Women, activism, and the professions: Community and feminist perspectives

A joint event with the Hub for History, the Lifecourse and the Professions in the Centre for Workforce Development (ILD, FEHHS) and the Centre for Research in Language and Heritage (ICE, FLAS)

Refreshments will be available from 4.30 p.m.

Following the success of the event on March 21st, "The First Labour Government (1924); Local and feminist Perspectives", this session will focus on women's activism in the professions, campaigns round local spaces, and the intersection of gender, race and locality, and discuss related issues to the forthcoming election.

Lynne Dixon (Independent scholar, former Primary Education lecturer and town planner), will launch her new book (with Dorothy Reed) on "That Tiresome lady architect: the life and work of Annabel Dott"

Annabel Dott has been described by leading architectural historian Professor Elizabeth McKellar as follows:

“Annabel Dott, a philanthropic architect and builder, was a significant and well known figure in housing and rural reconstruction in the years after the Great War.” Born in the East End in 1868, Annabel lived with her mother for thirty five years at which point she married. In her role as a vicar’s wife she then moved between first South Africa, then Yorkshire, London and Sussex in each place leaving evidence of her building projects. Without formal training, she described herself variously as a builder, a clerk of works and an architect. Today the twenty nine buildings she was responsible for are all still in use.

Dr Charmaine Brown (School of Education, FEHHS) will speak on her project on gentrification in Peckham, on which she has been an invited keynote lecturer.

Dr Claire Eustance (School of Humanities and Social Sciences) will speak on

"'Wobblers All!': The Women's Freedom League and the Labour government of 1924".

In the aftermath of the partial enfranchisement of women in 1918 the Women’s Freedom League (WFL) resolved to continue as a democratic, non-party campaigning organisation devoted to securing complete equality for women with men in all walks of life. The advent of the first Labour Government in January 1924 was broadly welcomed by the WFL membership, but their hopes quickly faded in the face of the caution displayed by the new administration. By mid-October, following Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald’s move to call a General Election, the message in the League’s newspaper was an unequivocal ‘Thanks for nothing!’ This paper will trace this shift from hope to bitter disappointment and will suggest that despite all the impressions to the contrary, there were some positive outcomes for the Women’s Freedom League arising out Labour’s brief period in office.

We anticipate there will be an opportunity for discussion of issues which relate the talks to the forthcoming general election.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

University of Greenwich, Queen Anne Building, Room 280, Park Row, London, United Kingdom