Oral historians
Howkins, Alun (5 of 17). Oral History of Oral History
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Type
sound
Duration
00:06:41
Shelf mark
C1149/10
Recording date
2008-03-03, 2009-04-21, 2009-06-11, 2009-07-30, 2009-10-08, 2009-10-29, 2009-12-10, 2010-04-22, 2010-11-17, 2011-08-15
Interviewees
Howkins, Alun, 1947- (speaker, male)
Interviewers
Wilkinson, Robert (speaker, male)
Abstract
Part 5: When he got the place at Ruskin he was offered a junior editorial position at Longmans but declined. Vins absence from Harlow meant he spent lots of time in the local folk clubs. In 1967-68 he became political properly for the first time. He was involved in the union and attended meetings, but the Vietnam War and the growth of trade union militancy affected him profoundly. It made sense that young people would take on the state over these issues. In May 1968 he went to the LSE which was occupied, he saw Alan Krevine and Danny Cohn Bendit speak and was excited by the occasion. Lots of people at Ruskin had shared this feeling. 85% of them had come out of the trade union movement. Harlow was important to him, he struggled with fatherhood and the marriage didnt last, he got involved with the folk scene which had no students. His politics were to do with youth and reflected the times, he still has these ideals.
Description
Life story interview with Alun Howkins, Emeritus Professor of History at University of Sussex and agricultural historian and folklorist.
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