Event: Occupy the Archives: Radical Histories & You (Part of the AntiUniversity Now Festival)

Occupy the Archives: Radical Histories & You (Part of the AntiUniversity Now Festival)

Host: Joanne Anthony (Hackney Archives)
Venue: Hackney Archives, Level 2 of Dalston CLR James Library, Dalston Square, E8 3BQ
Date: Thurs 9 June 2016
Time: 6-8pm

“Partial, inaccurate and exclusive history is of benefit to no-one and leads to a society in which citizens are not fully equipped with the knowledge to understand the past and hence the present, nor the power to challenge stereotypes, ignorance and racism.” [Northampton Black History Project]

Can you see yourself – your passions, everyday experiences, artistic or political expressions – reflected and celebrated in your local archives, museums or libraries? If not, why?

Building on last year’s Occupy event, we’ll now take a practical look at exploring:
– What radical collecting actually is?
– The power of archives to affect change for social justice
– Your role in making history & evening the balance in how our shared history is remembered.

Community-led campaigns to create an archive of active social and political movements are taking place across the world: from the Occupy movement, Radical publishers, LGBT to Trade Union, and Black-led cultural movements. We’ll continue to draw inspiration from these movements, along with pioneers like C.L.R James, in how we can create crucial counter-narratives.

Join us for a collective exploration of what we can all do to capture stories and memories that reverberate into the future.

Hackney Archives is keen to continue beyond the AntiUniversity Festival to offer a hub for community archives advice and to support an informal network of Radical Activist-Archivists, “where archives and social justice meets”.

All welcome – please book via Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/occupy-the-archives-radical-histories-you-part-of-antiuniversity-now-festival-tickets-25476358474

Introducing the IASFM Working Group for Archiving and Documentation of History of Forced Migration

We are very pleased to annouce the launch of the:

IASFM Working Group for Archiving and Documentation of History of Forced Migration

Coordinator: Paul Dudman
(Archivist at the University of East London, responsible for the Refugee Council Archive).

Co-Coordinator: Dr. Rumana Hashem
(Post-doc Researcher, affiliated with the Centre for Migration, Refugees and Belonging (CMRB) at the University of East London.

Terms of Reference for the IASFM Working Group   Forced Migration Archives, Documentation and History.

Statement of Purpose:

The purpose of this Working Group will be to serve as a focal point for members of the IASFM interested and/or working in within the fields of forced migration archives e.g. documentation, preservation and researching the history of forced migration.

Proposed Activities:

The proposed Working Group seeks to document and preserve original history of forced migration at both national and international levels. We would like to generate new partnerships and networking opportunities for developing forced migration archives and for helping with the creation of knowledge on, and the collection, documentation and preservation of forced migration history. We recognise that there is a need to work on how knowledge in the field of forced migration is created/ produced and maintained. Our aim for this Working Group, therefore, will be to bring together researcher, academics, librarians, archivists, activists, advocates (i.e.NGOs) who are either interested in the history of forced migration and related fields, or are interested in the care and preservation of the archival and library collections that help to preserve the often hidden voices of the migration journey. With a focus on networking on history of forced migration, we will also address the growing critique of the divide between experts and forced migrants themselves.  We would like to take steps to ensure that the documentation of testimonies associated with the migration journey are actively preserved.

The Working Group is, however, devoted to develop a cross-spectrum approach to the management and preservation of important archival, library and related collections of materials.  We also have a strong commitment to the use of oral history to help fill in the gaps which often exist within the more traditional archival collection. In this age of financial austerity, we are fully aware of the dangers posed to efforts that help to preserve the historical legacy of often marginalised group.

The proposed activities of the Working Group include organizing one panel on a topic related to archiving and documenting the history of forced migration at the IASFM conference 2016. The members of the Working Group will share information on archive and history related research findings on forced migration and refugee experience in the UK and elsewhere; assist members with access to published and unpublished material; actively encourage networking and promote collaborations and partnerships; share details on funding and develop jointly implemented funded activities; present conference papers, carry out combined publications in 2016 on, build capacity of the group; maintain a public facing portal providing research based information to interested outsiders; and provide feedback to each other concerning working papers and work in progress. The coordinators for the group will maintain records of the activities as they take place.

