Classics and Class in Britain, 1789-1917

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Recent research I have completed on Classics-informed responses to the 1857 Indian uprising against British rule, and to the campaigns for the abolition of slavery 1770-1865, has revealed that our perception of the historical relationship between Classics and the divisions between citizens on the criterion of social class is badly distorted because the crucial voices--those of the working class--have yet to be heard. Existing studies stress the role played by Classics in social exclusion, notably F. Waquet's 'Le latin, ou L'empire d'un signe' (1998) and C. Stray's fine 'Classics Transformed' (1998), but use only elite sources on intellectual culture and educational policy. My proposed research has the potential to effect a breakthrough. It will identify evidence which challenges the prevailing picture by consulting working-class subjects themselves in the period when class conflict in Britain was most acute and self-conscious.The hypothesis has been informed by the provocative approach to literary communities in J. Boreil (1985, ed.), 'Les Sauvages dans la cité: auto-emancipation du people et instruction des prolétaires au XIXe siècle', and Jonathan Rose's 'The Intellectual Life of the British Working Classes' (2001). Although Classics is not the main focus of these studies, they suggest that Greek and Roman authors may have had a greater presence in the memoirs and cultural output of working-class writers than usually supposed. I plan to spend 25% of my work time for 3 years investigating the documents held in collections relating to the British working class, the sheer volume of which makes a full-time Research Assistant essential. S/he must possess expertise in Classics in order to identify responses to Greek and Roman culture. Many materials are by political activists such as leaders of the Co-operative movement, Chartism, and (later) the Independent Labour Party and Social Democratic Federation: my longstanding interest in ancient social class as well as Reception has enabled me to develop techniques for decoding standpoints on social issues, while my interest in Labour movement and adult education history has underpinned my active membership of the WEA. My method will be informed by Sheila Rowbotham's 1981 History Workshop formulation of an identity-based approach to reading the reactions of workers to the acquisition of knowledge in the University Extension movement, Burnett's emphasis on autobiography as a form of self-presentation where honesty may be sacrificed to other motives, and Lenhart's 'The Stamp of Class' (2006); this provides a model for identifying the 'distortion' of working-class subjectivity in texts through generic expectations.I have identified as promising 5 archives in the Greater London area, 12 in the rest of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, and 1 in Amsterdam (see Objectives). I am applying for funds to support travel, accommodation and subsistence for myself and my RA for 1 week in those outside London (i.e. for 13 research trips each), and to cover the costs of photocopying, scanning, printing, photography, and output support. Individuals who have agreed to act in the event of an AHRC award as members of an interdisciplinary panel of consultants include John Holford (History of Education), Chris Stray (History of Classical Education), Jonathan Rose (History of the Book), William Feaver (Art Historian and Museum Curator), Adam Roberts (19th-century English Literature) and Jonathan Zeitlin (Labour History and Sociology). I am applying for support of 2x1-day workshops for 8 people, in months 12 and 24, in order to present findings for analysis and feedback. Proposed outputs: a substantial critical edition with Introduction of selected materials, a full online catalogue of the findings, 3 lectures made available to the online community by being uploaded on a dedicated education resource channel e.g. youtube.com.edu, a CD, radio programme and monograph.