, with the aim of building a series of detailed portraits of historical, fictional and contemporary figures whose lives raise questions about the nature, value and limits of integrity. The British Academy grant will fund a monthly reading group, a public conference at the end of 2015, and the publication of a series of essays. The successful bid was put together by Rachael Wiseman (University of Durham), Charlotte Alston (Northumbria University) and Amber Carpenter (University of York). It is one component of a wider research project on integrity.

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.