The “most revolutionary” banner in British trade union history? Political identities and the birth, life, purgatory, and rebirth of the “red” Follonsby miners’ banner

The history and iconography of trade union banners has been surprisingly under-explored since it was first taken seriously as a subject of study in the early 1970s. The nostalgia evident in these early accounts for an age that seemed to contemporaries then to be fleeting seems particularly incongruous given the more recent reinvigoration of the trade union demonstration. This article seeks to redress the balance by focusing on the Follonsby miners’ lodge banner. First unveiled in 1928, in a pit village on the northern edge of Durham coalfield in northeast England, the Follonsby miners’ banner was later hailed as a foremost candidate for the most revolutionary trade union banner in British history. This unsubstantiated claim is important in itself, as mass trade unionism in Britain is characterized by moderation and a reluctance to engage in radical politics; an observation that broadly stands for the influential British coal miners’ unions and, more specifically, for the miners of the Durham coalfield itself.The article's argument has both narrow and broad dimensions. Narrowly, it argues that the Follonsby banner has a strong claim to be regarded as the most revolutionary in Britain, albeit with “revolutionary” understood in certain theoretical and context-specific ways. The broader argument develops the claim that the iconography of the Follonsby banner is more significant for what the process of interrogating its “revolutionary” credentials reveals about the complexities of the political culture of the mainstream British Left in the twentieth century and after. In this broader respect, the Follonsby banner—iconography, birth, life, purgatory, and rebirth—is more important for its curious representatives rather than its individuated existence as an “extreme revolutionary” outlier.

Youth Policy of the European Union and “May 1968”

The article considers the problem in the history of the European Union: what date can be considered the beginning of a youth policy? In reviews of the history of youth policy in the European Union one can frequently find the date “1968”, when a wave of student protests swept across Europe, as a starting point. The article explores the reasons for this role of the May 1968 events. The article gives both a formal and symbolic answer to the question set in the study. Analyzing other studies of the European Union history and documents of the European Communities, the factual and symbolic side of the issue is considered. Using the concept of “places of memory”, coined by Pierre Nora, the author analyzes the symbol of 1968 protests in relation to the history of youth policy of the European Union. Interpreting “1968” as a “place of memory” for European politics, the author comes to the conclusion that the European Union’s youth policy has two starting points: the formal one, which is directly related to the institutionalization of the “youth” social group as a direct object of the European Union’s policy, and the symbolic, which is associated with the recognition of youth as a political entity.

The EU after Brexit: Key Geopolitical and Geo-Economic Challenges

The decision on Britain’s secession from the European Union, taken by the British Parliament and agreed by London and Brussels, divided the Union history into “before” and “after”. Not only will the remaining member states have to “digest” the political, commercial, economic and mental consequences of parting with one of the largest partners. They will also have to create a substantially new algorithm for the functioning of United Europe. On this path, the EU is confronted with many geopolitical and geo-economic challenges, which should be answered by the new leaders of the European Commission, European Council, and European Parliament.

«Union History Archive» as an integral part of the Byzantine library and archive of «Studion» book collection

