Pro- and Anti-War Voices Conference

University of Worcester, Saturday, 11 November, 2023

Keynote speaker: Dr Andrew Johnstone, University of Leicester

On Saturday, 11 November, the University of Worcester welcomes a variety of expert historians from across the United Kingdom and Europe to deliver conference papers focusing on both the negative and positive responses to conflicts throughout the history of the United States.

Whilst war has often been analysed by focusing on the important decision makers, both civilian and military, we seek to challenge this lens by concentrating on a “bottom-up” approach to history. “Ordinary” people are often the largest constituent of a society yet, particularly in matters of war, have one of the quietest voices. This conference will therefore shed light on the perspectives of those who have been ignored and neglected by a previous dedication to “top-down” history. The “ordinary” people under study represent a diverse range of political persuasions and ethnicities, including conscientious objectors, Welsh Americans, conservative mothers, planter women, active-duty servicepeople, Japanese Americans, intellectuals and activists. In this way, conference goers will gain a diverse insight into the way “ordinary” people inserted their voices into situations in which they had little control.

The conflicts covered during this conference will be equally multifarious. Academics will be delivering papers focusing on the War of Independence, the Civil War, World War Two, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. This will provide a comprehensive review of “ordinary” American responses to war throughout the nation’s history.

We are pleased to announce that the keynote address will be delivered by Dr Andrew Johnstone (University of Leicester) focusing on the “most savage national debate”. The discussions between 1939-1941 in response to the outbreak of war in Europe involved a diverse array of people and arguments and Dr Johnstone’s talk will focus on these voices, the political coalitions they represented, and the organisations they created.

Everybody is welcome to come and enjoy! Please visit:

https://www.worcester.ac.uk/about/academic-schools/school-of-humanities/humanities-research/pro-and-anti-war-voices-conference.aspx for details on how to purchase your ticket.

For any enquiries, please contact Joseph Rix (conference co-coordinator) at: warvoicesconference@worc.ac.uk