Possible Objectives

These might include:

• Actively promoting an interest in the history and archives of refugee, migrant and displaced communities
• Raising awareness and promotion of the value, relevance and importance of `refugee archives’ for education, research, history, heritage and community engagement.
• Enhancing collective knowledge of existing `refugee archives’ through the media, the internet and Social Media.
• Encouraging the creation of new `refugee archives’ where they have not previously existed, either in physical or digital media.  Especially in relation to community archives, oral histories and life narratives.
• Encouraging high standards of collection care and long-term preservation of `refugee archives.’
• Enhancing networking opportunities for the exchange of information between archivists, librarians, researchers, practitioners, NGO’s, “refugees” and members of the public, including opportunities for virtual and physical networking.
• Working towards developing and enhancing the UNHCR International Thesaurus of Refugee Terminology. (Link: http://www.refugeethesaurus.org/hms/home.php?publiclogin=1)
• Collaboration with other national and international bodies as required, e.g. UNHCR, IOM, and other global human rights organisations in the field of forced migration.

Social Media

We have developed some initial social media content including a Twitter account and a Facebook page. Websites will be forthcoming in due course. Further details are as follows:

*  Twitter: @ADHFM_WG

*  Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/901449256599318

* Website:  www.iasfm.org/adfm/

Fascinating Article: Price of Britain’s Slave Trade revealed

A fascinating article from St John’s College in Cambridge detailing how surviving archives in their collections can shed light on the Transatlantic Slave Trade in the 18th century:

Letters and papers revealing in detail how human beings were priced for sale during the 18^th century Transatlantic Slave Trade have been made available to researchers and the public.

Letters discussing the value and sale of slaves in the 18^th century, which provide

A list detailing the names, ages and prices of people sold into slavery, 1796.

a distressing reminder of the powerful business interests that sustained one of the darkest chapters in British history, are to be made available to researchers and the public by St John’s College Library.

The collection contains the business exchanges of an 18^th century English landowner, William Philip Perrin, who ran a sugar plantation near Kingston, Jamaica. In it, Perrin and his correspondents discussed in callously practical terms the human cargo that was being shipped to the West Indies at the height of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, a time when the equivalent of millions of pounds were changing hands as slaves were bought and sold.

See more and read the full article at: http://www.joh.cam.ac.uk/price-britain%E2%80%99s-slave-trade-revealed#sthash.mWA7gHLW.dpuf

Reminder: Event: Refugee Council Archive at UEL – Archives Open Day, Tuesday 16 June 2015

As part of Refugee Week 2015, we are pleased to announce a:

UEL Archives and Special Collections Open Day

When: Tuesday, 16 June 2015
11am – 6pm.

Where: University of East London, Docklands Campus Library Archive: Room DL.G.02

Are you interested in archives, history or refugee and migration issues? Are you a student undertaking research for a dissertation, an NGO-worker focusing on policy; an archivist interested in learning about “refuge archives”; a historian of population movements; an activist or community-group member actively working in the field to support your local community group or organisation? If so, then you may be interested in attending our Archives Open Day?

We would very much like the opportunity to welcome you to a showcase of material from our unique and diverse archival collections and we are also very keen to use this day to discuss hoe are archival collections can be best utilised to encourage greater usage and accessibility beyond the confines of academia. We are very keen to make our Archives more interactive and engaging and we are hoping to take a step towards achieving this through a civic engagement and outreach project that we are currently running.

The aim of this day will be to:

• Showcase materials for the Archive Collections at UEL, especially the Refugee Council Archive and associated collections.
• To encourage new groups and communities to attend this open day to discuss our latest civic engagement project which hopes to pilot a new Living Refugee Archive website developed through external engagement beyond the Archive and the collection of oral histories.
• To promote the UEL Archives to a wider audience beyond academia and to try and encourage new outreach and partnership opportunities.
• To consider the relevance of “Refugee Archives” in the 21^st Century and to reflect on the collection development and management of such collections.

