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Owen Dowling

@owenjdowling.bsky.social

PhD @camhistory.bsky.social | International solidarity campaigns and the British left, 1960-1990 | Words in Tribune and Jacobin https://www.hist.cam.ac.uk/people/owen-dowling

28 Posts432 Follower 508 Folgt

Evan @evansmithhist.bsky.social · last wk.

And lastly, @owenjdowling.bsky.social reviews "Algerian Independence and the British Left: Solidarities and Resistance in a Decolonizing World" by @meltorrent.bsky.social www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Algerian Independence and the British Left: Solidarities and Resistance in a Decolonizing World

Published in The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History (Vol. 54, No. 4, 2026)

tandfonline.com

Alfie Hancox @alfiehancox.bsky.social · 3w ago

Something I wrote for @antipodeonline.bsky.social, looking at the Soweto Uprising's impact on antiracist struggles in Britain, and how apartheid analogies helped reinforce anticolonial consciousness - with echoes in the present Palestine solidarity movement antipodeonline.org/2026/07/13/b...

Intervention — “Biko in Britain: Transnational Black Consciousness from Soweto to Southall” - Antipode Online

by Alfie Hancox [T]he empathy between the Black oppressed transcends the barriers of parochialism [and] reaches those similarly oppressed in Toxteth, Tottenham, Brixton, Soweto… (Gilroy et al. 1986, 1...

antipodeonline.org

New Left Review @newleftreview.bsky.social · last mo.

NLR 159 is out now. Featuring Anton Jäger on elite political culture, Javier Moreno Zacarés on American capitalism, an interview with Thea Riofrancos on the state of world climate politics, and much more. newleftreview.org

NLR 159, May–June 2026

NLR 159, May–June 2026. Includes articles by Tom Mertes, Jack Copley, Katie Ebner-Landy, Anton Jäger, Thea Riofrancos, Javier Moreno Zacarés, Christian Sorace, David Sneath and Régis Debray

newleftreview.org

Evan @evansmithhist.bsky.social · last mo.

Yes, not as prolific poster as I once was! I commissioned @owenjdowling.bsky.social to review the book for @jich.bsky.social which was very enthusiastic about it. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Algerian Independence and the British Left: Solidarities and Resistance in a Decolonizing World

Published in The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History (Ahead of Print, 2026)

tandfonline.com

Owen Dowling @owenjdowling.bsky.social · last mo.

Hi @anthonybarnett.bsky.social, I hope you're doing well. I'm Owen Dowling, a PhD researcher in History at Cambridge. I was just wondering whether there might be a preferred way for me to contact you about a research question please? Thanks!

Jonathan Birch @birchlse.bsky.social · last mo.

My strongest memory of Starmer will be his 2024 conference speech, where he said "every child deserves respect", a young activist said "does that include the children of Gaza?", and he laughed and said "he's obviously got a pass to the 2019 conference".

David Mabb @davidmabb.bsky.social · last mo.

Cover for Haymarket Books, Historical Materialism book series. Cover art is a development from 'Construct 36, Morris, Willow Boughs / Rodchenko, fabric design'. Pen and paint on wallpaper mounted on canvas, 2006. www.haymarketbooks.org/books/2891-m...

Journal of Southern African Studies @jsas-journal.bsky.social · 2mo ago

📢 New Special Issue! How did southern Africa’s liberation armies imagine the future? Drawing on oral histories, memoirs & struggle archives, this SI explores how soldiers shaped ideas about freedom, gender, politics an&d solidarity from the 1960s to the 1980s. www.tandfonline.com/toc/cjss20/5...

Owen Dowling @owenjdowling.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Really enjoyed presenting my research paper, "The Quintessential Key to Changing the World': Guerilla Warfare and the British New Left's Anti-Imperialist Imaginary', at @modbritstud.bsky.social conference at the University of Birmingham this afternoon. It's been such a wonderful, dynamic conference!

