The Women’s Liberation Movement and the Gendering of Undercover Police Surveillance in 1970s Britain: the Public Inquiry as (Un)Ethical archive Abstract. In the 1970s a female police officer went undercover in the feminist movement in Britain. Across two years, she shared plans, conversations, and

My article on 1970s feminists, spycops, and if feminist historians can use materials extracted by undercover police officers is out in History Workshop Journal doi.org/10.1093/hwj/...

For what it's worth, today marks exactly 71 years since John Kotelawala's incendiary speech at the Bandung Political Committee! It's perhaps as close as the delegates came to splitting into factions, and it defined what the meeting came to mean across the postcolonial world.

Bandung and the birth of non-alignment In 1955, leaders from Asia and Africa convened to assert their independence from superpower blocs, sowing the seeds of the Non-Aligned Movement.

In 1955, leaders from Asia and Africa convened to assert their independence from superpower blocs, sowing the seeds of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Bandung and the birth of non-alignment | Alex White

engelsbergideas.com/essays/bandu...

Long-time readers of my work will be unsurprised to find out I have managed to shoehorn some radio history into the piece. More on that in my upcoming academic writing!

'Ultimately, the summit was most significant for its political diversity. The fierce debates between delegates proved that the future of the postcolonial world was not set in stone.'

In my latest for EI, I explore how debates and disagreements gave the Bandung Conference a lasting political power.

Bandung and the birth of non-alignment In 1955, leaders from Asia and Africa convened to assert their independence from superpower blocs, sowing the seeds of the Non-Aligned Movement.

In April 1955, 29 Asian and African states met in Bandung - as rivals, as allies, and as everything in between.

In my latest article, I explore how backroom diplomacy and ingenious publicity created a new kind of global politics.

engelsbergideas.com/essays/bandu...

Weird request for the historians of Bluesky - did anyone whose work was used to train Grammarly's Expert Review feature investigate the feature while it was still active? I'd love to speak with anyone who managed to interact with their own digital clone.

Weird request for the historians of Bluesky - did anyone whose work was used to train Grammarly's Expert Review feature investigate the feature while it was still active? I'd love to speak with anyone who managed to interact with their own digital clone.

Cover reveal! And table of contents now up: press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...

The Violence of Empire How was violence essential to sustaining the British Empire, and why is teaching this imperative in today's world?

OTD in 1919, troops of the British Indian Army fired into a crowd of unarmed civilians in Amritsar, Punjab, killing 400 and injuring over 1000 more.

From the HW archives, an episode of our podcast explores that event.

www.historyworkshop.org.uk/s2-e5-the-vi...

Reflections on a Radical Archive In the final article of this series, our editorial team discuss their findings from an afternoon spent collectively exploring the History Workshop archive.

In August 2025, our editorial collective spent an afternoon exploring the contents of the History Workshop archive held @bishopsgateinst.bsky.social 🗃️

Marybeth Hamilton, Elly Robson, Mary Katherine Newman, Marral Shamshiri, Vivien Chan and Beckie Rutherford reflect on their radical findings.

Empowering Airwaves: Women-Led Radio Stations Amplify Unheard Voices - Nieman Reports Despite rapid advances in technology, radio remains a powerful medium for breaking barriers and reaching marginalized communities directly.

This is an incredible story, and yet more proof of the power of grassroots radio work across the world.

niemanreports.org/women-radio-...

In the Wages for Housework Archives | Emily Callaci The feminists got headaches and worked so relentlessly that they forgot to eat. They smoked too much and made half-hearted attempts to quit. They sent each other presents — articles of clothing, a cop...

This essay by Emily Callaci on the complex history of the Wages for Housework Campaign in @nplusonemag.com is one of the most engaging texts I've read in a long while. Billions must-read.

www.nplusonemag.com/issue-52/ess...

Such a great read!

Archiving Bengal’s Revolutionary Women Oyeshi Ganguly explores how women in colonial Bengal played on gendered expectations to carry out radical anti-colonial action.

How did radical women navigate Bengal's 'age of fire'?

Oyeshi Ganguly explores what oral history can tell us about the female revolutionaries who took up arms against British rule.

Such a pleasure to edit this fascinating article on gender, surveillance, revolution and colonial rule!

