The Art of Organiser: Raphael Samuel and the History Workshop

Sophie Scott-Brown

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The History Workshop movement took its stance on the democratisation of history making, becoming notorious for its exuberant gatherings and impassioned ‘histories from below’. At the centre of the early Workshop was the British historian Raphael Samuel, who has been described as the personification of its intellectual and ethical politics. This paper examines Samuel’s role in the Workshop arguing that his distinctive intellectual personality was critical in shaping its early form and ethos. Drawing on a biographical approach, it explores the development of this persona over the course of his formative years. It argues that Samuel’s life history provides an insight into the renewed appeal of libertarian ideas in post-war British radical political and educational thought and that as an individual he illuminates the application of these ideas to the social role of the historian-educator.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)372-390
Number of pages19
JournalHistory of Education
Volume 45
Issue number3
Early online date15 Dec 2015
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2016

Keywords

  • adult education
  • biography
  • pedagogy
  • history
  • politics

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