Online Talk: William Morris's Socialism and Politics
Wednesday 21st January 6pm-7pm
The Journal of William Morris Studies has published around 120 articles, exploring all areas of Morris’s social, political and environmental thought as well as his energetic political activism. The new anthology from the archives of JWMS, William Morris's Socialism and Politics: Claiming a Decent Life, edited by John Blewitt and published by the University of Exeter Press on 4 November 2025, offers a selection of these articles, revealing many original insights, as well as unearthing fresh material from the archives.
The lifetime trajectory of Morris’s political and social values emerges from, interconnects with and informs the many other areas of his work.
At the present moment in history, when disillusion and distrust of politics and politicians is most significant, a figure such as Morris offers renewal and hope.
John Blewitt will discuss the book, Morris's politics and some of his activities, not least how he inspired many members of the newly formed Independent Labour Party in the 1890s and early years of the twentieth century. John Blewitt is editor of the Journal of William Morris Studies and author of William Morris and the Instinct for Freedom (Merlin Press, 2019) and editor of William Morris and John Ruskin: A New Road on Which the World Should Travel (University of Exeter Press, 2019). He worked for many years in further and higher education and lives near Skipton in Yorkshire.
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Wednesday 21st January 6pm-7pm
The Journal of William Morris Studies has published around 120 articles, exploring all areas of Morris’s social, political and environmental thought as well as his energetic political activism. The new anthology from the archives of JWMS, William Morris's Socialism and Politics: Claiming a Decent Life, edited by John Blewitt and published by the University of Exeter Press on 4 November 2025, offers a selection of these articles, revealing many original insights, as well as unearthing fresh material from the archives.
The lifetime trajectory of Morris’s political and social values emerges from, interconnects with and informs the many other areas of his work.
At the present moment in history, when disillusion and distrust of politics and politicians is most significant, a figure such as Morris offers renewal and hope.
John Blewitt will discuss the book, Morris's politics and some of his activities, not least how he inspired many members of the newly formed Independent Labour Party in the 1890s and early years of the twentieth century. John Blewitt is editor of the Journal of William Morris Studies and author of William Morris and the Instinct for Freedom (Merlin Press, 2019) and editor of William Morris and John Ruskin: A New Road on Which the World Should Travel (University of Exeter Press, 2019). He worked for many years in further and higher education and lives near Skipton in Yorkshire.
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