Monday, 30 April 2012

Jamaican Diaspora UK: 3rd Biennial Conference, 16th June 2012

The Jamaican Diaspora UK will be hosting its 3rd Biennial Conference on 16th June 2012 in London at the Hotel NOVOTEL London West. All Jamaicans and friends of Jamaica are invited to participate as a delegate, volunteer, sponsor, or exhibitor.


EARLY Registration is now open!! Please circulate this information widely.

"The Conference, themed: “Out of Many, One People: celebrating Jamaica at 50 & shaping the future together” is a critical event for our Diaspora Community as it will address key areas of concern for all Jamaicans in the UK and in Jamaica. A series of workshops will be held on the day covering topics such as: health, social welfare, education, culture, arts and sports, youth, governmental affairs, religious affairs, trade and investment. Delegates can choose to attend up to 4 of twelve workshops on the day.
Delegates for Conference 2012 will also benefit from a special plenary session which will address the current Jamaican Government’s intention to change our governing structure from a Monarchy to a Republic. Conference 2012 will also feature an all day exhibition of Jamaican products and services as well as an evening concert to Celebrate Jamaica’s 50th Independence.

Special offer

Register before 5th May and receive a discount on your registration fees and a 40% discount on your Jamaican Diaspora annual membership.

Please visit: http://www.jadiasporaukconference.net/ and sign up for conference updates on the home page.


Contact: Sasha-Monique Henry-Crawford
Public Relations Officer (JDUK)
Email: pro@jadiasporauk.org
Web: http://www.jadiasporauk.org/

The Jamaican Diaspora UK
C/O The Jamaican High Commission
1-2 Prince Consort Road
South Kensington
London
SW7 2BZ

Friday, 27 April 2012

Cultures of Decolonisation, c.1945-1970 symposium, 30 May 2012 - 31 May 2012



Registration is now open for the Cultures of Decolonisation, c.1945-1970 symposium, 30 May 2012 - 31 May 2012 to be held at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, Senate House, London.


Keynote Speaker: Dr Bill Schwarz

Convenors: Claire Wintle (University of Brighton) and Ruth Craggs (St Mary’s University College) Registration fee: £35 (includes lunch and refreshments for both days) For registration and a full programme: http://commonwealth.sas.ac.uk/events/eventdetails0.html?id=10987

If you have enquiries, please email Chloe Pieters: chloe.pieters@sas.ac.uk or ruth.craggs@smuc.ac.uk


Programme: 30th May

10-10-45 Coffee and Welcome

10.45-11.30 Keynote lecture: ‘Decolonisation and Postcolonial History’ Professor Bill Schwarz (English Literature, Queen Mary)

11.30-1.00 Cultural Frameworks and Political Networks
‘The Peasant Armed: Bengal, Vietnam and transnational solidarities in Utpal Dutt's Invincible Vietnam’, Abin Chakraborty (English, University of Calcutta)
 ‘The Radical Left and the Imagining of Post-imperial Britain in the 1960s’ Jodi Burkett (History, University of Portsmouth)
‘Networks of Decolonization: Cultural Alliances during the Cold War’ Monica Popescu (English, McGill University)

1.00-2.00 Lunch

2.00-3.45 Contested Expertise and Decolonising Knowledge
‘Careering through Decolonisation: Richard St Barbe Baker, soil erosion and reforestation in the Sahara, c. 1950-1966’, Paul Ashmore (History, University of Sheffield)
‘Anthropology as Satyagraha (truth force): Elwin in pre-independence India’ Daniel Rycroft (World Art, University of East Anglia)
‘Preserving Authentic Africa: Museum construction and ethnographic work in French West Africa 1945-1960’, Louisa Rice (History, University of Wisconsin)
 ‘Claiming Maori Cultural Space and Performances of Identity in the Museum’ Christofili Kefalas (Pitt Rivers Museum/ISCA, University of Oxford)

