Pro and Anti-War Voices Conference

Photo Credit @ University of Massachusetts Amherst - Photo Credit @ Harvey Richards Media Archive, copyright Paul Richards

At this conference, speakers from across the UK and Europe congregated to illuminate the various ways in which “ordinary” people, both men and women, used their voices during wartime to either support or criticise government policy. Focusing on United States’ military actions, papers considered the War of Independence, the Civil War, World War Two, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War to provide a comprehensive analysis of the US public’s reactions to conflict. The “ordinary” people under examination represented a similarly diverse range of political persuasions and ethnicities, including conscientious objectors, Welsh Americans, conservative women, planter women, active duty servicepeople, Japanese Americans, intellectuals and activists.

The keynote address was delivered by Dr Andrew Johnstone (University of Leicester) focusing on the “most savage national debate”. The discussions between 1939-1941 in response to the outbreak of war in Europe involved a diverse array of people and arguments and Dr Johnstone’s talk focused on these voices, the political coalitions they represented, and the organisations they created.

This conference coincided with a free public exhibition with the same title, from 3-13 November in The Atrium, The Hive. The materials on display related to the War of Independence, the Civil War, World War Two, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, and physically represented the voices that could be heard at the conference.

* This event was part-funded by the British Association for American Studies (BAAS) 

For any questions or queries please email Joseph Rix and Dr Wendy Toon (Conference Organisers) at: warvoicesconference@worc.ac.uk