Activism and Campaign History: Start Here
Activism and Campaign history – A range of resources about the history of First Nations, social and labour movements in Australia and beyond.
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History
Activist Archiving: Start Here
A list of articles and ideas from the Commons Librarians about resources to explore in archiving your work in social change.
Nonviolence Training: A Brief History
A brief history of nonviolence training around the world, Australia and in the Pacific by a group called Pt’Chang.
The History of Campaigns in Australia by People With Disability
Histories and case studies from Australia of the fight for independence, inclusion, equality, access and services for people with disability.
Lessons from Campaigning for AIDs Activism with Sarah Schulman
Introduction This episode features an interview by Commons Librarian Holly Hammond with novelist, playwright, screenwriter, and historian Sarah Schulman. They discuss the nature of effective coalitions, the challenges of accurately documenting social movements, and lessons from campaigns led by the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) during the 1980s and 1990s. A participant in […]
Defying Censorship: The New Theatre and Till The Day I Die
Read an excerpt from the book, The New Theatre: People Plays and Politics Behind Australia’s Radical Theatre.
Films and Documentaries about Social Justice, Movements, Victories and Leaders
Be inspired with this list of movies and documentaries about social movement struggles, victories and leaders – Selma, Milk, Silkwood, Norma Rae, Gandhi and more.
How Workers Defeated Anti-Strike Laws in the 1970s
Read an excerpt from the book, Without Bosses: Radical Trade Unionism in the 1970s, about workers retaining the right to strike.
Aboriginal Change Makers: Stories of Aboriginal Self-determination and Empowerment
Stories and event about the role of Aboriginal Change Makers in the fight for equality and a more just society for all of us.
Fighting for the Foreshore: The Campaigns to Protect Mounts Bay and Kings Park
Read an account of Perth’s first two major conservation campaigns, the preservation of Kings Park bushland and the survival of Mounts Bay.
Women Fighting Back in the Depression Years
Read about the role that women played in unemployed movements during the Depression Years in Australia in this book excerpt by Janey Stone.
Dangerous Visions and New Worlds: Radical Science Fiction, 1950 to 1986
Radical Science Fiction – Watch videos from a symposium held in 2022 focused on the links between sci-fi and forms of activism.
Autistic Community and the Neurodiversity Movement: Stories from the Frontline
The first book to bring together a large collection of neurodiverse contributors to talk about events that shaped the movement, and which they themselves were involved with.
Elections and Activism: Case Studies
A collection of case studies of how activists have intervened in elections collated by The Commons Social Change Library.
A Shelf of Reds: Neglected Radical Historians
Australian radical historians and activists, Rowan Cahill & Terry Irving, share a selection of books about radical Australian history.
From Protest to Politics: The Effectiveness of Civil Society in shaping the Nuclear-free Policy in Aotearoa New Zealand
A case study about what made anti-nuclear activism successful in Aotearoa New Zealand between the 1960s – 1980s.
ChangeMaker Chat with Ernie Cortes: Community Organising
A chat with one of the biggest names in US community organizing, Ernie Cortes, including history, Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF) & Saul Alinksy.
Marriage Equality Campaign Timeline and Reflections
A timeline of events related to the Australian campaign for marriage equality along with reflection and analysis related to Australian, Irish and US campaigns.
Noonkanbah 1979: When Unionists Stood up for Aboriginal Rights
The Noonkanbah dispute was an important chapter in both the struggle for Australian Aboriginal rights and union solidarity in the 1970s-80s.
Blockades that changed Australia
Blockades that changed Australia including Jabiluka, the Bentley blockade, S11, Nookanbah and the Knitting Nannas.