Evan
@evansmithhist.bsky.social
Academic/Writer - History/Politics/Criminology - British, Australian & southern African (plus transnational) history - he/him - top 2% researchers 2024 (Stanford/Elsevier rankings) - views own - cult classic, not best seller - DMs will, alas, remain unread
Pinned
Look what arrived in the mail today!
You can currently get your very own copy with a 40% discount until the end of January via the @manchesterup.bsky.social website.
@d-j-frost.bsky.social
manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526179593/
You can currently get your very own copy with a 40% discount until the end of January via the @manchesterup.bsky.social website.
@d-j-frost.bsky.social
manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526179593/
Big Ange will have his revenge on the Premier League
February 12, 2026 at 5:38 AM
Big Ange will have his revenge on the Premier League
Reposted by Evan
Want to know about the history of free speech debates at UK universities? What the heck is ‘no platforming’?
I wrote a book about all of this once.
www.routledge.com/No-Platform-...
I wrote a book about all of this once.
www.routledge.com/No-Platform-...
No Platform: A History of Anti-Fascism, Universities and the Limits of Free Speech
This book is the first to outline the history of the tactic of ‘no platforming’ at British universities since the 1970s, looking at more than four decades of student protest against racist and fascist...
www.routledge.com
February 11, 2026 at 9:00 AM
Want to know about the history of free speech debates at UK universities? What the heck is ‘no platforming’?
I wrote a book about all of this once.
www.routledge.com/No-Platform-...
I wrote a book about all of this once.
www.routledge.com/No-Platform-...
Reposted by Evan
ICYMI: Who Makes the Far Right?
@booklearning.bsky.social and I used membership application forms for the National Front of Australia (secretly copied by ASIO in 1980/1) to analyse who supported the far right in Australia in 1970s-80s.
Open access article!
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
@booklearning.bsky.social and I used membership application forms for the National Front of Australia (secretly copied by ASIO in 1980/1) to analyse who supported the far right in Australia in 1970s-80s.
Open access article!
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
February 11, 2026 at 6:02 AM
ICYMI: Who Makes the Far Right?
@booklearning.bsky.social and I used membership application forms for the National Front of Australia (secretly copied by ASIO in 1980/1) to analyse who supported the far right in Australia in 1970s-80s.
Open access article!
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
@booklearning.bsky.social and I used membership application forms for the National Front of Australia (secretly copied by ASIO in 1980/1) to analyse who supported the far right in Australia in 1970s-80s.
Open access article!
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Reposted by Evan
A special issue of our journal Labour History Review on ‘Anti-Imperialism and the Global Left: New Appraisals’ is out now sslh.org.uk/2026/02/09/l...
February 11, 2026 at 8:04 AM
A special issue of our journal Labour History Review on ‘Anti-Imperialism and the Global Left: New Appraisals’ is out now sslh.org.uk/2026/02/09/l...
Want to know about the history of free speech debates at UK universities? What the heck is ‘no platforming’?
I wrote a book about all of this once.
www.routledge.com/No-Platform-...
I wrote a book about all of this once.
www.routledge.com/No-Platform-...
No Platform: A History of Anti-Fascism, Universities and the Limits of Free Speech
This book is the first to outline the history of the tactic of ‘no platforming’ at British universities since the 1970s, looking at more than four decades of student protest against racist and fascist...
www.routledge.com
February 11, 2026 at 9:00 AM
Want to know about the history of free speech debates at UK universities? What the heck is ‘no platforming’?
I wrote a book about all of this once.
www.routledge.com/No-Platform-...
I wrote a book about all of this once.
www.routledge.com/No-Platform-...
A long time in the making, @booklearning.bsky.social and I have published this article in AJPH on exploring the question of who joins far right political groups, using membership application forms for the National Front of Australia in the 1970s-80s. 🧵
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Who Makes the Far Right? Exploring Membership Application Data of the National Front of Australia
This paper addresses a problem for scholars examining the question of who supports far right political parties or movements. Due to the semi-clandestine or oppositional nature of far right groups, hi....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
February 11, 2026 at 6:10 AM
ICYMI: Who Makes the Far Right?