The Archivist, Paul Dudman, will be on hand all day to provide advice on how to care for your personal archive collection including photographs and documents. You can also discover how to access the Archives at UEL for your own research projects and further study. If you are interested in using the archives for your research; to Improve your research quality and potential; or if you would like to discuss ways we can utilise the archives for your teaching; or even if you would like to discuss the possibility of forming a new partnership or helping with outreach or civic engagement activities? Or maybe you are just curious about UEL’s fascinating collection of archives and special collections? Please do get in touch and try to come to our Open Day!

This is a free event and there are no charges associated with attending. If you require a car parking space, please do let us know and we can make the arrangements accordingly.

If you are interested in attending, please sign up for a free ticket via our Eventbrite page in order that we can get an idea of the number of people who are interested in attending. Please sign-up here: http://uelarchivesopnday.eventbrite.co.uk

Further details are also available on the Refugee Archives Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/RefugeeCouncilArchive

Details of how to find the UEL Docklands Campus can be found here: http://www.uel.ac.uk/about/campuses/docklands/

Background Information on the UEL Archives

The University of East London is currently the home of several high profile archival collections including the British Olympic Association Archive and Library; the Hackney Empire Theatre Archive; the Eastside Community Heritage oral history collection and the Refugee Council Archive and associated collections.

Further details of these collections can be found on our website at: https://uelarchivesportal.wordpress.com/

Organised By

Paul Dudman, Archivist, in conjunction with the Library and Learning Services at the University of East London.

Contact Details:

Contact E-mail: p.v.dudman@uel.ac.uk
Contact Telephone: +44 (0) 20 8223 7676
Twitter: @refugeearchives
Refugee Archives Blog: https://refugeearchives.wordpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/679985885480139/

Event: Refugee Council Archive at UEL – Archives Open Day, Tuesday 16 June 2015

As part of Refugee Week 2015, we are pleased to announce a:

UEL Archives and Special Collections Open Day

When: Tuesday, 16 June 2015
11am – 6pm.

Where: University of East London, Docklands Campus Library Archive: Room DL.G.02

Are you interested in archives, history or refugee and migration issues? Are you a student undertaking research for a dissertation, an NGO-worker focusing on policy; an archivist interested in learning about “refuge archives”; a historian of population movements; an activist or community-group member actively working in the field to support your local community group or organisation? If so, then you may be interested in attending our Archives Open Day?

We would very much like the opportunity to welcome you to a showcase of material from our unique and diverse archival collections and we are also very keen to use this day to discuss hoe are archival collections can be best utilised to encourage greater usage and accessibility beyond the confines of academia. We are very keen to make our Archives more interactive and engaging and we are hoping to take a step towards achieving this through a civic engagement and outreach project that we are currently running.

The aim of this day will be to:

• Showcase materials for the Archive Collections at UEL, especially the Refugee Council Archive and associated collections.
• To encourage new groups and communities to attend this open day to discuss our latest civic engagement project which hopes to pilot a new Living Refugee Archive website developed through external engagement beyond the Archive and the collection of oral histories.
• To promote the UEL Archives to a wider audience beyond academia and to try and encourage new outreach and partnership opportunities.
• To consider the relevance of “Refugee Archives” in the 21^st Century and to reflect on the collection development and management of such collections.

The Archivist, Paul Dudman, will be on hand all day to provide advice on how to care for your personal archive collection including photographs and documents. You can also discover how to access the Archives at UEL for your own research projects and further study. If you are interested in using the archives for your research; to Improve your research quality and potential; or if you would like to discuss ways we can utilise the archives for your teaching; or even if you would like to discuss the possibility of forming a new partnership or helping with outreach or civic engagement activities? Or maybe you are just curious about UEL’s fascinating collection of archives and special collections? Please do get in touch and try to come to our Open Day!

This is a free event and there are no charges associated with attending. If you require a car parking space, please do let us know and we can make the arrangements accordingly.

