What is the research problem?
The study of the anti-poll tax movement of the late 1980s and early 1990s has been confined to a great extent geographically to London, disciplinarily to crowd psychologists, and to a narrow reading of its impact on high politics. The regional variations in grass roots political organization in the provinces, the diverse political identities of participants, and the use of interview with living subjects have been neglected or ignored altogether. There is also a gaping hole in the historiography of social movements. Social relations between classes and genders, and perceptions of authority are among the themes that could be drawn from such a resource. An archive of these testimonies is needed for future studies.
Why is the problem important?
Oral history has taken on new importance in our discipline for the study of political identity. This is of particular interest in the study of social movements. My undergraduate dissertation explored how the identity and ideology of Chartism was under constant negotiation and renegotiation, actively being worked out over time, and expressed in its poetry. The poems and pros of the self educated working class author have crossovers with the autobiography, where often the same tropes and widely recognised cognitive models will be used to reach a wider readership, particularly if there is a political message being disseminated. The testimonies of these participants in the anti-poll tax movement are important given the political context of present, with similar movements emerging in response to austerity. How citizens organize themselves when political opportunities arise, and the value of their agency are very important to understanding something potentially beyond the New Social Movement, where a diverse mass of British society said, “We won’t pay.” I will be using and expanding this archive at doctoral level in order to further these findings.
What literature exists?
I will use the work of theorists from the schools of oral history and social movement studies. In order to bolster our understanding of structure and agency in history, the synthesis between framing theory and our understanding of the tropes and conventions found in autobiographical sources provide a ready source of literature to apply to my primary material. Particularly, Languages of Class and the ‘linguistic turn’ will reinforce why this problem is important. Local and regional studies, too, provide a socio-economic context that can evidence regional variation in how the movement emerged and how witnesses interpreted it. Champions of New Social History have produced nebulous works on the condition of the English working class. As already mentioned, however, the anti-poll tax movement is a neglected topic.
Describe methodology
I have an ever-growing list of interviewees from around the UK who I am meeting over the course of the year, region by region. As this archive grows I will search for trends and big themes, critiquing the strengths and weaknesses of oral sources. The source will be applied to theories on how political identity has been understood in the historiography, such as the gap between structure and agency. Social movement theory regarding how movements frame the grievances of their constituents will then be applied. A study of the political agents involved, and the structural context in which they acted will help us understand the extent of popular grievance and the power of political myth.
How will findings be used?
The findings will contribute to a bigger study at doctoral level that will build and diversify this archive. They will either serve to strengthen or challenge existing understandings of how political identity is created and articulated in social movements. Furthermore they will raise questions concerning the present social movements against austerity.