@booklearning.bsky.social and I used membership application forms for the National Front of Australia (secretly copied by ASIO in 1980/1) to analyse who supported the far right in Australia in 1970s-80s.
Open access article!
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
@booklearning.bsky.social and I used membership application forms for the National Front of Australia (secretly copied by ASIO in 1980/1) to analyse who supported the far right in Australia in 1970s-80s.
Open access article!
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
February 11, 2026 at 6:02 AM
ICYMI: Who Makes the Far Right?
@booklearning.bsky.social and I used membership application forms for the National Front of Australia (secretly copied by ASIO in 1980/1) to analyse who supported the far right in Australia in 1970s-80s.
Open access article!
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
@booklearning.bsky.social and I used membership application forms for the National Front of Australia (secretly copied by ASIO in 1980/1) to analyse who supported the far right in Australia in 1970s-80s.
Open access article!
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Reposted by Evan
One thing that I forgot to mention in the thread below, which might be of interest to UK scholars. Our article uses the literature of the demographics of support for the UK National Front in the 1970s-80s and compares it with its sister party in Australia. Some similarities, some differences!
A long time in the making, @booklearning.bsky.social and I have published this article in AJPH on exploring the question of who joins far right political groups, using membership application forms for the National Front of Australia in the 1970s-80s. 🧵
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Who Makes the Far Right? Exploring Membership Application Data of the National Front of Australia
This paper addresses a problem for scholars examining the question of who supports far right political parties or movements. Due to the semi-clandestine or oppositional nature of far right groups, hi....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
February 9, 2026 at 10:26 PM
One thing that I forgot to mention in the thread below, which might be of interest to UK scholars. Our article uses the literature of the demographics of support for the UK National Front in the 1970s-80s and compares it with its sister party in Australia. Some similarities, some differences!
As we’re all chatting Wuthering Heights again, here is a criminally underrated cover of the Kate Bush classic
youtu.be/984hLFYh5vU?...
youtu.be/984hLFYh5vU?...
Wuthering Heights
YouTube video by China Drum - Topic
youtu.be
February 10, 2026 at 9:03 AM
As we’re all chatting Wuthering Heights again, here is a criminally underrated cover of the Kate Bush classic
youtu.be/984hLFYh5vU?...
youtu.be/984hLFYh5vU?...
If it comes in hard copy, it is history! 😀
February 10, 2026 at 8:54 AM
If it comes in hard copy, it is history! 😀
Reposted by Evan
Here’s a thread I did earlier with some of our findings. The paper is open access, by the way!
bsky.app/profile/evan...
bsky.app/profile/evan...
A long time in the making, @booklearning.bsky.social and I have published this article in AJPH on exploring the question of who joins far right political groups, using membership application forms for the National Front of Australia in the 1970s-80s. 🧵
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Who Makes the Far Right? Exploring Membership Application Data of the National Front of Australia
This paper addresses a problem for scholars examining the question of who supports far right political parties or movements. Due to the semi-clandestine or oppositional nature of far right groups, hi....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
February 10, 2026 at 12:08 AM
Here’s a thread I did earlier with some of our findings. The paper is open access, by the way!
bsky.app/profile/evan...
bsky.app/profile/evan...
Reposted by Evan
The special issue of Cultural and Social History on “Researching Student Lives: Methodological and Theoretical Perspectives” (co-ed. w Georgina Brewis & Jodi Burkett) is live - yay! Several articles are OA :) Huge thanks to our contributors & the journal editors!
www.tandfonline.com/toc/rfcs20/2...
www.tandfonline.com/toc/rfcs20/2...
