Left-Wing and The 'Other' History

As a student of history, someone on the Left, and of a marginalised group (I'm LGBTQ+), I have for a long time wanted to discuss the history of the Left and that of marginalised groups. The Left has had a long and interesting history, and by looking at history from the 'bottom up' common ideas on history look very different. Similar to World History we will try and go through various aspects of human history to understand how modern ideas of the Left emerge. We will look at movements, events, ideas, books, people, and debates in regards to the Left - the good and bad, the successes and failures. To accept one's own politics you have to accept both the good and the bad which it has brought. Marginalised groups across history have had their voice taken from them becoming an 'Other' - as 'subaltern' was coined by Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci this is why I am including them together. Stories of ideas, nations, and events change when we look at the 'Other', and we will challenge what it means to be 'Other'. Does a straight, white man who is working-class count as an 'Other'? Does a Hindu prince under British rule count as an 'Other'? We will look at how frameworks affect marginalised lives, how they are at times even romanticised (i.e. the 'noble-savage' trope), and even left behind by the Left at times? Before each post I will mention whether it is about the Left, the 'Other', or even both. Any World History, or History in Focus, posts that could be included in either category will be linked to on this page as well.

Left History

The Spartacist Uprising. At the start of 1919 a workers' uprising led by figures including Jewish Marxist Rosa Luxemburg and leading politician Karl Liebknecht occurred but was brutally crushed. Here we look at how this Uprising took place, the ideas behind it, and why it remains popular today.

The Easter Rising. On Easter Monday 1916 Irish republicans rose in Dublin inspired by ideas of nationalism and socialism. Including a Scottish-born socialist and a countess devoted to helping the working-class the leaders have become martyrs on the Irish left.

The Haymarket Affair. This rally for an eight-hour workday ended in the explosion of a bomb. In 1880s Chicago anarchists were supporting for worker's rights, and there were many anarchists of foreign backgrounds. However, the aftermath saw xenophobia and anti-anarchism blend together.

The Peterloo Massacre. One of the turning points in British working-class history. In August 1819 a mass crowd met at St. Peter's Field in Manchester to campaign for universal male suffrage - armed troopers charged them killing many.

I Am Your Sister. We take a look at Audre Lorde's influential manifesto discussing the intersection between sexuality, race, and class. It is an assertive and bold declaration of the rights of Black Lesbians.

The Zapatistas. The guerrilla group from Chiapas in southern Mexico they rose up on January 1 1994. Since then they have tried to fight for the emancipation of indigenous peoples and women, and aim to resist neoliberalism exploiting Mexico.
The Internationale. One of the most famous songs of the left, today we look at this wide and varied history of the song.

International Women's Day. International Women's Day (IWD) began as a socialist attempt to bring attention to women's issues. Today we look at how it originated, and it's evolution over time.

The Other

Gayatri Spivak's Can the Subaltern Speak? Spivak's influential essay discussing postcolonial academia and the limits of postcolonialism at the time. With a focus on suttee (widow burning) in India she debates if the subaltern can really speak.

Indigenous People and the Mexican Revolution. The Mexican Revolution drastically shaped Mexico's identity and politics, however, indigenous communities are often overlooked in discussions of the revolution. We look at how indigenous peoples shaped the revolutionary movement.

The Native-Land Project and Counter-Mapping. Designed to recognise the land acknowledgements of indigenous peoples the Native Land Project is an example of counter-mapping. Dividing the world based on indigenous territories, languages, and treaties it aims to raise awareness of this.

The Australian History Wars. In the 1990s a series of debates erupted in Australia about the legacy of colonialism and genocide, which quickly evolved into a 'culture war' over the past.