Modern British Studies Association @modbritstud.bsky.social · 2mo ago

We are underway at #MBS2026! Looking forward to a fantastic lineup of keynote panels covering Capital and Capitalism, Environment and the Global, and Teaching and the Future of British Studies in the Academy. Big thanks to @britishacademy.bsky.social for sponsoring this opening day.

Modern British Studies Association @modbritstud.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Ahead of next week's #MBS26 conference, our website is now live! Check out our new blog series, Histories from Here, and our plans for prizes and conferences in Modern British Studies modbritstud.org.uk

Modern British Studies Association

Join a thriving research network exploring modern British society, politics & culture. Discover events, awards & membership. Become a member today.

modbritstud.org.uk

Owen Dowling @owenjdowling.bsky.social · 2mo ago

I'm really happy to have contributed something to the new Modern British Studies Association (@modbritstud.bsky.social) blog, Histories from Here, discussing the study of international solidarity movements & its relation to both 'British History' & 'Global History' modbritstud.org.uk/between-brit...

Between British and Global History? Researching International Solidarity Movements - The Modern British Studies Association

Throughout my doctoral research on anti-imperialism and international solidarity politics among the British New Left of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, I have often wrestled with the question of the “umbrell...

modbritstud.org.uk

Modern British Studies Association @modbritstud.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Histories from Here, the MBSA blog, offers reflections on a variety of 'heres' - different points in time and space, career stage, life course and identity. We're delighted to launch with contributions from @kieranconnell.bsky.social and @owenjdowling.bsky.social modbritstud.org.uk/blog/

Histories from Here | The Modern British Studies Association

Read accessible, original research on modern Britain from scholars worldwide. Explore Histories from Here, or pitch your own idea for a blog post.

modbritstud.org.uk

Owen Dowling @owenjdowling.bsky.social · 2mo ago

I'm in sunny Paris at @lasabluesky.bsky.social - looking forward to our roundtable on 'International Solidarity with Latin America' at 7pm, ft. @graceliv.bsky.social, @tanyaharmer.bsky.social, @stitesmor.bsky.social, @mollyavery.bsky.social, @elinevanommen.bsky.social, @pmbradbury.bsky.social +

The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History @jich.bsky.social · 3mo ago

New book review published advanced access. Owen Dowling reviews 'Algerian Independence and the British Left: Solidarities and Resistance in a Decolonizing World' by Melanie Torrent (Bloomsbury, 2024): doi.org/10.1080/0308... @bloomsburyhist.bsky.social @bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social

Algerian Independence and the British Left: Solidarities and Resistance in a Decolonizing World

Published in The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History (Ahead of Print, 2026)

doi.org

Modern British Studies Association @modbritstud.bsky.social · 4mo ago

#MBS2026 is looking incredible. Hard to convey how exciting this lineup is for the interdisciplinary realm of British Studies. You can find the full programme and registration details via this link www.birmingham.ac.uk/events/moder...

Modern British Studies Conference 2026 - University of Birmingham

Conference information

birmingham.ac.uk

Evan @evansmithhist.bsky.social · 4mo ago

New book review published advance access by @jich.bsky.social @owenjdowling.bsky.social reviews 'Algerian Independence and the British Left: Solidarities and Resistance in a Decolonizing World' by @meltorrent.bsky.social www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Algerian Independence and the British Left: Solidarities and Resistance in a Decolonizing World

Published in The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History (Ahead of Print, 2026)

tandfonline.com

Owen Dowling @owenjdowling.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Pleased that my review of 'Algerian Independence and the British Left: Solidarities and Resistance in a Decolonizing World' by Melanie Torrent (Bloomsbury, 2024) in the Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History (@jich.bsky.social) is now available online! www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Algerian Independence and the British Left: Solidarities and Resistance in a Decolonizing World

Published in The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History (Ahead of Print, 2026)

tandfonline.com

The Dig @thedigradio.bsky.social · 4mo ago

In 2024, the Dig launched Thawra, a 19-part series on 20th century Arab radicalism. We are now releasing the Thawra digital study guide, replete with readings, films, archival materials, & discussion Qs for collective or individual study. Check it out➡️ thawraproject.com

Labour Hub @labour-hub.bsky.social · 4mo ago

What can we learn from the UK left of fifty years ago? Mike Phipps reviews In Solidarity, Under Suspicion: The British Far Left from 1956, edited by Daniel Frost and Evan Smith, published by Manchester University Press. This book covers a huge range of material. There is a wealth of detail about…

What can we learn from the UK left of fifty years ago?