If you are interested in attending, please sign up for a free ticket via our Eventbrite page in order that we can get an idea of the number of people who are interested in attending. Please sign-up here: http://uelarchivesopnday.eventbrite.co.uk

Further details are also available on the Refugee Archives Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/RefugeeCouncilArchive

Details of how to find the UEL Docklands Campus can be found here: http://www.uel.ac.uk/about/campuses/docklands/

Background Information on the UEL Archives

The University of East London is currently the home of several high profile archival collections including the British Olympic Association Archive and Library; the Hackney Empire Theatre Archive; the Eastside Community Heritage oral history collection and the Refugee Council Archive and associated collections.

Further details of these collections can be found on our website at: https://uelarchivesportal.wordpress.com/

Organised By

Paul Dudman, Archivist, in conjunction with the Library and Learning Services at the University of East London.

Contact Details:

Contact E-mail: p.v.dudman@uel.ac.uk
Contact Telephone: +44 (0) 20 8223 7676
Twitter: @refugeearchives
Refugee Archives Blog: https://refugeearchives.wordpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/679985885480139/

A Civic Engagement Project at the Refugee Council Archive, University of East London.

A Civic Engagement Project at the Refugee Council Archive, University of East London.

Under the auspices of the UEL Library and Learning Service, a bid was submitted by Paul Dudman and Dr. Rumana Hashem, which focuses on the Refugee Council Archives at UEL. Entitled, “Democratic Access or Privileged Exclusion? Civic Engagement through the Preservation and Access to Refugee Archives,” this project seeks to use existing Archives held within the UEL Library as a basis to forge new partnerships between students, academics, archivists and a community groups.

The aims and objectives of the project include:

a)    To engage with local communities in an attempt to establish a Living Refugee Archive and to promote and enable accessibility and engagement with our existing collections. This will be documented through the collection of oral histories.

b)    Student engagement through: (1) The contribution of oral histories and archival materials; (2) To help engage with local communities with Archive-led activities and to help the local community/refugee groups understand how the Archives which UEL holds can be relevant to their own community; (3) To participate at the launch event at the end of the project workshop, and to ensure the participation of a considerable group of community representatives in the workshop; (4) To help and assist with new archives where appropriate.

c)    To pilot a Refugee Living Archive website to incorporate digital content collected as part of our Oral History Project and, if successful, this could lead to a continuation of this project beyond the initial timescale outlined in the bid.

d)    Creation of Refugee Archives and History Group to help facilitate continued discussions and civic engagement activities, and to help encourage interaction between archivist, historians, NGO’s and the communities themselves as to how the refugee experience can be preserved and documented.

Further detail of the project can be found on Blog:- refugeearchives.wordpress.com/

At this early stage of the project we are undertaking consultation meetings with members of academic staff at UEL and with our external partners in order to ascertain potential interest and involvement in relation to this project. Any UEL academic is very much welcome to get involved in this project and help us to build living refugee archives.

The project coordinators are interested in meeting with any academic and research centre to discuss this project. Should you have any thoughts or feedback please do get in touch with Paul Dudman ((p.v.dudman@uel.ac.uk), the Archivist responsible for the Refugee Council Archives at UEL, and Dr. Rumana Hashem (r.hashem@uel.ac.uk), a post-doctoral researcher at the Centre for Migration, Refugees and Belonging (CMRB) at UEL.

Web:- www.uel.ac.uk/rca
Blog:- refugeearchives.wordpress.com/
Twitter:- @refugee_archive / @PaulDudman
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RefugeeCouncilArchive
Refugee Research Jiscmail List:- http://bit.ly/16Nknq0

Events: Eastside Community Heritage Lecture Series 2015 to include Talk on Refugee Council Archive

Events:

Eastside Community Heritage Lecture Series 2015

We are pleased to be able to circulate details of the forthcoming Eastside Community Heritage Lecture Series for 2015.  The lecture series will begin on Thursday 26 February with a talk given by Jan Pimblett from the London Metropolitan Archives and wil continue with talks from Sara Griffiths from The National Archives, on Thursday 28 April, and Arthur Torrington CBE on the 24 September.  The events are free but booking is recommended.  Full details of each of the speakers and the subject of their presention are available to download from the Eastside flyer for futher information: Eastside Community Heritage Lecture Series 2015 flyer (PDF File).

