Fragments insisted that how movements organised was not a tedious issue, nor a neutral one, but inseparable from the kind of society socialists were trying to create. In their common advocacy of ‘prefigurative politics’, all three authors rejected what Lynne Segal described as ‘stageism’, the relegation of the battle against the patriarchy till after some far-off socialist revolution. This ‘stageism’ had diminished the value of feminism in the eyes of many male socialists and, as demonstrated brilliantly in Sheila Rowbotham’s personal reflections, left the dogmatic and patriarchal character of revolutionary organisations unexamined and unchallenged.

Yet in their insistence on prefigurative politics, Fragments not only railed against the sexist behaviour of pre-existing organisations, it also encouraged socialists to widen the categories of the political, to consider issues of consciousness and control in everyday life. In this way, Fragments sought to make feminism an integral part, rather than a cosmetic or rhetorical addition, to the praxis of socialist organising. It also offered the opportunity to overcome the fragmented nature of radical politics in Britain, which, by the 1970s, was characterised by a multitude of distinct movements, single-issue campaigns and local radical energies. Alone and isolated, these movements were insufficient to challenge the structures of oppression found in the state, the workplace, the family or mainstream culture. But nor could unity be simply imposed from above by a vanguard party. To go ‘beyond the fragments’ required an open and pluralistic alliance from the grassroots, that recognised both common aims and important differences, bringing campaigns together while also respecting the need for autonomy. While not described as such, Beyond the Fragments clearly exhibited the kind of politics we would today call ‘intersectional.’ 

Unlike many socialist texts, Fragments was not self-assured or polemical. It offered no predetermined theory or programme. It raised awkward questions and sparked many objections. It was humble, introspective and wove sharp political analysis with refreshingly honest personal reflections. Upon publication, Fragments quickly sold out its original run and was later republished by Merlin press, reaching a far wider audience than any of the authors expected. It was reviewed and debated in the pages of the Guardian, Tribune, Red Rag, Gay Left and Spare Rib. It also sparked meetings up and down the country, eventually coalescing into a conference at the University of Leeds in August 1980, attended by three thousand people. Alongside a short-lived bulletin and local groups around the country, the conference, despite its occasionally chaotic and time-restricted workshops, witnessed the creation of a complex network of activists that would remain active throughout the 1980s. This included local Socialist Centres up and down the country, as well as the Socialist Society, a nationwide organisation for political education, supported by Tony Benn and Ralph Miliband, which helped arrange the Chesterfield ‘Socialist Conferences’ at the end of the decade. From this also sprung the radical magazine Red Pepper, which fittingly also celebrated its 30^th birthday this year. Fragments’ influence also extended beyond Britain’s borders, being translated into four other languages and finding supporters in countries like Brazil, Mexico, Greece, Sweden and Italy. Demonstrating its wide ranging relevance, it remains and essential text

In our Call for Papers, we invited applicants to write in response to one of Fragments’ three essays, considering both its practical, theoretical and historical insight within the wider context of socialist feminism since 1979. We were staggered by the number, breadth and quality of the abstracts we received. This motivated us both to lay out plans for a follow up conference to include those papers that unfortunately missed out on inclusion this time around, as well as a pre-conference online event dedicated to tracing the history of feminist print cultures, publishing and archives, an essential context from which Beyond the Fragments partly sprung. A video of this event is accessible here.

For both the online event and the conference itself, we were particularly delighted to include papers from a large number of postgraduate researchers and early career academics, many of whom were presenting research for the first time, alongside veteran activists and scholars.

Hosted at People’s History Museum, and supplemented by stalls from Red Pepper, the History of Women’s Liberation group (HOWL) and the Working-Class Movement Library (WCML), the conference was attended by around 100 people, both academics and activists a like. We also arranged an archival display in the Labour History Archive and Study Centre at PHM, drawing upon material from Hilary Wainwright’s papers. Visitors were therefore able to listen to our panels and also take the rare opportunity to look through the rich archival legacy of Fragments, including contemporary reviews in left-wing publications, personal correspondence from supporters (and critics), and even the handwritten notes of workshop meetings arranged at the 1980 Fragments conference.

The conference began with a fascinating and inspiring keynote panel with Sheila, Lynne and Hilary, each offering their reflections on how Beyond the Fragments came about, and what relevance it could have for radical politics today. An open Q&A session afterwards revealed how so many in the audience had found Fragments an inspiring and often formative political text, both in the 1970s, and more recently. It was a testament to the lasting legacy of the work that both so many attended the conference, and of such different ages.

In our first panel, participants responded to Sheila Rowbotham’s ‘The Women’s Movement and Organizing for Socialism’, a powerful and influential feminist critique of Leninist parties that drew heavily on her own personal experience. Jade Burnett (University of Birmingham) drew upon Sheila’s essay as a theoretical frame for studying the experience of women within the Communist Party of Great Britain in the 1920s, particularly as they tried to balance and navigate political commitments and romantic interests. Eleanor Carless (Northumbria University) explored how Fragments partly emerged from within the vibrant feminist print cultures of the time, and how feminist magazines played a major role in the kind of ‘politicisation of feminist feeling’ demonstrated by Sheila’s essay. Georgia-Taygeti Katakou (European University Institute) and Victor Strazzeri (Federal University of Sao Paulo) both added an illuminating international perspective to the panel. Georgia’s paper demonstrated the clear similarities between Sheila’s essay and the experience of Greek socialist feminists, often active in the Greek Communist Party (KKE). Meanwhile, Victor’s paper demonstrated the global relevance of Fragments by tracking both its translation and wider reception, as well as a number of ‘sister’ publications and initiatives in France, Spain and Italy.