Sudan’s war in the mountains The Nuba Mountains, once shielded by their isolation, have become a new front in one of the world’s most brutal conflicts

I traveled to the Nuba Mountains with @guypeterson.bsky.social 📸 to document how foreign powers are shaping Sudan's war while civilians pay the price. Read our story in @prospectmagazine.co.uk, with thanks to @pulitzercenter.org for the support!

www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/africa...

Sudan’s war in the mountains The Nuba Mountains, once shielded by their isolation, have become a new front in one of the world’s most brutal conflicts

More incredible reporting from my fiancée @sophie-neiman.bsky.social, this time on a mountain region being reshaped by Sudan's civil war. I cannot imagine the bravery of the displaced people interviewed.

www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/africa...

Not sure if I've mentioned that Sophie and I are engaged before, at least on this platform? Hope the supportive reposts were at least a hint, but I'm far from the only person excited for her work.

Sudan’s war in the mountains The Nuba Mountains, once shielded by their isolation, have become a new front in one of the world’s most brutal conflicts

More incredible reporting from my fiancée @sophie-neiman.bsky.social, this time on a mountain region being reshaped by Sudan's civil war. I cannot imagine the bravery of the displaced people interviewed.

www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/africa...

Nuba Mountains Alliance Threatens To Upend Sudan’s Civil War Fighters relaxed under shaded market awnings — walkie-talkies buzzing — as they waited to be called back to the front. Other militants filled hospital wards, recovering from bullet, bomb and shrapnel wounds. We were in the Nuba Mountains, the new front in Sudan’s war and a potential staging ground for militias pushing back toward Khartoum. […]

"Violence has become the norm in a place that was once spared conflict. These battles could decide the course of the war." Sophie Neiman reports from the Nuba mountains in Sudan.

History Workshop Around the World How did the History Workshop movement in Britain find connections with radical history initiatives around the globe?

'When we talk about histories from below in South Africa, that meant [...] not only inserting Black histories into predetermined white histories, but challenging the ideological and theoretical bases of those histories.'

Noor Nieftagodien on radical history in South Africa.

Radical Object: Potato Planter at Frating Hall Farm How did Russian anarchism, Teesside socialism and Jewish phenomenology find a home in rural Essex? Ken Worpole delves into the fragile archive of an influential pacifist settlement at Frating Hall farm.

OTD in 1943, a pacifist settlement was founded on Frating Hill Farm.

In this piece from the archives, Ken Worpole examines the lives of those who contributed to the project - including the future cabinet minister Shirley Williams.

Mask Ambivalence in the 1918 Influenza Pandemic To mask, or not to mask, that is the question. Jesse Olszynko-Gryn and Caitjan Gainty explore the instructive history of an embattled technology.

OTD in 2020, the UK's first COVID-19 lockdown began.

In this article from the archives, Jesse Olszynko-Gryn and caitjan.bsky.social explore how familiar debates about the use of face masks shaped responses to the Influenza Pandemic of 1918.

Emergency Exits: The Fight for Independence in Malaya, Kenya and Cyprus At the end of the Second World War, a wave of independence movements swept the British Empire. Emergency Exits focuses on three often overlooked independence movements. These were brutal conflicts bet...

It’s the last week to see Emergency Exits at the Imperial War Museum, which explores decolonisation in Kenya, Cyprus and Malaya and which I was lucky enough to consult on as a part of a team of imperial historians. Go and see it if you can — it’s really great!

Manure dryers and devil dancers: the British empire’s attempt to use photography to control India In a new exhibition, the featured images reflect Britain’s attempts to document and control the subcontinent’s population, but they also demonstrate the nobility of their subjects – and the futility of the task

Manure dryers and devil dancers: the British empire’s attempt to use photography to control India

Many congratulations to Lyndal Roper for being awarded the 2026 Holberg Prize!

Lyndal is a longstanding HWJ editor and author of the latest article in our Celebrating HWJ 100 series.

Cycling the German Peasants’ War The German Peasants' War (1524-26) was the largest uprising in Western Europe before the French Revolution. Lyndal Roper recalls how a cycle ride around Germany led her to appreciate the vast scale of...

The German Peasants' War (1524-26) was the largest uprising in Western Europe before the French Revolution.

Lyndal Roper recalls how a cycle ride around Germany helped her to appreciate the sheer scale of its history.

Come and hear me talk about nineties trans internet chat rooms (and my personal obsession with the wayback machine!)

Did you know our archive has over a hundred articles and podcasts related to women's history?

Happy Women's History Month!