Without wishhing to overly flag up our participation in this project, Paul Dudman the Archivist at UEL will be giving one of the talks which is scheduled to take place on Thursday 18th June and details of which are as follows:

Thursday, 18th June, 6.30pm – 8.30pm
Eastside Community Heritage Lecture Series 2015
Paul Dudman, Archivist, Refugee Archives at UEL

As part of the Eastside Community Heritage Annual Lecture Series for 2015, I will be giving a talk and the focus of this presentation will be to investigate the role of Archives in preserving the history of the refugee experience through a
case study of the Refugee Archives at the University of East London.

As part of our Archival holdings here at UEL, we do currently hold Eastside’s East London People’s Archive oral history collection.  This oral history collection preserves the oral history recordings of the various projects “conducted by Eastside Community Heritage document the lives of ‘ordinary’ people in East London. Topics include World War Two, women’s history, markets, boxing, ethnic groups in East London, food and parks.”

Also available are DVDs on East London local history produced by Eastside Community Heritage comprising Eastside voices: from Canning Town to Custom House, 2003; My Roots, Our Heritage, 2006 and Our Brick Lane, 2007. Published books and booklets on East London local history, chiefly published by Eastside Community Heritage including A Working Class War and Hidden Lives: stories from the East End and an index to photographs collected as part of projects by Eastside Community Heritage comprising of black and white thumbnail reproductions.
(Reference: Eastside Community Heritage).

Please contact the UEL Archives on library-archives@uel.ac.uk for further information on how to access these materials.

Archives: New Home for LGBT Archive

New Home for LGBT Archive

An interesting article appeared in the November edition of CILIP Update, the magazine of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP). The magazine has reported on how the recently refurbished Manchester Central Library and Archive will become the new home for the Lesbian and Gay Foundation (LGF) Archive.

The LGF Archive represents one of the most significant archival collections on gay and lesbian issues and the LGF has joined forces with the Archives+ Centre located within the Manchester Central Library to help preserve and make accessible this important collection. The LGH recognised the importance of this Archive in terms of preserving the records of the development of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) rights and the changing societal attitudes and the link with the Archives+ Centre will hopefully enable much of this material to become accessible.

The Archive itself contains a broad range of materials. In addition to a large collection of local and national magazines, focused towards the LGBT audience, the collection contains a range of historical materials including a number of reports and documents on issues including culture, health and events.

Further information is available as follows:

Manchester City Council – The Lesbian & Gay Foundation’s archives to go on show at Manchester Central Library

Manchester Archives – LGBT Source Guide

The Lesbian and Gay Foundation – http://www.lgf.org.uk/

The United Nations History Project website

Online Resource:

The United Nations History Project
unhistoryproject.org/

We would like to take this opportunity to highlight the work of the United Nations History Project in facilitating access to a broad range of information broadly relating to the history of the United Nations.  Coordinated by Dr Heidi J. S. Tworek, in conjunction with Harvard Asia Center and the Joint Center for History and Economics and Harvard and Cambridge, and supported by the United Nations Foundation, the United Nations History Project,

The project aims to illustrate the scholarly importance of studying the history of the United Nations and international organizations in general.

It is a starting point for scholars who wish to research in UN archives or find online materials related to the UN. The website provides comprehensive guides to physical and online sources on the United Nations. It also collates many of the research guides on the United Nations that already exist. In addition, leading scholars on the UN have written about their experiences working in UN archives and discuss further research possibilities.

(Link:- unhistoryproject.org/index.html).

The United Nations History Project website offers a range of teaching materials to help support the study of UN history. The website is divided into four main sections, incorporating:

• Researching the UN.  Provides details on how to research the history of the United Nations, encompassing online and physical archive collections; research guides; statistics and researcher experiences.
• Teaching UN History.  This section highlights Syllabi in relation to the teaching of UN history.
• Major Themes on UN History.  Highlights thirteen major themes of UN History and their relevant sources of information, encompassing the likes of Environment; Governance; Health; Human Rights; and Peace and Security.
• Scholarly Networks.  Encompassing further details in relation to scholarly networks supporting the study of the United Nations and its history.