Mike Phipps reviews In Solidarity, Under Suspicion: The British Far Left from 1956, edited by Daniel Frost and Evan Smith, published by Manchester University Press. This book covers a huge range of material. There is a wealth of detail about state surveillance of left groups, much of it unearthed in the Undercover Policing Inquiry. The Anti-Nazi League and School Kids Against the Nazis were targeted, in contrast with the far right, a genuinely serious threat to public order, who were not infiltrated at all. It was impossible for the state to infiltrate Britain’s Black Power movement, as the Metropolitan Police had not recruited a single non-white officer before 1967.

labourhub.org.uk

Owen Dowling @owenjdowling.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Wonderful to read such a positive review of our collection, 'In Solidarity, Under Suspicion' (@d-j-frost.bsky.social @evansmithhist.bsky.social @manchesterup.bsky.social) from Mike Phipps @labour-hub.bsky.social, & such generous engagement with my chapter, 'British Marxism and the Coup in Chile'.

Ole Birk Laursen @olebirklaursen.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Call for Papers: 2027 will mark the centenary of the founding of the League Against Imperialism (LAI). On this occasion, we invite scholars to join us for a conference for a critical appraisal of this organization’s history and legacy socialhistoryportal.org/news/article...

CfP: Brussels 1927 and the League Against Imperialism | Social History Portal

socialhistoryportal.org

Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick @mrcwarwick.bsky.social · 8mo ago

#CfP Call for Papers Organised by Global History and Culture Centre, University of Warwick: Between Thompson and the Global: Reflections on Labour History Today Workshop: 26-27 June 2026, University of Warwick Deadline for abstracts: 30 January 2026 Submit to globalhistory@warwick.ac.uk

Between Thompson and the Global: Reflections on Labour History Today

We invite papers for a workshop entitled “Between Thompson and the Global: Rethinking Labour History Today”, to be held at the University of Warwick on 26-27 June 2026. This workshop will seek to bring together historians of labour to collectively reflect on a large historiographical shift that has taken place over the last two decades, from the social history of labour (in national contexts) to global and trans-national labour history. The social history of labour “from below” is a tradition initiated by E.P Thompson’s The Making of the English Working Class (1963), and extended over several decades by a robust tradition of politically engaged left-wing historical studies of the working classes: a tradition most powerfully entrenched in British historiography (but with many imprints elsewhere, ranging from the United States to Brazil to South Africa to India). The global history of labour, which revised and questioned many of the features of “Thompsonian” history-writing, has sought to overcome “methodological nationalism” in the writing of labour history, to investigate specific labour histories within a global frame, and to enable trans-national histories of workers and work. It has emerged as an increasingly dominant frame of reference for contemporary studies of labour around the world.
This workshop seeks to place these two historiographical traditions in conversation with each other, to examine the stakes of the passage from the older, “Thompsonian” tradition to the “global turn”, and to think about the changed meanings of “doing labour history” today. Participants are urged to explicitly reflect on the methodological and conceptual issues at stake in the practice of labour history.

