Chartism ..... not just a topic in the history books ... the talk today on Zoom

Now we all get excited about different history, and in my case that includes the Romans, British Home Children and the story of the labour movement.

Chartist meeting on 10 April 1848 at Kennington Common

Which leads me nicely to the an online talk today at 2 pm hosted by the Working Class Library  on "Keeping the memory of Chartism alive over the last 100 years", hosted by the Working Class Library led by "Matthew Roberts who will speak on the topic 'Ever present to the progressive mind?: heritage politics and the memory of Chartism in England and Wales, 1918–2020'.

Chartism, the working class movement for democratic and social rights which swept across Britain from the 1830s to the 1850s, has enjoyed a remarkably enduring posthumous life. Matthew Roberts's talk will explore the ways Chartism has lived on, and ask who has kept the memories of the movement alive, and to what end?

The talk will focus on three case studies: the interwar political left; the attempts by the political and cultural establishment to co-opt Chartism since the 1980s; and the role of Chartism in the contemporary and ongoing campaigns for democratic renewal promoted by a range of heritage organisations and groups.

Monster" Chartist Demonstration, held on April 10 1848

Matthew Roberts is Associate Professor of Modern British History at Sheffield Hallam University. He works mainly on 19th century British political and cultural history, with research specialisms in the history of popular politics and protest, the visual and material culture of politics, and the history of emotions. His latest book, Chartism, Commemoration and the Cult of the Radical Hero was published by Routledge in 2020.

This talk will be live-streamed." 

And if you missed it, it will be available later at https://www.youtube.com/wcmlibrary/videos

Picture; Chartist meeting on 10 April 1848 at Kennington Common, by William Edward Kilburn, restored version. Restored by Bammesk, Poster advertising the "Monster" Chartist Demonstration, held on April 10 1848, proceeding to Kennington Common, 1848, Scanned from Rodney Mace, British Trade Union Posters: An Illustrated History, Author, Unknown. Signed by John Arnott (1799 - 1868)

*Working Class Library, https://www.wcml.org.uk/