Ghosts in the machine

My friend, Paula, gave a talk this evening at the London School of Economics about the book she had published last year, Women’s Activism in Twentieth-Century Britain: Making a Difference Across the Political Spectrum.

At the launch last July I was too busy moving quietly round the room taking photos to listen to her talk properly but this time my camera stayed in my bag.

Paula and I (and a few others with whom we meet regularly, one of whom sat next to me this evening and another of whom was watching the talk on Zoom) met over 40 years ago doing our MA on 'Rights in Education'. At that stage strong theoretical ideologies were an essential part of our study and writing - academia expected us to adopt and defend a position in the swirling arguments across perspectives: black feminists dismissing white feminists for not taking race into account; working class women activists not identifying as feminists because they felt it irrelevant to their lives; Marxist Feminists attacking Radical Feminists for not understanding the importance of the collective...

Although 'intersectionality' informs discussions now much more than it did, the old schisms persist in, for example, the attacks by some older feminists on trans rights.

But that is a 21st century struggle and Paula's research into the 20th century highlighted some fascinating examples drawn from masses and masses of activism, much of it small, community-based and not well documented.

It was a wide-ranging and really interesting talk. It was the 'across the political spectrum' part that really interested me. I've often wondered whether my agitating in one direction ever really achieved anything, since there are always people agitating in the opposite direction with equal passion (but of course if they are going to campaign I have to continue to counter them or they'll win).

There were many thoughtful questions afterwards, but the ones that are still rattling round in my head are to do with what 'activism' means. Marching for abortion rights - definitely. Campaigning against climate change - definitely. But standing on a street corner handing out leaflets to stop the UK joining the euro (or the opposite)? Organising events to raise money for cancer research because a child near where you live is dying of a rare form of cancer? Receiving a salary for working in an organisation campaigning for change?

My six degrees of separation count probably doubled during the meal that a few of us shared afterwards and, to continue the numbers theme, I was, as always, relied on to sort out how we shared the bill and I was, as always, distressed to register how magical other people see that simple arthmetic as being.

Does my campaigning for better maths learning count as activism?

Black and white in colour 267