Call for Papers: Activist Histories of Ireland

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By Administrator on December 12, 2018 in Events & News, History Acts

Next year, on July 12th and 13th, Hertford College, Oxford will host an exciting conference connecting
Irish campaigners and historians to discuss Activist Histories of Ireland. History Workshop Online is
supporting the event alongside the Royal Historical Society and History Acts, and speakers will have
the opportunity to publish on HWO as part of a series to accompany the event.

The term ‘activist’ was first used to describe groups in the early twentieth century, including Irish
nationalists, who were active on behalf of Germany during the First World War, but consolidated its
contemporary meaning during the countercultural revolutions of the long 1960s. Conceptually,
however, ‘activists’ – those who lead or drive forward movements to enact political change – have
played a central role throughout modern Irish history, and continue to do so today. One year after the
repeal of the constitutional ban on abortion in Ireland, this two-day event seeks to draw together
contemporary activists and historians to examine the networks, tactics, and trajectories of Irish activism
and radicalism in the past and the present. It will offer the opportunity for reflection on both the
historical context of Irish activism today, as well as the political and ideological roles of contemporary
historical scholarship.

Until recently, a cursory appreciation of the grand sweep of Irish history has often suggested that social
conservatism, and even collective passivity, were its most dominant and consistent themes. Yet
histories of Irish activism and radical thought have frequently belied this tendentious suggestion, just as
the determined efforts of contemporary activists do so today. Irish activism has played an outsized role
in a global context too, the country’s extensive diaspora providing an important and often critical
foundation for networks and personal affiliations between Irish activists and radicals at home and
abroad.

This collaborative and extra-institutional event will provide the opportunity to examine the intersecting
tactical strategies, ideological positions and social connections of Irish activism in the past and present.
The event will adopt a broad conception of activism in order to avoid anachronism, and to enable
delegates to interrogate, through an examination of social roles, tactics, and motivations, the very
concept and place of ‘activism’ itself, both as it exists within and outwith the academy.

We welcome short abstracts on any aspect of this topic, historical or contemporary, including, but not
limited to:

Irish radicalism and international socialism

Comparative studies, either temporally or geographically
Tactical and strategic approaches (boycotting, picketing, sabotage, etc)
Anarchist and anti-capitalism movements in Irish history
Feminist activism and intersections with women’s history writing
Questions of land and housing
LGBT campaigns
Nationalist, republican, unionist and loyalist activism
Conservative campaigns
Conceptualising activism and the dichotomy of activist and theorist
 Archiving activism
Writing activist lives

As well as presenting their work, we would like to invite all speakers, whether they consider
themselves activists or historians (or both), to reflect on the reasons for their interest in their topic or
work.

Please send an abstract of c.300 words, along with a short biography, to

irishactivisthistories@gmail.com before 15 March 2019. Papers should be no longer than 20 minutes.