On the basis of a large array of archival documents and historiographical base, the activity of Klymentii Sheptytskyi as abbot of the Holy Assumption Univ Lavra is highlighted. The analysis of this suggests that the abbot Klymentii not only contributed to the restoration of the model of the convents of the Studio Charter, but thanks to the author’s messages and works became the charismatic law-maker of this model. The author found out that the monasteries of the studio, headed by the abbot Klymentii, were able to: consolidate the Ukrainian emigrants, resist the denationalization from both the Russian and Polish sides; to spread education among young people and children, which has influenced the process of education in the religious-patriotic spirit of the Eastern Galician society; to create religious and ecclesiastical periodicals and a network of monastic libraries, which played a significant role in the development of Christian and national ideas among the local population; revive sacred art, which greatly enriched the national culture; support and care for the vulnerable, including orphans, the sick and the poor. In the article it is proved that the activity of abbot Klymentii (Sheptytskyi), first, became an important factor and criterion of moral and spiritual enrichment of Ukrainians, secondly, is a clear statement that the GCC stood on the principles of Christian morality, national and cultural tolerance and upholding — religious interests of Ukrainian, and the monasteries of the Studio Charter became one of the greatest expressors, the guarantor of the realization of national and cultural interests of Ukrainians in Eastern Galicia.The paper deals with organizational principles and practical work of the «Union history archive» (UHA), its functions, ways and dynamics of additions, structure and thematic policy of archival and library funds, personnel issue. The role of UHA founder Galician Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytskyi (1865‒1944) remains an uninvestigated issue in the context of interwar archival institution studies. The research based on newly discovered primary sources and materials of Vasyl Stefanyk National Scientific Library of Ukraine in Lviv, Central State Historical Archive of Ukraine in Lviv, and State Archive of Lviv oblast. Having a set of newly discovered archival documents: 381 «books of introductions», reports on expeditions, financial receipts, etc., as well as the correspondence of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytskyi, director and staff of UHA, a unified image of UHA in its historical development is reproduced. In particular, the main aspects of the current work of the UHA, the role of the Metropolitan and director Ivan Shendryk in coordinating the processes of acquisition, monetary evaluation, purchasing of rarities with the participation of freight forwarders O. Tsynkalovsky, B. Olkhivsky and other individuals in searching for historical (church) written and printed monuments, as well as art and archaeological exhibits; establishing contacts with residents of Volyn, Kholm, Polissya, Podlasie, as well as Lithuania, Belarus, Russia and others. One of the well-established forms of UHA acquisition has been studied — the purchasing of cultural monuments in bookstores, antique shops, «on the market» and auctions that allows tracing the dynamics of UHA acquisition. The organizational activities of Metropolitan A. Sheptytskyi and the archival research works financially provided by him in the archives of the Vatican, the Peremyshl Chapter, the Archive of Ancient Acts in Warsaw, the Ossolinski National Institution in Lviv and others institutions have been studied. The structure and thematic palette of UHA components are revealed: the archive of ancient acts (before the 1917 revolution) and the archive of new acts (from 1917), book collections, including the «archival library». The initiatives of the founder of the Union History Archive, Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytskyi, on the reorganization and inclusion of UHA funds in the archive-library complex of the «Studion» book collection as an integral part of the Byzantine library and archive are highlighted. The activity of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytskyi in preventing the destruction of the whole layer of culture and enrichment of the national treasury of Ukraine is presented on the example of coverage of the work of UHA. Keywords: Archives, Library, Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytskyi, Book collection, Union, Historical monuments, Manuscripts.

Development of Alternative Tourism in Kosovo – Peja Region

In the concept of alternative tourism, the dynamic growth of cultural tourism can be explained by the fast growth of demand for trips to various cultural attractions and amenities. Alternative tourism is a form of tourism that is not well-known and promoted in our country, but which presents high economic development potential. Alternative tourism is based on the use of natural potentials and cultural heritage and encourages interaction with nature, people and community. Peja District is an important tourist destination in Kosovo especially in rural areas, which are popular and frequently visited by local visitors and tourists from the European Union. History, culture and tradition are the main sources of tourism development in Peja region. The position of extension, the protected environment, the fertile lands, etc. are the elements that identify the city of Peja as a tourist town, which is visited throughout the year by visitors from different countries. Such tourism will be just green, sensitive, progressive, harmonious, responsible, eco, community; all characteristics fall under the heading “alternative tourism”. The goal of the paper is to provide readers with knowledge about alternative tourism in Peja municipality.

"We can and we must": The scientificitiy of trade-union history-writing in the Soviet Union in the 1920s

In the 1920s, the young Soviet Republic, rejecting the old social system, turned to the study of the past. Instead of engaging with professional historians, the new regime initiated a whole range of large-scale participatory projects incorporated into political and public institutions to produce new, revolutionary history. In this article, instead of approaching this topic in terms of ideology and memory I put it in the context of history of science. Focusing on the case of trade unions, I suggest considering the early Soviet non-academic history-writing as a form of radical citizen science. Even though trade unionists had no special education, they dared to use scientific methods in their research that ended with positive results. This story allows us to question the opposition between amateurs and professionals in the field of citizen science. „Możemy i musimy”: Naukowość pisarstwa historycznego o związkach zawodowych w Związku Radzieckim w latach 20. XX wieku Abstrakt W latach 20. XX wieku młoda Republika Radziecka odrzuciwszy stary układ społeczny zwróciła się ku badaniom przeszłości. Zamiast współpracować z profesjonalnymi historykami, nowy reżim zapoczątkował całą gamę dużych projektów partycypacyjnych pod kontrolą instytucji politycznych i publicznych, których celem było stworzenia nowej, rewolucyjnej historii. W tym artykule zamiast podchodzić do tego tematu w kategoriach ideologii i pamięci, umieściłem go w kontekście historii nauki. Skupiając się na przypadku związków zawodowych, sugeruję rozważenie wczesnego sowieckiego, nieakademickiego pisarstwa historycznego jako formie radykalnej nauki obywatelskiej. Mimo że związkowcy nie mieli kierunkowego wykształcenia, odważyli się wykorzystać metodę naukową w swoich badaniach zwieńczonych pozytywnymi rezultatami. Przykład ten pozwala nam kwestionować opozycję między amatorami i profesjonalistami w dziedzinie nauki obywatelskiej.