3.45-4.15 Tea

4.15-6.00 Sites of Learning: Decolonising Education
‘‘Building Egyptians: Schools and culture palaces in Nasser’s Egypt’ Mohamed Elshahed (Department of Middle East Studies, New York University)
‘Postwar Malay Dictionaries and the Lexicographic Agency of the Colonized, 1945-1950’ Rachel Leow (Economics, Politics and History, Harvard University)
 ‘Dressed for Decolonisation? Student dress at the University of Ibadan, 1948-1962’,Tim Livsey (History, Classics and Archaeology, Birkbeck)

6.00-7.00 Wine Reception and Poster Session

Programme: 31st May

9.30-11.15 Building New Nations: Decolonising Symbols and Heritage
‘Designs on Money: New national identities and new coins for independent African nations’ Catherine Eagleton (Modern Money, British Museum)
‘Heritage as Performance: Re-enacting the temple of Angkor Wat in postcolonial Cambodia (1953-1970)’ Michael Falser (Global Art History, Heidelberg University)
‘Troubled Tales: The uneasy birth of a modern museum in a modern nation-state’ Atreyee Gupta (Art and Design, University of Minnesota)
‘The Vicissitudes of the Volta River Project, Ghana: Spatial inscriptions of globalisation or situated modern urbanisms?’ Viviana d'Auria (Architecture, Urbanism & Planning, KU Leuven)

11.15-11.45 Coffee

11.45-1.30 Metropolitan Experiences of Decolonisation
‘Anxiety Abroad’ David Wall (Visual & Media Studies, Utah State University)
‘Sexuality, Psychology and the Imperial Hero, c. 1945-1970’ Max Jones, (History, University of Manchester)
‘Individual Experience and Community Practice: The amateur enthusiast at the end of empire’ Anna Bocking-Welch, (History, University of York)
‘Henry Swanzy, Satre's Zombie? Black Power and the transformation of the Caribbean Artists Movement’ Rob Waters, (English Literature, Queen Mary)

1.30-2.30 Lunch

2.30-4.15 International Boundaries and Creative Appropriations
‘Colonial Rebels at Home and Abroad: Maori modernism and decolonisation in the 1960s’ Damian Skinner (Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology, University of Cambridge)
‘Joe Harriott: 'Free-form' jazz and decolonisation’, David Winks (English Literature, Queen Mary) ‘Barbarous Jungle Growth: Módulo magazine and the global media image of a modern Brazil’ Christian Larsen (Bard Graduate Center: Decorative Arts, Design History, Material Culture)

4.15-4.30 Closing Remarks

Supported by the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of Brighton, and St Mary’s University College

Thursday, 26 April 2012

Newly open archives collection - Papers of Ben Turok

Newly opened and made available for researchers are ICS143 The papers of Benjamin Turok.

Benjamin Turok, was born in Latvia, 1927; and came with his family to South Africa, 1934. He was educated at the University of Cape Town; taught in London, 1950-1953; and returned to South Africa in 1953, becoming a full-time political activist: joining the South African Congress of Democrats and in 1955 became its secretary for the Cape western region, and acting as a full-time organiser for the Congress of the People. Turok was one of authors of the Freedom Charter; served with a banning order in 1955; arrested in the Treason Trial in 1956 and stood trial until charges against him were withdrawn in 1958; elected unopposed to represent Africans of the Western Cape on the Cape Provincial Council, 1957. During the 1960 emergency Turok evaded arrest, and went underground to help reestablish the ANC organisation; in 1962 he was convicted under the Explosives Act, and sentenced to three years in prison; after his release he escaped via Botswana; and resident in the UK from 1972 and employed by the Open University. He returned to South Africa in 1990; and was the first Head of the Commission on the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) in the Gauteng Provincial Cabinet, 1994; and a member of the South African Parliament, representing the African National Congress, from 1995-present (2012).

