In Conversation with the Women’s Liberation Movement

October 12th 2013 at the British Library

A day of dialogues between Women’s Liberation activists and younger feminists.

Today Britain is experiencing a resurgence of feminist activity. From online activism to protests at the impact of government policies, women are on the march again. What is the relationship between this new feminism and the Women’s Liberation movement of a generation ago?

On October 12th the British Library will host a day of discussion on the British women’s movement. Inspired by the new ‘Sisterhood and After’ oral history archive at the BL, women’s liberationists will be talking about their experiences as feminist activists with younger women who are working on the history of second-wave feminism.
In sessions on race, sexualities, reproductive choice, the rise of women’s history, and class and work, we will both celebrate and critically examine British feminism and its legacies. There will be lots of time for audience members to pose their own questions and provide their own memories of the time, so we encourage anyone with an interest to attend. The day will close with a question: what now for the women’s movement?
For a full programme, please see below.

Tickets will be £15 for the day (£5 concession). Pre-booking is essential, through the British Library’s Box Office, which can be accessed online (https://boxoffice.bl.uk/), via telephone (+44 (0) 1937 546 546), or in person at the Information Desk at the British Library.

This event is organized by Sarah Crook (s.r.crook@qmul.ac.uk), Signy Gutnick Allen (signy.t@gmail.com) and Laura Schwartz (U of Warwick). Please email Sarah or Signy with any questions about the event.

Find the History of Feminism Network at http://historyfeminism.wordpress.com/ and on Twitter @HistFemNet

‘In Conversation with the Women’s Liberation Movement: Intergenerational Histories of Second Wave Feminism’ has been supported by the Sisterhood and After: an Oral History of the Women’s Liberation Movement project at the British Library, the University of Sussex, the Raphael Samuel History Centre, and the History of Feminism Network.

Programme:
9.30-10:00 Arrivals. Refreshments will be provided
10.00-10:30 Introductions
10:35-11:20 Session 1 Women’s History
Interviewees: Sally Alexander and Catherine Hall
Interviewers: Lucy Delap (King’s College, London) and Rachel Cohen (De Montfort)

11:25-12:10 Session 2 Reproductive Choices
Interviewees: Denise Riley and Jocelyn Wolfe
Interviewers: April Gallwey (Warwick) and Freya Johnson Ross (Sussex)

12:10-13:10 Lunch (not provided; sandwiches can be purchased in the BL or locally).
13:10-13:55 Session 3 Sexualities
Interviewees: Sue O’Sullivan and Beatrix Campbell
Interviewers: Sarah Browne (Nottingham) and Charlotte Jeffries (Cambridge)

14:00-14:45 Session 4 Race
Interviewees: Gail Lewis and Amrit Wilson
Interviewers: Nydia Swaby (SOAS) and Terese Jonsson (London Metropolitan)

14:45-15:15 Coffee Break
15:15-16:00 Session 5 Work and Class
Interviewees: Cynthia Cockburn and Lynne Segal
Interviewers: Bridget Lockyer (York) and Kate Hardy (Leeds)
16:05-16:30 Closing remarks: Susuana Antubam, Women’s Officer of the University of London Union

3 Comments

  1. The BL website says that the event is sold out. Such a pity: any chance to make more seats available?

    1. Hi Andrea! Thank you so much for your enthusiasm. I hope you’ve now seen that more tickets are available through the British Library Box Office (https://boxoffice.bl.uk). We’ve been moved to the conference centre so we can accommodate more people. Hope to see you there!

  2. This has nothing to do with the history of the Women’s Liberation Movement. This is yet another celebrity event where a few women who have become media feminists will dumb down the true history as they continue to promote themselves at the expense of the truth. Pathetically inadequate. But no surprise that institutions should go for an easy option than proper research.

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