Beyond the Western Front: The Global First World War – conference and community showcase, Friday 1 and Saturday 2 July 2016

In a British context, and with significant exceptions, the First World War is still interpreted through a white British narrative that prioritises the Western Front as the principal site of conflict and sacrifice. The commemorative landscapes and rituals created after 1918, and re-affirmed each year in the UK and on the Western Front, preclude a broader understanding of the war as a global conflict and its impact into the 21st century. The dominance of this ‘First World War orthodoxy’ has hindered popular British opinion from understanding, or even being aware of, alternative views and experiences.

Through a combination of papers, presentations and workshops, this free event will examine different understandings of the war and seek to provide a broader cosmopolitan context in which to place the British First World War orthodoxy. The event will present and discuss views from a variety of national, faith and other emerging communities whose histories are rarely considered, and for whom the traditional Armistice Day celebrations may have strikingly different meanings.

The event will feature contributions from academic researchers, community groups and organisations including the UK Punjabi Heritage Association and The National Archives.

Sessions will cover a variety of topics, including:

• Indian soldiers in the First World War
• Russian-British mutual perceptions during the Allied intervention in North Russia, 1918–19
• The direct link between the Great War and the establishment of the Chinese Communist Party
• British policy towards oil in the Middle-East
• The British Army, the First World War, enlistment, conscription and 'race'.
• Leeds and the Alien Register, 1914–1919

It is hoped that the debates at the event will prompt further research and collaboration between academics and communities.

The event will take place at the Albert Hall Conference Centre. Click here for directions.

The event is organised by The Centre for Hidden Histories, on behalf of the five national World War One Engagement Centres funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

More details: www.nottingham.ac.uk/go/beyondwesternfront

Image courtesy of the Imperial War Museum; reference number: Q006891