An international workshop exploring the activist historian
Many contemporary historians think of themselves as activists as well as scholars. In this conception, the classic image of the solitary scholar who is engaged in the creation of specialised knowledge takes second place to the idea of the public historian who reaches out beyond the world of academia. The ideal of scholarly detachment is being replaced by the ideal of political commitment. Activist historians make use new channels of communication to intervene in current affairs. Through their historical research, they hope to lay bare the deep roots of persisting structural inequalities and injustices. Alternatively, they look for historical antecedents of today’s progressive movements. In doing so, they seek to transform the status quo.
The workshop traces the historical roots of this conception by revisiting the radicalism of an earlier generation of intellectuals. It brings together scholars from Britain and beyond who work on the lives of a generation of historians who rose to prominence as part of a broader ‘New Left’ impulse for progressive change. Intellectuals such as Stuart Hall (1932-2014), Raphael Samuel (1934-1996) and Sheila Rowbotham (*1943) continue to serve as reference points in current debates about ‘doing’ radical history. The radical intellectuals of the 1960s and 1970s were themselves influenced by an earlier generation of thinkers, many of whom had come of age in the inter-war period.
The two-day event aims to subject to critical scrutiny the political projects, epistemologies, and broader world views of the historical scholarship of the twentieth century. We aim to publish selected contributions as part of a special journal issue.
Limited places, please email Jörg Arnold to book: Joerg.Arnold@nottingham.ac.uk
As part of the schedule, there will be a round-table discussion on Doing Radical History Today in A24. All welcome, no booking required.
The full programme of workshop events can be downloaded via one of the links below.
Download the programme (PDF)
Download the programme (word doc) - accessible version for screenreaders