11 November lecture by Lois Bibbings: ‘War Resistance then and now’
Date
10/11/2019
20:30 - 22:30
This lecture will look at the groups and individuals who in various ways refused or resisted war during the First World War, including the conscientious objectors who for different reasons and to various degrees refused military conscription, the soldiers who went absent without leave or mutinied and the women peace activists who sought to end the war. Here the focus will be on Great Britain but the talk will have a wider story to tell about anti-militarism and resistance. In addition, it will reflect upon how we think about and utilise histories of war resistance post the centenary period.
Programme
8.30 pm
Welcome by Piet Chielens Coordinator In Flanders Fields Museum in Ypres
8.35 pm
Speech by Emmily Talpe Mayor of Ypres
8.45 pm
11 November Lecture by Lois Bibbings Professor of Law, Gender and History at the University of Bristol
“War Resistance then and now ”
(Lecture in English)
9.15 pm
Concert by the female choir Amaranthe
9.45 pm
Reception
The event takes place in the cultural center het Perron in Ypres.
Admission is free, but please register by sending a message to kenniscentrum@ieper.be.
Biography Professor Lois Bibbings
Lois S Bibbings is Professor of Law, Gender and History at the University of Bristol Law School. Much of her research has centred upon the First World War in Britain, looking at hidden histories or lesser known stories of the conflict, and she has spoken and published extensively in this area. Thirty years ago she started researching conscientious objection to military service. Her work in this area has focused upon legal issues, gender and the nature of conscience. Her monograph on objectors, Telling Tales About Men: Conceptions of Conscientious Objectors to Military Service During the First World War (Manchester University Press, 2009) offered a completely original perspective by considering objectors, along with soldiers and male and female civilians, in terms of gender. In 2019 she worked with a local history group, Remembering the Real World War 1, to curate an exhibition and then produce a booklet about Bristol’s conscientious objectors (Refusing to Kill: Bristol’s World War 1 Conscientious Objectors, Bristol Radical History Group).
During the centenary of the First World War her time has been spent researching other instances of war resistance in the UK as well as publicising lesser known stories of the conflict, including giving talks along with TV, film, art, theatre, puppet and music collaborations. In 2018-19 she led a UK festival on hidden histories of the conflict. Currently she is researching the Shot at Dawn Campaign which succeeded in gaining a pardon for the men executed by the British Army for military offences during the war.