We would like to invite submissions that address (but are not necessarily limited to) the following themes:
1. To what extent has the global labour history tradition that has flourished over the last 20 years drawn upon or rejected the methodological and conceptual approaches of Thompsonian social/labour history? What other methodologies and concepts have been deployed and proven fruitful?
2. How do we address the burgeoning critique of Thompsonian social/labour history as parochial and Anglocentric (Bressey, 2015; Satia, 2020), and how have historians responded to this challenge and reshaped British labour history accordingly? What can historians of British labour learn from broader global trajectories of workforce formation and labour movements?
3. How might integrating histories of consumption, environment, and reproduction enrich our understanding of labour and its global entanglements?
4. In what ways can collaboration between historians of Britain and the global south generate new analytical frameworks or unsettle established narratives of class, race, and empire?
5. What kinds of politically-engaged global social and labour history can best respond to the contemporary challenges of rising global inequality and the appropriation of class politics by some sections of the populist right?
6. The legitimacy of 'radical' forms of labour-history writing initially arose from politics, from the apparently established centrality of the industrial working class both in society and in projects of social emancipation. That centrality has now been in precipitous decline for a long time. In this context, how might we think about what the ‘politics of doing labour history’ actually implies today?
7. What has been gained and what has been lost in the shift from a labour history dominated by “history from below” to one dominated by global history?
Please send abstracts to globalhistory@warwick.ac.uk

Owen Dowling @owenjdowling.bsky.social · 9mo ago

If you're at Historical Materialism this week, I'll be talking about my new chapter, 'British Marxism and the Coup in Chile' + chairing the launch event for our book, 'In Solidarity, Under Suspicious: the British Far Left from 1956' - Saturday, 10-11.45, Birkbeck. Please do come along!

Connal Parr @parrconnal.bsky.social · last yr.

My book about the Irish Anti-Apartheid Movement is published in October. Hope people find it relevant and a good read. global.oup.com/academic/pro...

Evan @evansmithhist.bsky.social · last yr.

Our new volume 'In Solidarity, Under Suspicion: The British Far Left from 1956', co-edited with Daniel Frost, is now available for pre-order from @manchesterup.bsky.social. Hardback is out Nov 2025, with a paperback edition to follow in 2026-27. manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526179593/

Manchester University Press - In solidarity, under suspicion

In solidarity, under suspicion - Browse and buy the Hardcover edition of In solidarity, under suspicion by Daniel Frost

manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk

Evan @evansmithhist.bsky.social · last yr.

Proofs and index submitted!

Proof title page of 'In Solidarity, Under Suspicion: The British Far Left from 1956' edited by Daniel Frost and Evan Smith (Manchester University Press, 2025)

Evan@evansmithhist.bsky.social · last yr.

One year ago, we submitted the manuscript for our edited volume, ‘In Solidarity, Under Suspicion: The British Far Left from 1956’, to @manchesterup.bsky.social. Now it is ready for pre-order. Ask your institutional library to order a hardback edition! manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526179593/

Picture of manuscript submission for ‘In Solidarity, Under Suspicion: The British Far Left from 1956’ edited by Daniel Frost & Evan Smith, submitted 11 June, 2024

Kieran Hurley @kieranhurley.bsky.social · last yr.

These people have to account for the deep hatred and revulsion they feel when watching others act out of sincerity, courage and compassion. It threatens and bewilders them, so they must explain it away as something they recognise and understand: moral vapidity and self-absorption

Jonathan Sacerdoti: Greta Thunberg should thank Israel for intercepting her Gaza selfie ship

Brendan O'Neill: Greta Thunberg’s narcissism has escalated to terrifying levels
This is a self-serving stunt masquerading as a daring act of charity

Julie Burchill:
Greta Thunberg’s pathetic Gaza voyage

Suzanne Moore: Left-wing activists like Greta Thunberg care more about fame than facts
Her vacuous Gaza ‘mission’ is typical of the way selfie-obsessed protesters flit from one cause to another without studying the detail

Owen Dowling @owenjdowling.bsky.social · last yr.

Really enjoyed presenting my research paper, 'Anti-Apartheid in Britain: From Classical Anti-Colonialism to the New Anti-Imperialism, 1960-1975', at Friday's 'Investigating Anti-Apartheid Networks' workshop. Thanks so much to Connal Parr & @padraigdurnin.bsky.social for the invitation!