The United Nations History Project therefore represents a very important resources for the history and development of the United Nations, whilst also providing an opportunity to help connect both archivists, scholars and researchers.

We are also very pleased to announce that a couple of our own archival collections based here at the University of east London  are now listed on the UN History Project website.  Further details can be highlighted as follows:

The website offers a set of teaching materials for UN history. There are annotated bibliographies, timelines, and featured sources on thirteen major themes of UN history. There are resources from a course taught on the global history of the UN at Harvard in spring 2011 as well as a compilation of other syllabi on UN topics. – See more at: http://unhistoryproject.org/index.html#sthash.fFQJ2OUZ.dpuf

It is a starting point for scholars who wish to research in UN archives or find online materials related to the UN. The website provides comprehensive guides to physical and online sources on the United Nations. It also collates many of the research guides on the United Nations that already exist. In addition, leading scholars on the UN have written about their experiences working in UN archives and discuss further research possibilities. – See more at: http://unhistoryproject.org/index.html#sthash.fFQJ2OUZ.dpufIt is a starting point for scholars who wish to research in UN archives or find online materials related to the UN. The website provides comprehensive guides to physical and online sources on the United Nations. It also collates many of the research guides on the United Nations that already exist. In addition, leading scholars on the UN have written about their experiences working in UN archives and discuss further research possibilities.(See more at: unhistoryproject.org/index.html#sthash.hBqbQ7Aa.dpuf)

The project aims to illustrate the scholarly importance of studying the history of the United Nations and international organizations in general. – See more at: http://unhistoryproject.org/index.html#sthash.hBqbQ7Aa.dpuf

• Link to the Details on the Refugee Council Archive:  http://unhistoryproject.org/research/physical_archives-regional.html

Please do take time to investigate and explore this fabulous resource.  Further information on the United Nations History Project can be found as follows:

• Website:-  unhistoryproject.org/
• Facebook:-  www.facebook.com/UnitedNationsHistoryProject
• Tumblr:-  http://unhistoryproject.tumblr.com/

The United Nations History project can be contacted at:  unitednationshistory@gmail.com

 

Re-blog: El Salvador: Activists Struggle to Recover Human Rights Archives

(IPS) – Some 50,000 files on crimes against humanity are languishing in an undisclosed location in El Salvador, prey to damp and the ravages of time, while activists and lawyers frantically try to regain control over them.

Without prior warning, on Sept. 30 the Catholic Church suddenly closed the office that had spent decades painstakingly collecting the documents: the Tutela Legal del Arzobispado – the legal aid office of the archbishop of San Salvador.

But the former employees of the office, who learned that day that it was being closed, are working to reopen it elsewhere and are laying claim to the files.

Full article – El Salvador: Activists Struggle to Recover Human Rights Archives

 

Refugee Council Archive: Off Air Recording Requests: WB 13/07/2013

The following off-air recordings have been made for the Refugee Council Archive for the week beginning the 13/07/2013:

Saturday 13 July

0530-0600: BBC News: Our World:  In Sickness and in Debt.  Series Recording.

Monday 15 July

1955-2000: Channel 4: (7/32) Ramadan Diaries.  Series Recording.

2000-2030: Channel 4: Dispatches – South Africa’s Dirty Cops

2100-2200: BBC1: Panorama – Broken by Battle.

Tuesday 16 July

1955-2000: Channel 4: (8/32) Ramadan Diaries.  Series Recording.

1900-2000: BBC2: Indian Ocean with Simon Reeve.  Part 1: South Africa to Zanzibar). Whole Series Please. (previously recorded, but only have Parts 1&2).

Wednesday 17 July

1100-1130: BBC Radio 4: (1/2) The Story of the Talmud.  Whole Series Please.

1900-2000: BBC2: Indian Ocean with Simon Reeve.  Part 2: Madagascar to the Seychelles). Series Recording.

1955-2000: Channel 4: (9/32) Ramadan Diaries.  Series Recording.

