Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Resistance to war addressed in public lecture
The lecture, held at the Rose Bowl Room 322 and starting at 2.30pm, will be delivered by Professor Dave Webb and followed by the launch of a new book by Dr Clive Barrett, Chair of the Peace Museum in Bradford, entitled ‘Subversive Peacemakers: War Resistance 1914-1918’.
Professor Webb’s lecture will examine how, in the lead up to the start of World War I, now 100 years ago, many people sought to halt the march to war, and set up organisations to resist war: some of which remain today. Throughout the war, activists, academics and objectors continued to work for peace. This resistance and campaigning carried on throughout the 20th century, through World War II and now into the 21st century when people, organisations and movements continue to promote nonviolence, argue for an end to militarisation, and seek to build a culture of peace.
Professor Webb will argue that resistance to war is essential and will consider how resistance in World War I relates to campaigning and resistance to war today. At 4pm, Dr Barrett’s book will be launched. ‘Subversive Peacemakers: War Resistance 1914-1918’ recounts the stories of a strong and increasingly organised opposition to war: from peace groups to poets; from preachers to politicians; from women to working men; all of whom struggled to secure peace in a militarised and fragmenting society.
Dr Rachel Julian, Organiser of the event and Senior Lecturer in Peace Studies at Leeds Beckett, said: “This is a huge opportunity for us to link our experiences today in trying to work non-violently together and prevent war, or struggle for disarmament, to those who courageously resisted during World War I. Without the vision and effort of those who are now part of our history many of today’s peace movements would be very different. These talks and book are a vital part of creating a culture of peace and making visible a history which is all too often forgotten.”