Change-making between the Local and the Global: A Conversation

This event will bring together researchers and practitioners from communities in and beyond the North East of England to understand the dynamic interaction between the local and global over the last hundred years. In doing so, it will cover and transcend two spheres – on the one hand, the world of global politics, comprising international institutions such as the UN, League of Nations or World Bank, their officials, and transnational social movements; on the other hand, local politics and everyday environments.

Organised by members of an international research project, ‘Global Governance, Trust, and Democratic Engagement in Past and Present’ (GLO), the event will highlight the interconnection between global issues and local action. It will show how these interactions comprised a distinct sphere for democratic engagement, through varied practices and forms of activism.

The event begins with four structured one-to-one conversations between a local practitioner and a researcher who, at different levels, are engaging with a particular global issue (peace, gender equality, human rights). After some short reflections and dialogue, these will be opened up to general discussion.

Following on from these conversations, we will take a different approach to addressing challenges and issues associated with local campaigning and activism on global matters. These could include questions relating to tactics, maintaining unity amid moderate and radical factions, the engagement of key stakeholders, including the public. Attendees, including practitioners, researchers, and interested members of the public, will be split into small groups to consider solutions to these challenges. Thus, the session aims at problem-solving through dialogues between participants as well as bringing academic expertise to bear on these reflections. We will write up findings from this meeting for a policy paper and a reflective piece.

Programme

10:00 Opening

Henry Miller (Vice Chancellor’s Fellow, Northumbria University) and Daniel Laqua (Professor of History, Northumbria University)

10:15 Conversation 1: Peace

Nick Megoran (Professor of Human Geography, Newcastle University)

Sophie Scott-Brown (Honorary Research Fellow, University of St Andrews)

Chair: Daniel Laqua

11:00 Break

11:30 Conversation 2: Human rights

Jen Clark (Amnesty International) and Mark Hurst (Lecturer in the History of Human Rights, Lancaster University)

Chair: Aileen Lichtenstein (British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow, Northumbria University)

12:15 Conversation 3: Gender equality

Louise Cosby (Strategic EDI Lead, Newcastle City Council) and Julia Moses (Professor of Modern History, University of Sheffield)

Chair: Henry Miller (Northumbria)

13:00 Lunch

14:00 Conversation 4: The environment

Joanna Watson (former Communications Manager, Friends of the Earth), and Matthew Kelly (Professor of History, Northumbria University)

Chair: Richard Huzzey (Professor of Modern British History, Durham University)

14:45 Breakout groups

Facilitators: Henry Miller, Richard Huzzey, Sophie Scott-Brown

15:45 Closing plenary

Chair: Henry Miller

16:15 Close

Contact: Henry Miller, henry.miller@northumbria.ac.uk