Our second panel responded to Lynne Segal’s essay ‘A Local Experience’ which focused on the lessons learned from her feminist and community activism in Islington in the 1970s. Papers in this instance often focused on the particular or the micro, but also drew illuminating and far-reaching conclusions. Krista Cowman (University of Leicester) explored the history and legacy of local Women’s Centres in the 1980s, demonstrating how they established a feminist presence in the built environment, and maintained pockets of left-wing vibrancy within the urban landscape of Thatcher’s Britain. Tess Little (University of Oxford) explored how even decidedly local initiatives, such as women’s centres and health groups, could have an international reach, informing the ideas and activism in the US and France. Finally, Hannah Parker (Sheffield Feminist Archive) gave a presentation on the work of the Sheffield Feminist Archive in preserving and recording the history of feminist activism in Sheffield, documented most illustratively in the Sheffield Feminist Newsletter. Alongside the fascinating narrative histories and analyses offered by Tess and Krista, Hannah’s presentation, aided with photographs of the kind of physical sources the archive had, gave a degree of visibility and tangibility to local radical movements.

Our third panel focused on papers written in response Hilary Wainwright’s essay, based around the theme of socialist organising that successfully knitted together various social movements and issues. Jade Spencer (Humboldt University of Berlin) engaged with Hilary’s essay through an exploration of how socialist-feminist ideas directly informed the employment policies of the radical Greater London Council. Sorcha McKee (University of Glasgow) meanwhile drew upon Hilary’s essay and later work to explore the often overlooked 1992-93 Pit Camp protests, the alternative forms of political action it practiced, and the unique social alliances created, challenging some recent scholarship that has played down the political consciousness of the Women Against Pit Closures movement. Finally, Paul Griffin (Northumbria University) gave a fascinating paper on the organising, infrastructures of solidarity and spatial politics of Unemployed Workers’ Centres in the 1970s and 1980s, drawing upon a recent oral history project.

A final plenary panel featured contemporary reflections on the relevance and insight of Beyond the Fragments as a whole. This ranged from the theoretical to the intensely personal. Phil Burton-Cartledge and Robyn Fawcett (University of Derby) offered a joint presentation that drew upon Lynne Segal’s writing on the politics of care, supplemented by a case study of the ‘Wayward Women’ History Group in Lichfield, as well as important theoretical discussions on the legacies of neoliberalism. Amy Todd (University of Manchester & People’s History Museum) discussed how the socialist-feminist modes of organising, outlined in Hilary’s essay, informed her own community activism, such as organising community ’zine making and workshops on experiences of class. Meanwhile, David Renton (Garden Court Chambers & SOAS, University of London) gave a particularly moving account of the 2013 rape crisis in the Socialist Workers Party, and how the insights of Beyond the Fragments became a source of inspiration for those involved in the campaign for justice for the female victims of rape and sexual assault within the party. Bringing an end to the conference on a hopeful tone, Laura Forster (University of Manchester) explored how the personal life-writing exhibited in Fragments chimed with her research on radical friendships, arguing that the ‘interpersonal is political’ and that the ability to form friendships across movements, and importantly generations, plays a ‘fundamental part of revolutionary imagination.’

Looking out at the diverse mix of ages in the audience, interacting both with the panels and with each other, it was clear that the spirit of Laura’s paper was playing out before us. There was a real feeling of comradeship as the conference drew to a close, facilitated by the stimulating exchange of ideas, and on a more personal level, from a shared appreciation of the work we had met to discuss. A large group of us were able to discuss and socialise over a drink afterwards, and already we have learned that fruitful new friendships have been struck as a result of the event. We have little doubt that a lot of productive and inspiring work, both academic and activist, will emerge from the connections made at this conference.

Looking ahead, we are hoping to arrange some form of follow up conference or event, drawing on both the work of scholars we were not able to include at the event this year, but also the personal reflections and experiences from activists themselves. In response to what we believe were some of the limitations of this year’s event, we particularly want to work harder to include future papers on sexuality, as well as a greater inclusion of the experience of black and brown feminism(s). A new call for papers will be distributed at some point in the coming months, and we heartily welcome any expressions of interest before then.

We would like to end this report by thanking Sheila, Lynne and Hilary, both for writing this inspiring text, and for agreeing to take part in the conference itself. It was a testament to its lasting influence, 45 years on, that there was such enthusiastic interest in the event. Speaking personally, organising the conference has also been one of the great pleasures of our academic and activist careers. Finally, we are incredibly grateful to the generous funding of SSLH, the Past & Present Society, and the North-West Consortium Doctoral Training Programme. SSLH’s funding, in particular, helped us cover the travel and accommodation expenses of early career or otherwise unfunded speakers, as well as helping cover the cost of the archival display. In a time of scarcity and precarity for activists and academics alike, this financial support was essential in making the event both possible and accessible, a conference we hope was in the spirit of Beyond the Fragments itself.

Rachel Collett

Alfie Steer

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