The Calton Weavers’ Strike of 1787: Capitalism That Killed!
Join social historian and family history researcher Sean McDonagh for a critically informed talk in the Calton at Red Rosa's, the newest home of the broad left in Glasgow.
About The Calton Weavers’ Strike of 1787: Capitalism That Killed!
If you enjoy...
- Glasgow social history
- History 'from below' (social history narratives from the perspective of the disempowered)
- Radical history narratives
- Critically informed lectures
Then do come and see social historian and lecturer Sean McDonagh deliver a critically informed talk in the Calton at Red Rosa's, the newest home of the broad left in Glasgow.
*** What's it all about? ***
The lecture defines, details and re-evaluates the contemporary significance of what is regarded as Scotland's first recorded workers strike; the Calton Weavers Strike of 1787.
Although this organized working class strike took place almost 240 years ago, many of the themes that face the exploited worker today are visible within the Calton Weavers struggle and it is this, which the talk will predominantly focus on. Issues ranging from worker exploitation, wage slavery, social inequality, worker solidarity movements and the lethal collusion between the state and big business are all visible within the Calton Weavers narrative and, scandalously, are ever more present in the contemporary age, as the lecture will detail.
In addition to this, an academically informed summary and analysis of the event itself will also be shared. The indefatigable efforts of some of those involved in the strike, such as James Grainger, will also be briefly explored.
*** What's different about this talk? ***
Whilst there is plenty written regarding the Calton Weavers Strike of 1787, much of the focus has been on providing a descriptive and biographical narrative of the event in isolation.
This particular talk goes beyond such description and connects the strikes significance to the contemporary age of worker exploitation. It also allows the audience to consider just how different - if at all - the modern worker exploitation landscape really is, over two centuries later.
Brief genealogical case studies of two individuals significant to the strike, who were also present during the 1812 Cotton Weavers strike, are also detailed in an attempt to once again put the soul before the statistic. Indeed, these were real people with real problems who made a real difference to the working class fight against the emerging capitalist class and, as such, they ought to be rescued from the footnotes of both worker and radical history narrative.
*** In what way is it critical? ***
The talk will cover themes such as power, poverty, inequality, the state and worker solidarity as well as concepts such as trade unionism, worker militancy, criminalisation and state sponsored murder. All of the content is complemented by academically informed research which makes use of both primary and secondary source material.
The talk will take the audience beyond a simple descriptive narrative as it both analyses and connects the 1787 strike to contemporary events of worker exploitation and protest.
A PowerPoint presentation style is used and the audience will also receive a digital copy of the PPT slides after the talk ends.
Expect a critical, enlightened and at times emotive worker and radical history talk which is complemented by as yet unseen genealogical research.
The audience will also receive a digital copy of the PPT slides after the talk ends.
*** Details? ***
Doors open:
6.45pm (arrive early to get a good seat!)
Running time of talk:
7.15pm to 8.30pm
Audience questions:
8.30pm to 9.00pm
About the Speaker
Sean is a social history and criminology lecturer in adult education (Edinburgh College, Open University) who has been working and researching in the field of Scottish and Irish social history - as told from below - for over a decade.
Sean is an associate fellow of the Royal Historical Society (RHS), has appeared on TV (BBC NI - TripleVision Productions) as a radical history expert, been published in the political magazine The Scottish Left Review (2018) and authored the local history pamphlet, 'The Green and White of Govan' (2018).
He is also an accomplished family history researcher who specialises in working class family history with regards to Scotland, Ireland, England, Australia and the United States.
Information on Sean's family history services can be found here:
https://seanmcdon.org/
A collection of Sean's blogs and essays can be found here:
https://seanmcdon.substack.com/
(Banner image: an adapted version of Ken Currie's 'Weavers' Struggles...The Calton Weavers' Massacre, 1987)
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