Cultural and Social History
Researching Student Lives: Methodological and Theoretical Perspectives. Volume 23, Issue 1 of Cultural and Social History
www.tandfonline.com
February 9, 2026 at 9:27 AM
The special issue of Cultural and Social History on “Researching Student Lives: Methodological and Theoretical Perspectives” (co-ed. w Georgina Brewis & Jodi Burkett) is live - yay! Several articles are OA :) Huge thanks to our contributors & the journal editors!
www.tandfonline.com/toc/rfcs20/2...
www.tandfonline.com/toc/rfcs20/2...
Reposted by Evan
It’s often assumed the far right recruits from ‘white working class’ and there’s surprise some have ‘normal’ middle class jobs. @booklearning.bsky.social and I looked at who applied to join an Australian far right group in 1970s-80s to test this assumption.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
February 10, 2026 at 12:04 AM
It’s often assumed the far right recruits from ‘white working class’ and there’s surprise some have ‘normal’ middle class jobs. @booklearning.bsky.social and I looked at who applied to join an Australian far right group in 1970s-80s to test this assumption.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Here’s a thread I did earlier with some of our findings. The paper is open access, by the way!
bsky.app/profile/evan...
bsky.app/profile/evan...
A long time in the making, @booklearning.bsky.social and I have published this article in AJPH on exploring the question of who joins far right political groups, using membership application forms for the National Front of Australia in the 1970s-80s. 🧵
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Who Makes the Far Right? Exploring Membership Application Data of the National Front of Australia
This paper addresses a problem for scholars examining the question of who supports far right political parties or movements. Due to the semi-clandestine or oppositional nature of far right groups, hi....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
February 10, 2026 at 12:08 AM
Here’s a thread I did earlier with some of our findings. The paper is open access, by the way!
bsky.app/profile/evan...
bsky.app/profile/evan...
It’s often assumed the far right recruits from ‘white working class’ and there’s surprise some have ‘normal’ middle class jobs. @booklearning.bsky.social and I looked at who applied to join an Australian far right group in 1970s-80s to test this assumption.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
February 10, 2026 at 12:04 AM
It’s often assumed the far right recruits from ‘white working class’ and there’s surprise some have ‘normal’ middle class jobs. @booklearning.bsky.social and I looked at who applied to join an Australian far right group in 1970s-80s to test this assumption.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
One thing that I forgot to mention in the thread below, which might be of interest to UK scholars. Our article uses the literature of the demographics of support for the UK National Front in the 1970s-80s and compares it with its sister party in Australia. Some similarities, some differences!
A long time in the making, @booklearning.bsky.social and I have published this article in AJPH on exploring the question of who joins far right political groups, using membership application forms for the National Front of Australia in the 1970s-80s. 🧵
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Who Makes the Far Right? Exploring Membership Application Data of the National Front of Australia
This paper addresses a problem for scholars examining the question of who supports far right political parties or movements. Due to the semi-clandestine or oppositional nature of far right groups, hi....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
February 9, 2026 at 10:26 PM
One thing that I forgot to mention in the thread below, which might be of interest to UK scholars. Our article uses the literature of the demographics of support for the UK National Front in the 1970s-80s and compares it with its sister party in Australia. Some similarities, some differences!
Reposted by Evan
A long time in the making, @booklearning.bsky.social and I have published this article in AJPH on exploring the question of who joins far right political groups, using membership application forms for the National Front of Australia in the 1970s-80s. 🧵
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Who Makes the Far Right? Exploring Membership Application Data of the National Front of Australia
This paper addresses a problem for scholars examining the question of who supports far right political parties or movements. Due to the semi-clandestine or oppositional nature of far right groups, hi....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
February 9, 2026 at 9:25 AM
A long time in the making, @booklearning.bsky.social and I have published this article in AJPH on exploring the question of who joins far right political groups, using membership application forms for the National Front of Australia in the 1970s-80s. 🧵
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Did I mention the article was open access?!
