Friday, July 31, 2009

Meetings for the Autumn and Winter


Mary Wollstonecraft

Radical History network has several up and coming meetings for Autumn. The subjects will include:

* The Poplar revolt of the twenties, when Poplar councillors refused to abide by the government's rules on the poor rates. Janine Booth, author of "Guilty and Proud of it - Poplar's Rebel Councillors and Guardians 1919-1925", Merlin Press, 2009 will be speaking

* The history of hospital closure in North London, how the decisions were taken and the fightbacks against them

* Housmans, the radical bookshop, began in 1945 and has been selling radical literature ever since. Now one of the very few remaining radical bookshops in London. The meeting will hear how it was set up, its role in the peace movement, the attempts to close it etc.

* After World War 1 the returning service men formed organisations to fight for housing and jobs, what were these organisations and what did they do?

* Mary Wollstonecraft who wrote the 'Vindication of the Rights of Woman', a brilliant exposition of feminism. She lived an unorthodox life and was committed to social change. She also wrote novels and a history of the French Revolution. Her daughter Mary would go on to write 'Frankenstein'.