The papers of Benjamin Turok, were held by the Institute of Commonwealth Studies and the originals returned to Turok after his return to South Africa, with a microfilm copy made and kept to provide access to researchers.  The papers relate to his political involvement in South Africa (1961-1981) and include biographical tapes and transcripts (1983-1984); African National Congress (ANC) speeches, publications, press releases, and other material, 1971-1981; papers of the Institute for Industrial Education, Durban, 1974-1978; papers of the Communist Party of South Africa, 1978 and undated; papers of the South African Congress of Trade Unions, 1971-1973; correspondence, 1971-1980, with Oliver Tambo and others, mainly on ANC activities; transcripts and audio tapes of biographical material.

Wednesday, 25 April 2012

Computers in the Library Survey

Computers in the Library Survey


The Library is keen to hear your views about using computers and IT support in the Senate House Library. Please take a minute to fill in the online survey to let us know your experiences. Your feedback is appreciated and will be used to develop our services.


Please click here to visit the Computers in the Library Survey.





Monday, 23 April 2012

Working Papers in Australian Studies

The Menzies Centre for Australian Studies' Working Papers in Australian Studies have been digitised and made available on the web. The series starts in 1985 and ends in 200, from when a new series the London Papers in Australian Studies started.

Working Paper 1 is entitled  "No Irish Need Apply": Aspects of the Employer- Employee Relationship Australian Domestice Service 1860-1900" by Paula Hamilton, and looks at discrimination against Irish migrants but focuses on the relationship bewteen employers and domestic servants in early colonial Australia. The final paper in the series, no. 188, by K S Inglis, is entitled "London calling: the empire of the airwaves" and outlines the nature of Australian radio broadcasting in the 1930s, and looks at the modelling of the broadcasting service on that of the BBC, with comparative study of other dominions notably New Zeland and Canada, as well as broadcasts made from the UK to the colonies.

Between the presentation of these two papers topics and themes explored in the series included: Aboriginal rights and social injustice, Australian politics, literature and writers, Australian historiography, settlement and town planning, environmental and economic conflict, expatriate writers and artists, education, women, national identity, Bondi beach, sexuality, the Cold War, sport and leisure, Aboriginal writing, art and drama, mental health, and citizenship.

Saturday, 21 April 2012

Henry Charles Chapman Visiting Fellowship at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies

Applications for the Henry Charles Chapman Visiting Fellowship at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies are being accepted.
The Fellowship, offered biennially, is financed by income from a bequest to the University of London by the late Mr Henry Charles Chapman for the promotion of the study of Commonwealth affairs.

The Fellowship is open to members of the academic staff of any university in the Commonwealth, or elsewhere, who wish to spend a period of leave from their present post doing research at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies.

Further information, including details about the application process, can be found in on the Institute of Commonwealth Studies website. Please note that the deadline for submissions in 31 May 2012.

Friday, 20 April 2012

New PDF list for Moyne Commission papers

We have recently added a PDF format list of the archive collection ICS56 Moyne papers on the West India Royal Commission

The PDF list complements the detailed list available on the catalogue by providing a clear overview of the styructure of the collection and we are continuing to create these for collections so as to improve ease of use of the catalogue for users.

ICS56 comprises the papers of Walter Edward Guinness, Lord Moyne, relating to his chairmanship of the West India Royal Commission (WIRC), 1938-1939. The majority of the material comprises memoranda on means of improving the social and economic conditions of the people, submitted to WIRC by interested parties in Trinidad and Tobago, although Colonial Office publications and draft speeches are also included. The collection complements and in some cases duplicates the larger collection relating to the West India Royal Commission held at the National Archives, being Lord Moyne's personal papers from the Commission.

The West India Royal Commission was a comprehensive investigation of the social and economic condition of all the British territories in the Caribbean. Led by Lord Moyne, the Commission held public hearings throughout the region, and recommended sweeping reforms in everything from employment practices and social welfare, to radical political change. The full findings of the commission were not published until 1945 but an immediate start was made upon the implementation of less controversial recommendations. The British government decided to make substantial increases in the amount of money available for colonial development of all kinds and set about creating a framework for change.

