At this year’s Birmingham Heritage Week, Dr Chris Moores from the Department of History will be presenting the findings of the Centre for Modern British Studies project ‘Activist Selly Oak’, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Over the course of four months, HLF funding has enabled Dr Moores to direct a team of student volunteers to engage with longstanding Selly Oak residents in order to uncover and record their stories of community, political and environmental activism.
From mid-twentieth century peace campaigns, through a libertarian Marxist led squatting movement, to advocacy concerning children’s playgrounds, second wave feminism and anti-racism, Selly Oak has been at the forefront of a wide array of campaigns for social change. The project shows Selly Oak to have been typical of wider trends in Britain’s post-war history and, due to its unique location next to a major university campus and the diverse and changing demographics, particularly fertile ground for a wide range of activism and campaigning.
Come along to the Artefact Café in Stirchley on the 6 September 2018 at 6pm to hear Dr Moores give an overview of the rich and fascinating historical tapestry of campaigns, movements and incredible individuals that the project has uncovered, followed by a chance to view a small pop-up exhibition showcasing some of the project’s findings.
Booking required as spaces are limited - please book by e-mailing activistselly@contacts.bham.ac.uk stating how many seats you would like to reserve.
Fancy getting a sense of the activist psycho-geography of a south Birmingham suburb in the second half of the twentieth century? Join one of the Activist Selly Oak Walking Tours on 8 and 15 September 2018 (starting at 2pm, from the University of Birmingham South Gate).
This is your chance to discover the tattoo parlour that once housed a libertarian Marxist bookshop and meeting place, pubs that put on Rock Against Racism gigs, and the site of a disused shop that was occupied in the late 1970s by a group of teenagers demanding the council build them a youth centre.
Booking required as spaces are limited - please book by e-mailing activistselly@contacts.bham.ac.uk stating how many seats you would like to reserve.