A long time in the making, @booklearning.bsky.social and I have published this article in AJPH on exploring the question of who joins far right political groups, using membership application forms for the National Front of Australia in the 1970s-80s. 🧵
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Who Makes the Far Right? Exploring Membership Application Data of the National Front of Australia
This paper addresses a problem for scholars examining the question of who supports far right political parties or movements. Due to the semi-clandestine or oppositional nature of far right groups, hi....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
February 9, 2026 at 10:54 AM
Did I mention the article was open access?!
In conclusion, our article uses a small dataset to examine who joined the National Front of Australia in the late 1970s and early 1980s, which provides a great insight into far right support at a particular moment, which might challenge some assumptions.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Who Makes the Far Right? Exploring Membership Application Data of the National Front of Australia
This paper addresses a problem for scholars examining the question of who supports far right political parties or movements. Due to the semi-clandestine or oppositional nature of far right groups, hi...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
February 9, 2026 at 9:51 AM
In conclusion, our article uses a small dataset to examine who joined the National Front of Australia in the late 1970s and early 1980s, which provides a great insight into far right support at a particular moment, which might challenge some assumptions.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
While many suggest that the far right in Australia, as well as elsewhere, has drawn its support from the 'white working class', looking at the NFA forms, we found that a combination of lower middle class, skilled working class, retirees and students were amongst the potential recruits.
February 9, 2026 at 9:47 AM
While many suggest that the far right in Australia, as well as elsewhere, has drawn its support from the 'white working class', looking at the NFA forms, we found that a combination of lower middle class, skilled working class, retirees and students were amongst the potential recruits.
The far right in Australia was very geographically determined. The main NFA bases were in Queensland and Victoria, with NFA HQ in Melbourne until the early 1980s and then in Queensland. In Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, applying members generally lived in working class or lower middle class suburbs.
February 9, 2026 at 9:44 AM
The far right in Australia was very geographically determined. The main NFA bases were in Queensland and Victoria, with NFA HQ in Melbourne until the early 1980s and then in Queensland. In Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, applying members generally lived in working class or lower middle class suburbs.
The NFA heavily skewed male, with only 9 women present in the application forms. Of those 9, 4 joined at the same time as their husband. However the leader of the NFA from 1978 to 1981 was Rosemary Sisson, a law student in her 20s, which was very different from the NF in the UK.
February 9, 2026 at 9:41 AM
The NFA heavily skewed male, with only 9 women present in the application forms. Of those 9, 4 joined at the same time as their husband. However the leader of the NFA from 1978 to 1981 was Rosemary Sisson, a law student in her 20s, which was very different from the NF in the UK.
In terms of age, the National Front of Australia skewed towards the young and the old. Of those who provided a DOB, 14 were under 25 and 18 were over the age of 50.
February 9, 2026 at 9:36 AM
In terms of age, the National Front of Australia skewed towards the young and the old. Of those who provided a DOB, 14 were under 25 and 18 were over the age of 50.
Of those who provided an occupation on the application form, we can see a slightly higher amount of people working 'blue collar' jobs. There were also a small number of farmers, graziers and plantation managers.
In addition, there were several who described themselves as retired or students.
In addition, there were several who described themselves as retired or students.
February 9, 2026 at 9:34 AM
Of those who provided an occupation on the application form, we can see a slightly higher amount of people working 'blue collar' jobs. There were also a small number of farmers, graziers and plantation managers.
In addition, there were several who described themselves as retired or students.
In addition, there were several who described themselves as retired or students.
70 membership application forms, submitted to the NFA between 1978-81, were copied by ASIO. Although the NFA was quite small, these forms give an insight into who was likely to join a far right group in Australia at this time, largely motivated by anti-immigrationism and the NF's name recognition.
February 9, 2026 at 9:31 AM
70 membership application forms, submitted to the NFA between 1978-81, were copied by ASIO. Although the NFA was quite small, these forms give an insight into who was likely to join a far right group in Australia at this time, largely motivated by anti-immigrationism and the NF's name recognition.