The Institute of Commonwealth Studies also holds considerable material in its library collections, including official publications from both the UK and the colonies, documenting the impact of the reforms started after the West India Royal Commission.

Thursday, 19 April 2012

The Story of Bangladesh and Bangladeshi People, at home and in the Diaspora

The Story of Bangladesh and Bangladeshi People, at home and in the Diaspora


Brick Lane Circle's second annual conference - 28/29 April 2012, in association with and at the Idea Store Chrisp Street,East India Dock Road, E14 6BT

Saturday 28 April 2012, 1.00-5.00pm

Culture and Identity

1.00pm- Refreshment and networking

1.30pm- I am Bangladeshi by Dr. Shams N Zaman

She graduated in M.B.B.S. from Dhaka University. Later completed M.Sc. from the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, U.S.A. She worked in medical research at Johns Hopkins University and at Kings College, Institute of Liver Studies, London for many years. Her medical papers were published in some prestigious international journals like Lancet, BMJ, Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Cancer etc. Many of them are relevant to Bangladeshi population. Dr Zaman later developed an interest in history and undertook studies and research at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Her historical research and other works which have been published include: Ekusher Shandhayne (Bengali) 1994; Mirza Shaikh Itesamuddin and his Travelogue / Shigurfnama i Velayet : Wonders of Britain 1765-1769 AD. 2003; Forty Short Years : Bangladesh. 2003; The First Bengali Muslim Woman's version of Hajj (Bengali). 2004; Identity through Science, Philosophy and Artistic concepts in the Quran. 2009 and Stories from a British Bangladeshi Grandmother (working title-publication 2012 pending).

3.00pm- Impact of International Events on London Bangladeshis (1971-2011) - an interactive workshop on a new project proposal by Dr Muhammad Ahmedullah (Secretary of Brick Lane Circle)

3.30pm - The Poetics of Nationalism: Poetry and Film in East Pakistan 1952-1971 by Dr Nazneen Ahmed

He is currently Research Assistant on the Leverhume funded Oxford Diasporas Programme project “Religious faith, space and Diasporic Communities in East London, 1880-present.” Prior to this she held a postdoctoral research position in the School of English at the University of Kent on the interdisciplinary project “Radical Distrust: A Cultural Analysis of the Emotional, Psychological and Linguistic Formations of Religious and Political Extremism.” Her D. Phil. in English Literature from Wadham College, Oxford, examined the cultural development of Bangladeshi secular nationalism through literature and cultural production from 1947-1971. Her work examines the intersections between faith, secularism, national identity and gender in the Bangladeshi community and its diasporas as represented in literature, cultural production and archival records. She is currently adapting her thesis into a monograph and writing papers on the religious lives of lascar seafarers in Victorian London and gender and Bangladeshi secular nationalism.


Sunday 29 April 2012, 2.00-4.00pm

Politics and Economy

2.00pm- Refreshment and networking

2.15pm - Title and speaker details TBC

Brick Lane Circle is organising its annual conference in association with the Idea Store Chrisp Street.

Our aim is to bring researchers and scholars on Bangladesh and Bangladeshi people together with the wider community to facilitate improved exchange of knowledge and help promote greater, deeper and wider levels of networking.

For further details or to book a place kindly email mailto:bricklanecircle@yahoo.co.uk

Wednesday, 18 April 2012

CONF: CANADA, THE US AND THE ASIA-PACIFIC, Monday 25 June 2012

CANADA, THE US AND THE ASIA-PACIFIC, Monday 25 June 2012

SENATE HOUSE, LONDON

All welcome - registration and refreshments free. Please contact Dr Tony McCulloch for further details and to register.

If you would like to participate in the conference by making a short presentation on an aspect of Canada and the Asia-Pacific or on US-Canadian relations in the context of the Asia-Pacific please contact Tony McCulloch by 30 April at the latest.

