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SUMMARY:History Council of Victoria Annual Lecture 2026: Direct Action\, Protest and Democracy\, Prof Sean Scalmer
DESCRIPTION:Across the globe\, many polities are currently marked by the eruption of ‘direct action’ campaigns: for environmental protection; for peace; and  against racial\, gender\, and class inequality. People march\, demonstrate\, disrupt\, occupy\, and boycott. They typically justify these actions as a legitimate response to the failures of political authorities. They also present their actions as an authentic form of ‘direct’ or ‘participatory’ democracy. Political elites sometimes tolerate these campaigns and selectively incorporate their demands. Increasingly\, however\, they seek to restrict the scope for ‘direct action’\, and to portray ‘direct action’ as a threat to legitimate order\, and as a violent assertion of minority interests. \n\nConflicts around ‘direct action’ and ‘democracy’ have a long history\, seldom referenced in contemporary political argument. In this lecture\, I trace that history\, from the 1890s until the present. This helps to establish that the tension between insurgent protest and formal authority is not new. It also establishes that the prevailing meanings of ‘direct action’ and ‘democracy’ have changed over time\, as each has shaped the other. An historical perspective also suggests a practical conclusion: attempts to limit and restrict protest threaten the vitality of democracy\, along with its capacity for renewal. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSean Scalmer is a Professor of History at the University of Melbourne\, and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia. \nHe is the author of seven books\, including\, most recently\, A Fair Day’s Work: The Quest to Win Back Time (2025). He is also the co-editor of six books on social movements\, labour history\, and democracy. \nSean’s research for this lecture draws partly upon prize-winning studies of direct action and democracy\, Gandhi in the West (2011) and On the Stump (2017). It also draws upon current research supported by the Gerda Henkel Stiftung. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAbout the Annual Lecture\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe History Council of Victoria’s Annual Lecture is our most prestigious event\, featuring a noted scholar on a topic of contemporary significance\, offering insight and provocation from history and historiography. \nThe Annual Lecture is also the occasion for presenting our major awards. \nSince 2024\, the Annual Lecture has been held at the State Library of Victoria. Previous lectures were delivered online.
URL:https://cityofliterature.com.au/event/history-council-of-victoria-annual-lecture-2026-direct-action-protest-and-democracy-prof-sean-scalmer/
LOCATION:Conference Centre Theatrette\, State Library of Victoria\, 179 La Trobe Street\, Melbourne\, VIC\, 3000
CATEGORIES:Writers
ORGANIZER;CN="History Council of Victoria":MAILTO:projects@historycouncilvic.org.au
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