Thursday 18 July

1955-2000: Channel 4: (10/32) Ramadan Diaries.  Series Recording.

2000-2100: BBC2: Indian Ocean with Simon Reeve.  Part 3: Kenya to Somaliland). Series Recording.

2235-2325: BBC1: Meet the Landlords.

Friday 19 July

1955-2000: Channel 4: (11/32) Ramadan Diaries.  Series Recording.

 

Refugees in our history & heritage

For Refugee Week UK 2013 (17th-23rd June 2013) we looked at the contributions of refugees to our history and heritage. We decided to create a time-line and ‘living archive’ which acknowledges these contributions.

The time-line is at its early stages and we hope that, with your involvement, it will grow, develop and celebrate all our similarities and difference. It is a participatory ‘living archive’, which means that with your perspectives and input it will keep changing and improving, ensuring that we acknowledge and record our full and diverse history and heritage. We also hope that you will find it useful and as fascinating as we do!

Did you know, for example, that the UK has been offering protection to refugees for hundreds of years? That refugees and their descendants have had significant contributions to our arts, science, sports and literature? That refugees co-designed Hampton Court Palace, helped establish the Bank of England and brought us the Paralympics?

This online time-line holds many answers and surprises about our history and heritage. And in a poll that we conducted in May, 94% of the people we talked to agreed that it is vital that we are aware of how refugees and their descendants have helped shape our nation and how refugees and migrants have influenced our history, heritage and culture.

http://www.refugeeweektimeline.org.uk

You can upload your personal experiences and insights on the site. For any further queries or to upload large documents and images please contact Refugee Week UK Co-ordinator Jess Linton: jess@counterpointsarts.org.uk; 0207 012 1761.

Further information can also be found at:

• Refugee Week 2013
• Refugee Archives and History Group

 

Re-blog: Charity, Racism and War | Voluntary Action History Society

Since the Woolwich murder, there have been worrying scenes and disturbances as the English Defence League has sought to become associated with Help the Heroes. Such political difficulties and controversies are nothing new to the voluntary sector. Offering some historical perspective, Peter Grant takes a look back to the activities of the Anti-German League during the First World War.

The horrific death of Drummer Lee Rigby has triggered a particularly unfortunate backlash from certain elements in British Society.  Predictably the English Defence League have attempted to exploit the situation but their attempt to ally themselves to the Help for Heroes charity has been firmly rejected.

The circumstances have reminded me of the responses 100 years ago to German ‘atrocities’ during the First World War. The execution of Edith Cavell and, especially, the sinking of the Lusitania, 98 years ago this week, led to some violent anti-German demonstrations, notably in Liverpool, Manchester and the East End of London. German-owned or even German-sounding shops were attacked and looted. Though lasting several days and leading to further government restrictions on ‘aliens’ including increased internment the Lusitania riots were perhaps untypical. Nevertheless a number of more right-wing elements attempted to further exploit this anti-German feeling. Two ‘Anti-German Leagues’ were established in order to combat what one of them described as ‘Teutonic leprosy.’

The more ‘respectable’ version was the British Anti-German League based in Birmingham. A number of their supporters including Admiral Charles Beresford, Dr Ellis Powell (editor of the Financial News), Joseph Havelock Wilson (sometime Liberal MP and founder of the National Amalgamated Sailors’ and Firemen’s Union) and the future Conservative Home Secretary, William Joynson-Hicks later began the British Empire Union, which was one of the bodies that later metamorphosed into the British Union of Fascists so it would be interesting to see how its supporters later reconciled support for Hitler with their earlier anti-Germanic pronouncements.

Full article via Charity, Racism and War | Voluntary Action History Society.

Re-blog: Feature: New Research on Save the Children | Voluntary Action History Society

After winning the Economic History Society Bursary to attend our summer conference, Emily Baughan writes for our June feature on The Save the Children Fund, the Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child and a Charter for Stateless Children, 1919-1940.

