Radical History Project: Resistance in Detention

Planning meeting - Tuesday 17th February at 7.30 pm
@ LARC, 62 Fieldgate Street, London E1 1ES.

All welcome

Why write a radical history?

Radical history is told by and from the point of view of those on the wrong side of the border, to remember and celebrate the otherwise untold story of what they learned, achieved and sacrificed. Its purpose is to inspire and encourage those engaged in similar struggles with pride in a shared history and to pass on lessons learned. The questions it asks are different to those of mainstream history because it reflects different interests. It perceives the so-called powerless majority as agents of historical change rather than as passive subjects.

Scope and structure of the project

The project will involve discussion groups, building an archive through research, and producing a record. It aims to involve as many people as possible who took part in or witnessed the protests. It will record the main UK detention centre struggles of the last decade, including Campsfield 1998, Yarls Wood 2002 and Harmondsworth 2006. However, there is no limit to the themes and subjects that can be covered, depending on people's interests.

Finally, some general questions to get thinking about:

* Riots, disturbances and uprisings: the function of words in recording resistance
* Why were those particular forms of protest chosen?
* How did detainees draw on traditions of struggle in their home countries during the protests?
* What is the relationship of detention centre protests to the social movements?
* How are narratives of resistance passed on within detention centres, prisons and affected communities?
* How did protestors organise?
* What worked and what didn't?
* Is it valid to draw parallels between the detention centre protests and the prison riots of the 1980s and 90s?
* Is there a political difference between immigration and criminal detention?