This short course on Black British Radicalism will start in the eighteenth century with Olaudah Equiano and peers and their involvement in both abolitionist circles and radical movements such as the London Corresponding Society. We will then consider the little known activity of Robert Wedderburn and William Davidson in the Spencean movements and the Cato Street Conspiracy in the early nineteenth century. The contributions of William Cuffay to Chartism will be examined before moving on to consider black contributions to the labour movement both in trade unionism and the socialist movement of the 19th Century. Finally moving in to the twentieth century we will look at the work of the Black Unity and Freedom Party as well as the Black British Panther Party - Linton Kwesi Johnson, Darcus Howe, Olive Morris and Leila Hassan, amongst others, will feature.
Course aim
As part of Black History Month we will take a look at some of the neglected people and movements that have made a massive contribution to British radical politics since the eighteenth century
Do I need any particular skills or experience?
- This course is for beginners
- This course is for improvers
- This course is for beginners and improvers
By the end of the course I should be able to:
- demonstrate knowledge and understanding of Black British Radicalism
- interrogate sources and draw supported conclusions from them
- analyse change and continuity over 200 years plus of Black British Radicalism
- Make links and analogies with our own times
What else do I need to know?
This online course requires only a stable internet connection, Zoom and your presence. There will be a reading list but it is not at all necessary to do any preparation.
View full course information sheet
Proud to Be - Black radicalism in England since the 18th Century
