Working Class Academics Conference: Blackburn house hosts gathering

The first International Working Class Academics Conference was moved entirely online and saw keynote speeches from award winning novelist Kit de Waal, writer and broadcaster Rachael Gibbons, renowned academic Professor Budd Hall and Manchester poet Tony Walsh along with over 600 delegates from five continents in attendance.

All of the talks, taking place on July 14 and 15, were centred around the experience of people of working-class origin who have built careers in the world of academia.

Organiser Dr Peter Shukie, who ran the event from his home, said: “The catalyst for the conference has been my own work as a working class academic, the brilliance, inspirational, creative zeal from diverse spaces that I have been lucky enough to engage with as lecturer and community educator.

“We take from Kit de Waal that this is a celebration, not an apology.”

He added: “Without doubt, the highlight of the conference comes in the form of exciting speakers, including Blackburn College Students, academics from across the world - including the USA, Canada and Europe - and thinkers, practitioners and researchers offering insight, advice and experiences on being working class in academia.”

Dr Shukie’s works does not begin and end with the conference however and he is continuing to call for submissions of blogs and research papers from students, academics and first-time writers.

He hopes to use this form to create a supportive environment for writers and researchers to develop their skills and exhibit their work.

Dr Shukie said: “We have been funded through donations and created a supportive network of regular speaker meetings, small presentation groups that have worked together to develop their work, and a lively blog and social media space to promote wider discussion.

Submissions can be made by visiting: https://workingclass-academics.co.uk/call-for-papers/.