Mud, dancing, and resistance: the joy and mess of radical environmentalism and non-violent direct action in 1990s Britain

Speaker: Jenny Pickerill (University of Sheffield)

IHR Seminar Series: London Group of Historical Geographers

The emergence of radical environmentalism in Britain in the 1990s demonstrated the power and possibilities of anarchist-inspired non-violent collective direct action. Groups such as Earth First!, Reclaim the Streets, The Land is Ours, and Rising Tide, alongside anti-roads and climate change protest camps, employed creative tactics such as lock-ons, tunnel blockades, treehouses, crop destruction, subvertising, and street parties. This seminar reflects on what was distinctive about this era of environmentalism, its enduring influence on contemporary activisms, and asks what is next for radical environmentalism.

Jenny Pickerill is a Professor of Environmental Geography at the University of Sheffield. Her work explores alternatives to capitalism that generate environmental and social justice. This has included working with environmental activists, anarchist projects, experimental environmental communities, social justice campaigns, self-build eco-housing, and moves towards anti-colonialism.