Spirit of Revolt Archive
The Spirit of Revolt Archive,[1] based in Glasgow (Scotland), is dedicated to collecting, managing and preserving multi-media records from Glasgow’s and Clydeside’s anarchist and libertarian-socialist movement. It is a ‘community archive’,[2] largely run by volunteers. It was constituted in August 2011 and today forms part of Glasgow City Archives’ collection[3] whilst maintaining its organisational independence. Its catalogue will join the National Records of Scotland in 2013.[4] The archive derives its name from the title of an 1880 pamphlet by the Russian anarchist Peter Kropotkin.[5] The archive’s digitised documents are hosted on www.archive.org.[6]
For its initial scoping and start-up phase, Spirit of Revolt Archive was funded by the Barry Amiel and Norman Melburn Trust[7] which seeks to ‘advance public education, learning and knowledge in all aspects of the philosophy of Marxism, the history of socialism, and the working-class movement’.[8]
Material selected for retention in the archive provides one or more of the following: evidence of a campaign, movement, organisation, or individual’s activities; information pertinent to the anarchist movement, e.g., expositions of anarchist ideology, political positions, rationale behind activities; an insight into membership and associates of anarchist organisations; evidence of the impact of anarchism culturally and politically. Material from political parties is not collected, according to archival policy.[9]
In January 2013, the archive organised an exhibition, called ‘Radical Presses Clydeside – 100 Years of Autonomous Protest Literature’ at Glasgow’s Mitchell Library.[10][11]
In March 2013, Spirit of Revolt was represented at the 19th "Alternative Futures and Popular Protest" conference at Manchester Metropolitan University.[9]
Spirit of Revolt Archive also works in conjunction with "Radical Glasgow's Strugglepedia" which gives information about Glasgow's radical history.
References
- "Spirit of Revolt - Archives of Dissent". Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- Bastian, J.A.; Alexander, B. (2009). Community Archives. The shaping of memory. London: Facet. pp. 3–28. ISBN 978-1856046398.
- "Glasgow City Archives". Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- "National Records of Scotland". Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- Kropotkin, Peter (2003). Anarchism: A Collection of Revolutionary Writings. Dover: Dover Publications. pp. 34–44. ISBN 978-0486419558.
- "Archive.org". Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- "Barry Amiel and Norman Melburn Trust". Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- "Barry Amiel and Norman Melburn Trust".
- Pautz, Hartwig. "Personal profile". Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- McGuire, Neil. "Spirit of Revolt exhibition". Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- Boyd, Cat. "Spirit of Revolt: A Review". International Socialist Group. Retrieved 17 March 2013.