Outline programme for the conference

10.30 am Registration and refreshments

11.00 am Welcome by Professor Iwan Morgan, Director of US and Canadian Studies, ISA: Theme of the conference - "Canada and the Asia-Pacific - Opportunities and Threats"

11.15 am Session 1 Keynote Address

Chair: Professor Iwan Morgan, ISA

His Excellency Gordon Campbell, Canadian High Commissioner in London, "Canada, China and the Asia-Pacific region"

12.30 pm Lunch

1.30pm Session 2 - Canada, the US and the Asia-Pacific - Past, Present and Future

Chair: Dr Tony McCulloch, Associate Fellow, ISA and Canterbury Christ Church University, "Viewpoints from academia, government and think tanks on Canada's international strategy - past, present and future - in relation to China and the Asia-Pacific, including the implications of Canadian policies in this region upon political and economic relationships with key allies such as the USA"

3.00 pm Refreshments

3.30pm Session 3 - Plenary session

Joseph Caron, former Canadian ambassador to China, Japan and India, "An overview of Canada's strategy in the Asia-Pacific with particular reference to key players in the region apart from China - such as India and Japan"

4.00pm - Panel discussion with Q and A reflecting on the key themes and overall conclusions of the conference

4.30pm - End of conference

It is anticipated that the proceedings of the conference will be published as part of a special issue of the London Journal of Canadian Studies.

Tuesday, 17 April 2012

Call for Papers: "Canada Abroad", Herstmonceux Castle, Sussex, July 30-31, 2013

Call for Papers: "Canada Abroad", Herstmonceux Castle, Sussex, July 30-31, 2013

Queen's University's Bader International Study Centre at Herstmonceux Castle, East Sussex, United Kingdom, a leader in international education, is hosting a conference entitled "Canada Abroad". The conference aims to explore questions related to Canada's historic and current roles, in higher education, business, culture, sport, international relations and as a global leader. The conference will be held over two days July 30-31, 2013. Established scholars, graduate students and professionals in relevant fields are invited to submit papers on issues related, but not limited to, any of the following topics:

• Canadian Education and Study Abroad
• The State of Canadian Studies in Britain and Europe
• Canadian Artists and Writers in an International Context
• Canadians in International Sports
• Canadian Business Abroad
• Canada's Role in WW1 and WW2
• Canada's Contemporary Role in International Affairs
• The View from Abroad: International Perceptions of Canada

Proposals (250 word maximum) should include a working title and brief overview of the paper's aims and objectives, along with a short biographical note. The deadline for submissions is November 15, 2012. Proposals for full panels (3-4 papers) and round tables are also welcome. The conference committee expects to publish a select number of papers from the conference and will be announcing further details at a later date.

Proposal submissions should be sent to: Dr. Scott McLean, Queen's BISC, Herstmonceux Castle, Hailsham, East Sussex, U.K., BN27 1RN

Monday, 16 April 2012

Menzies Centre for Australian Studies Summer term events

The Menzies Centre for Australian Studies, Kings College London, Summer Term events are now listed on their website.


Wednesday 18 April 2012

Three Poets and a Reader
Poetry readings by Laurie Duggan, Emma Jones and Jaya Savage


Wednesday 9 May 2012
Raia Prokhovnic (Open University)
‘From Sovereignty in Australia to Australian Sovereignty.’

Wednesday 16 May 2012
Launch of Andrew Dilley’s book, Finance, Politics, and Imperialism: Australia, Canada, and the City of London c.1896-1914, Cambridge Imperial and Postcolonial Studies Series, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke.

Wednesday 23 May 2012
Leah Riches (Monash), ‘Anzac Day: 1955-85’ (title tbc)
Followed by launch of Philip Payton (Exeter)'s book, Regional Australia and the Great War: 'The Boys from old Kio', [Yorke Peninsular, South Australia] Exeter University Press, Exeter.

