In honour of the bicentenary of Peterloo, the John Thelwall Society is sponsoring a panel exploring connections between the radicals of the 1790s and later generations of and movements for reform. This includes events and figures surrounding Peterloo, Chartism and early twentieth-century suffrage movements; but we also encourage participants to explore connections between Romantic-era radicals and activists today, especially in light of the “generational change” that is a growing feature of political discourse at the current moment. Topics might include, but are not limited to

Figures of, and appeals to, ancestry in reform discourse

Techniques and media of reform, now and then

Class, gender and race in suffrage movements

Commemmorations and Reassessments of reform (reform banquets etc.)

Leadership styles, now and then

The “voice of the people”: who and how?

Moderation vs. “extremism” in rhetorics of reform

The changing aims of reform over generations

Platform politics and performance

The celebrity reformer

Radical songs and ballads

Concepts of time in radical discourse

Papers need not be on John Thelwall, but his work offers a useful touchstone for the wide range of topics and approaches we encourage, and we would certainly welcome proposals exploring his work in relation to this topic, the conference topic and/or Manchester in general. 

Please send your 300-word paper abstract, including name, affiliation (scholarly, community, independent scholar etc.) and email address to both

judith.thompson@dal.ca and icrmcr2019@gmail.com by 15 January, 2019.