Ian MacDougall Lecture
The inaugural lecture in memory of Scottish labour historian Ian MacDougall will take place at the King George IV Bridge site of the National Library of Scotland on Thursday 7 April, from 5.30pm-7pm. It will be delivered by Professor Lynn Abrams, who holds the Chair in Modern History at the University of Glasgow, and her theme will be the importance of oral history's engagement with working people. There is a limited number of tickets for the event and these will be available via Eventbrite in due course. Keep an eye on the National Library of Scotland website What’s On page at https://www.nls.uk/whats-on/
A Correction
Mike Mecham, the reviewer of Mary McAuliffe’s biography of Margaret Skinnider in the 2021 edition of Scottish Labour History, was wrongly attributed as being attached to St Mary’s University, Belfast. In fact, as Mike has pointed out, he is at St Mary's University, Twickenham, in London. We apologise to Mike and our readers for the error.
International Brigade Memorial Trust – Len Crome Memorial Conference
The IBMT 2022 Len Crome Memorial Conference will be held over the weekend of 18-20 March at the John McIntyre Conference Centre of the University of Edinburgh. The theme will be Scotland and the Spanish Civil War. An evening social with live music will take place after the conference, and a James Connolly inspired walking tour of Edinburgh is planned for the morning of Sunday; £20 per ticket. Registration via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/scotland-and-the-spanish-civil-war-ticke… The IBMT website is at http://www.international-brigades.org.uk/
Cottage Gardens and Gardeners in the East of Scotland 1750-1914
Last month we mistakenly attributed the above title to SLHS member Christine Rice. The author is, in fact, SLHS member Catherine Rice – and apologies to Catherine and readers for the error. Boydell & Brewer, the publishers of the book, have now offered a special 35% discount – available until the end of year – for SLHS members. Purchasers should enter the code BB993 at the checkout as they finalise payment. The book explores the lives of farm servants, labourers and other rural workers, to discover what and how they gardened, and how poverty, insecurity and long, arduous working days shaped their gardens. Full details at https://boydellandbrewer.com/9781783276622/cottage-gardens-and-gardener…
Seminar Series – Socialism in the English-Speaking Caribbean
The Socialist History Society, the Institute of Commonwealth Studies and the Society for Caribbean Studies are holding a series of online research seminars during March. Participants have submitted written papers and these will be available to everyone who registers for the seminars. Attendance is free but advance registration is necessary. The dates of the seminars are Wednesday 16 March, Wednesday 23 March and Wednesday 30 March. Full details of the programme are available at http://www.socialisthistorysociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/pro…
Isaac Deutscher Prize
Each year, the Deutscher Prize is awarded to a book which exemplifies the best and most innovative new writing in or about the Marxist tradition. Nominations for this year's prize (covering publication dates from May 2021 through to April 2022) should be submitted by 1st May 2022. To nominate a candidate for this year's prize, email deutscherprize@gmail.com stating the author, title and publisher of the book, and the reason for nominating it. More details at http://www.deutscherprize.org.uk/wp/nominate-a-book/
Working Class Movement Library – March Events
At the time of writing, the WCML has three events scheduled for March. They are:
Weds 2 March: The Nurse who Became a Spy by Chris Hall, about Madge Addy from Manchester who fought fascism in Spain and France; Weds 9 March – International Women’s Day: The Great Miss Lydia Becker: Suffragist, Scientist and Trailblazer by historian Julia Williams about a C19 suffragist who helped 1000 women to vote in the 1868 general election; Weds 23 March: Johnny Campbell sings Winter Hill Trespass – Yorkshire folk singer on the 1896 mass trespass near Bolton – all run from 2pm-3pm. More information and access via www.wcml.org.uk/whats-on/events