Thursday 24 May 2012
Poetry Reading by Simon West

Wednesday 30 May 2012
Harshan Kumarasingham (Potsdam/Institute of Commonwealth Studies)
‘The Dismissal of the Whitlam Government, 11 November 1975’

Wednesday 6 June 2012
Launch of Sir Roger Carrick’s book, Diplomatic Andecdotage: Around the World in Forty Years, Elliott & Thompson.

Wednesday 13 June 2012
*The Menzies Lecture for 2011-12
18.15, Safra Lecture Theatre, King's Building

Professor Stephen D. Hopper FLS
Director, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
From Botany Bay to Breathing Planet: reflections on plant diversity and global sustainability

Friday 15 June 2012
18.15, Anatomy Museum, King's Building
Henry Lawson Anniversary Concert & Reading

Martyn Wyndham-Read (folk singer) and Bill Gammage (ANU)

Wednesday 27 June 2012
Will Sanders (ANU)
'Competing Principles, Federalism and Generational Dynamics: Changing Policy Agendas in Australian Indigenous Affairs'

Wednesday 25 July 2012
*Public Lecture

Professor Bill Gammage (ANU) in Association with the National History Museum
'The Biggest Estate on Earth: How Aborigines made Australia'

Saturday, 14 April 2012

New archives list: Wales and the West Indies

Thanks to sterling work by one of our volunteers we are pleased to release details of a newly listed archives collection relating to the relationships between Wales and the West Indies.

The papers of historian Clare Taylor which were donated to the Institute of Commonwealth Studies include transcripts of original diaries and manuscripts held at institutions including the National Library of Wales and West Indian Reference Library, as well as articles and draft articles covering topics including Welsh interests in the West Indies during the plantation period and West Indian heiresses. The collection also includes Clare taylor's transcription of the Lascelles Letter Books, 1740-1763, the originals of which were destroyed in December 1940 due to bombing in London.

Friday, 13 April 2012

EU-Canada Study Tour and Internship Programme 2012 – “Thinking Canada”

EU-Canada Study Tour and Internship Programme 2012 – “Thinking Canada”

“Thinking Canada” is a joint initiative of the European Network for Canadian Studies and the European Commission – a four-week study tour to Canada for European students that will take place from 2 - 30 September 2012, followed by two-month internships for selected participants. The tour to Canada commences with three days of briefings in Brussels on the EU and EU-Canada relations.

The aim of the study tour is to offer its participants a unique in-depth experience of Canada through an intensive programme of visits to major private and public institutions, government bodies, think tanks and NGOs. At each place, the students will receive briefings and have the opportunity to exchange views with representatives of these bodies, many of them leading experts in their fields. The tour will begin in Brussels, and travel to Ottawa, Québec, Montréal, Toronto, Vancouver and Victoria.

This immersion in Canada will offer a unique opportunity for an academic experience in a non-academic setting. The tour is focused on a number of themes, in particular cultural diversity (including the English/French relationship, the First Nations and multiculturalism), political issues (federalism, regionalism, the role of government), the environment (including Arctic issues), urban issues and economic topics (business, finance, trade). EU-Canada relations will also be covered and provide a recurring backdrop to the discussions. Academic advisors will be accompanying the tour to serve as resource persons and provide feedback.

In addition to the tour, nine two-month internships will be offered to participants immediately following the end of the tour.

For further information on the tour, its programme, internships, cost and how to apply, see the tour’s website at http://www.thinking-canada.eu/

Deadline for applications: Monday 30 April 2012

You can read reports on Thinking Canada 2011 by UK participants Sarah Hodgett http://www.canadian-studies.info/main/content/view/265/43/ and Helen Ayres http://www.canadian-studies.info/main/content/view/264/43/

Thursday, 12 April 2012

Caribbean Research Seminar in the North

All welcome to the next Caribbean Research Seminar in the North - please contact Jenny Terry to register or with queries: j.a.terry@durham.ac.uk

Caribbean Research Seminar in the North

Friday 1st June 2012
University of Durham
Cosin's Hall, The Institute of Advanced Study

