Making Cultures of Solidarity: London and the 1984-5 Miners' Strike

A new book explores the 1984-5 miners' strike in London, combining radical history, critical geography, and political theory to show how a culture of solidarity was developed through industrial and political struggles between mining communities and London. The support campaign included diverse activists and had long-lasting impacts on the British labor movement.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 12 pages
Publication date: 11 May 2021
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This groundbreaking work combines radical history, critical geography, and political theory to provide an innovative account of the solidarity campaign that took place in London during the 1984-5 miners' strike. Thousands of individuals came together to support the striking miners, engaging in a range of activities such as collecting food and money, joining picket lines and demonstrations, organizing meetings, traveling to mining areas, and hosting coalfield activists in their homes. The support campaign encompassed longstanding elements of the British labor movement as well as autonomously organized Black, lesbian, and gay, and feminist support groups.

This book demonstrates how the solidarity of 1984-5 was rooted in the development of mutual relationships of support between the coalfields and the capital since the late 1960s. It argues that a culture of solidarity was developed through industrial and political struggles that brought together diverse activists from mining communities and London. The book also takes the story forward, exploring the aftermath of the miners' strike and the complex legacies of the support movement up to the present day.

This rich history provides a compelling example of how solidarity can cross geographical and social boundaries. This book is essential reading for students, scholars, and activists with an interest in left-wing politics and history.

Weight: 382g
Dimension: 156 x 232 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367672423