I am very grateful to the Voluntary Action History Society and the Economic History Society for a bursary which enables me to present my research at their upcoming conference in Huddersfield. My PhD. project, which draws on archives in Britain, Geneva, the U.S., Canada, and South Africa, examines the principles and practices of the international ‘child saving’ movement in the interwar period. It charts the growth of the movement from its inception as an act of protest against the ‘unfair peace’ of the Versailles Treaty, through famine and refugee relief in 1920s Europe, to early development projects in Africa in the 1930s, and finally to controversial relief efforts for Spanish and German children in the turbulent period prior to the Second World War. I focus in particular on the largest ‘child saving’ organizations of the era, the British Save the Children Fund and its Geneva-based partner, the Union Internationale de Secours aux Enfants.

The 1924 Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child is the best-remembered aspect of the interwar work of the Save the Children Fund (SCF) and the Union Internationale. Proclaiming the right of children to education, welfare and ‘moral and spiritual’ development irrespective of their race, nationality and creed, it has been typically been viewed as an early manifestation of the universalist sentiment that later underpinned the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. My paper at the VAHS conference will offer a reinterpretation of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child by reading it alongside a proposed charter for child refugees also promoted by the SCF. In doing so, my paper will place international and national voluntary action within the same analytical frame, revealing how fund members’ prior work in British domestic and imperial philanthropy shaped their international humanitarianism.

The SCF had been working with Russian refugees in Eastern Europe since 1920, but had a difficult time raising funds for them: “they all look too cheerful” complained one relief worker. In 1921, they received a novel offer from the Czech foreign minister, who asked the Fund to remove two thousand Russian refugee children from their parents in Constantinople, and send them to Czechoslovakia where they would be housed, fed and educated at the expense of the state. This proposal was undergirded both by fears about the ‘weakness’ of the Czech population, and the strength of the Communist threat from the east. It was believed that these children would grow up to be strong Czech citizens, helping the young nation ward off the external Bolshevik threat.

Full article via Feature: New Research on Save the Children | Voluntary Action History Society.

Truth Lost? Most Military Records of Bangladesh War Missing‏ | PKKH.tv

NEW DELHI: The history of the 1971 India-Pakistan war will never be fully written. Most of the official records of the war that led to the liberation of Bangladesh have been destroyed.

The destroyed files include those on the creation of the Mukti Bahini — the Bangladesh freedom fighters — all appreciation and assessments made by the army during the war period, the orders issued to fighting formations, and other sensitive operational details.

Authoritative army sources said all records of the period, held at the Eastern Command in Kolkota, were destroyed immediately after the 1971 war. This has remained secret until now.

According to at least two former chiefs of the Eastern Command and other senior army officers TOI spoke to, the destruction may have been deliberate.

They say the destruction may have happened when Lt General Jagjit Singh Aurora, the Indian army’s commanding officer on the eastern front, headed the Eastern Command. If true, this would be at odds with Aurora’s image as the hero who led his men to victory and thePakistan army’s surrender in Dhaka.

The sensational fact that the files were missing became known only recently when the Eastern Command was searching for details of the Mukti Bahini camps in order to organize a reception for Bangladeshi veterans.

The Indian Army had housed the freedom fighters in different camps across India, where army instructors trained them in warfare. Later, Mukti Bahini fighters were part of the operations led by the eastern command.

A senior army source told TOI, “We were looking for the details of Mukti Bahini camps. We wanted to know where all were the camps, who were in charge etc. When those files were not available, the eastern army command launched a hunt for the records of the war. That is when we realized that the entire records are missing.”

Lt Gen (retd) JFR Jacob, who was chief of staff of the eastern command during the war and later its head, admitted the records were missing, when asked if this were true. ”When I took over as Eastern Army commander in August 1974 I asked to see the records. I was told that they have been shredded,” he told TOI. He refused to discuss who ordered the destruction of the records.

The army headquarters and various units of the army may have some records of the war, a senior army officer said.

But the picture will never be complete, he said, adding that military records maintained at the nerve center of operations are crucial if one is ever to construct the full picture.

The details are significant as this operation is one of the great success stories of Indian intelligence and the army.

via Truth Lost? Most Military Records of Bangladesh War Missing‏ | PKKH.tv.