Programme

1.00 pm Registration and Lunch

2.00 pm Prof Lizabeth Paravisini-Gebert (Vassar College) Beyond the Landscape: Conceptualizing Environmental Art in the Caribbean

3.00 pm Dr Malachi McIntosh (University of Warwick) Those Tigers from Islands Who Hear Thunder in the Sun: The Existential Ontology of Selvon's Trinidad Novels

3.45 pm Tea / Coffee

4.15 pm Dr Kerstin Oloff (Durham University) Crossdressed Women in Recent Caribbean Fiction

5.00 pm Prof Alison Donnell (University of Reading) Caribbeanising the Queer: Sexual Turbulence in the Literary

Registration is free but please let us know in advance if you would like to attend (places will be limited). A reservation for dinner at a local restaurant will be made for 6.30 pm so please also indicate if you would like to come along to eat. To register contact Jenny Terry j.a.terry@durham.ac.uk

A few bursaries are available to cover the costs of travel within the UK for postgraduate students attending this event. To apply, please email Henrice Altink henrice.altink@york.ac.uk stating your topic, university and the name and address of your supervisor.

Travel directions: http://www.dur.ac.uk/about/location/ The venue is on Palace Green, close to the Cathedral, and is marked (21) on the university's map of the city: http://www.dur.ac.uk/map/durham/

Tuesday, 10 April 2012

Canada at War: A Guide to Library and Archives Canada's Websites Recalling the Canadian War Experience

Canada at War: A Guide to Library and Archives Canada's Websites Recalling the Canadian War Experience provides a guide to the many resources available on the Library and Archives Canada website, exploring Canada's contribution to military and peacekeeping operations at home and around the world. Each of the links contained in the website will lead to a virtual exhibition or a database of primary documents.

Canada at War: A Guide to Library and Archives Canada Websites Recalling the Canadian War Experience commemorates Canadian sacrifice in all wars and military actions, but particularly those lost in the First World War. Sections of the guide include the Beginnings of Canadian Defence, the Northwest Rebellion, the South African War, the First World War, the Second World War, and the Korean War.

Thursday, 5 April 2012

New list for papers of Britain Australia Bicentennial Committee archive collection

The papers of the Britain Australia Bicentennial Committee (BABC) (ICS144) have recently been listed, thank to the work of a volunteer, George Brierley, currently working with Institute of Commonwealth Studies archive collections.
 
The Britain Australia Bicentennial Committee was set up in 1984 by the British Government through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to supervise the British involvement in the Australian Bicentennial. It was chaired by Sir Peter Gadsden. In 1985 the Britain Australia Bicentennial Trust was set up to deal with the public money raised, at this time the BABC also set up a number of National Task subcommittees and regional subcommittees. One of the tasks of the BABC was to make a recommendation for the UK gift to Australia for the Bicentennial. Several ideas were put forward for consideration, notably a re-enactment of the voyage of the First Fleet under Admiral Arthur Philip, This was decided against, although the re-enactment fleet did sail from the Isle of Wight, 13 May 1987 and arrived in Australia 26 Jan 1988, without the support of the BABC. The UK gift to Australia was eventually decided on as the sail training schooner STS Young Endeavour, proposed by Arthur Weller. The building of STS Young Endeavour, was supervised by the Schooner Trust, supervised by Weller. The Bicentennial events in the UK were widespread including balls, banquets and church services, notably at Westminster Abbey led by Archbishop Robert Runcie, 14 Jul 1988.

The papers of the Britain Australia Bicentennial Committee (BABC), 1984-1990, including papers relating to the setting up of the BABC; financial papers; steering committee papers including early minutes; agendas and minutes for BABC meetings 1985-1988; weekly reports of the Executive Secretary; and newsletters, 1986-1988 with related papers and correspondence. Also included are papers of National Task subcommittees including the Agricultural Subcommittee; the Education Subcommittee; Science, Technology, Industry and Medicine Subcommittee; the Social Subcommittee and the Maritime Subcommittee including a proposal for the gift of a schooner, by Arthur Weller, 1985, minutes of the Schooner Trust and proposal for the First Fleet re-enactment. Papers of regional committees include the City of London committee; Bath and West Country committee including on a proposal for an Australian Centre in Admiral Arthur Philip's dwelling house in Bath; East Anglia committee, including correspondence on George Eve; Midlands committee; North East committee including on a Civic Service in Newcastle Cathedral, 1987; Northern Ireland committee; Lincoln committee, including on the Britain Australia Studies association national conference 'Australia Towards 2000', Jul 1988; Liverpool committee, including exhibition Leaving Liverpool on emigration from Merseyside; Whitby committee and Scotland committee. File of papers on other events include papers relating to a Bicentennial service held at Westminster Abby, 14 Jul 1988 including an agreement made with Archbishop Robert Alexander Kennedy Runcie to preach at the service and draft of the service with notations; and papers regarding a banquet at Guildhall, London; an exhibition to be held at the British Museum (Natural History) entitled 'First Impressions: the British discovery of Australia', 1988 and the Mansion House Hawke dinner, 21 Jun 1989.

Wednesday, 4 April 2012

Conference: War and the Caribbean, 20 April 2012

War has been an important engine of economic, social, and cultural change in the Caribbean since the first arrival of Europeans. Violence has shaped, and re-shaped, imperial boundaries to change the rules of the region’s economic game and its notions of citizenship, gender, and race. This conference will consider the causes and consequences of general, and internal, wars in the region during the colonial period and how they highlight the changing nature of its economic and strategic importance in the world order.



The University of Edinburgh hosts a one-day conference on 20 April 2012 on War and the Caribbean, speakers include:

Camillia Cowling (University of Edinburgh) Philip Morgan (Johns Hopkins) Anya Zilberstein (Concordia University)

For registration and further information, please contract mailto:g.rannard@sms.ed.ac.uk

Tuesday, 3 April 2012

Nelson Mandela Digital Archive Project.

The Nelson Mandela Digital Archive Project is now available online from the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory and the Google Cultural Institute. The exhibition brings together 2000 documents, photographs and videos from all the key moments of his life, including his childhood, imprisonment and Presidency. Material included includes manuscripts of his autobiographical writings, calendars kept while in prison, diaires from the Presidential years, correspondence, video and photographs. The project is still in progress and more material is expected to be added over time.


The Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory delivers the core-work of the Nelson Mandela Foundation. The Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation established in 1999 to support its Founder’s ongoing engagement in worthy causes on his retirement as President of South Africa. The Foundation is registered as a trust, with its board of trustees comprising prominent South Africans selected by the Founder.


The Centre of Memory was inaugurated by Nelson Mandela on 21 September 2004, and endorsed as the core work of the Foundation in 2006. The Centre focuses on three areas of work: the Life and Time of Nelson Mandela, Dialogue for Social Justice and Nelson Mandela International Day. The Centre works closely with its sister organisations, the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund and The Mandela Rhodes Foundation. It co-ordinates its activities with those of other institutions that have a stake in its Founder’s legacy, including the 46664 Campaign, the Nelson Mandela Institute for Education and Rural Development, the Nelson Mandela Museum and the Robben Island Museum.

Monday, 2 April 2012

New Senate House Library archives collection listed

Recently added to the Senate House Library collection is additional material from the book collector Ron Heisler

The Ron Heisler collection (MS1186) incluides a number of files relating to Commonwealth studies, including material on Sri Lankan Trotskyism, comprising of memoranda, news bulletins, and correspondence, dating from c1975 to 2007; correspondence from c1947-1960 with the South African trade unionist and socialist, Solly Sachs, who was author of The Choice Before South Africa (1952),  The Rebel's Daughters (also called Garment workers in action) (1957),  with L Forman The South African Treason Trial (1959) and The Anatomy of Apartheid (1965); and a number of photographs signed by the New Zealand writer, social reformer and member of the Chinese Communist Party, Rewi Alley.