{"id":338,"date":"2011-03-11T09:56:43","date_gmt":"2011-03-11T09:56:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/anterotesis.com\/wordpress\/?p=338"},"modified":"2011-10-18T13:30:49","modified_gmt":"2011-10-18T12:30:49","slug":"luddite-bicentenary-and-luddite-song","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anterotesis.com\/wordpress\/2011\/03\/luddite-bicentenary-and-luddite-song\/","title":{"rendered":"Luddite Bicentenary and Luddite Song"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alerted today that this year – and the next two – is the bicentenary of the great Luddite movement. Still much maligned as backwards-looking, anti-progressive, and if I may be permitted an anarchronism, ‘technophobic’, it is important to remember these workers in their full richness – their bravery, intelligence, despair and suffering –\u00a0 against such easy dismissals. So many thanks to the Luddite Bicentenary Blog<\/a> for bringing this anniversary to my attention, and for continuing the never-ending task of rescuing them “from the enormous condescension of posterity”, as E.P. Thompson put it.<\/p>\n

Through that blog I found that Birkbeck are holding a free one-day conference<\/a> in London, to discuss not only the Luddites, but also other opponents of capitalist modernization across the world. Speakers include Peter Linebaugh of London Hanged fame, T.J. Clark once of King Mob<\/a>, Iain Boal (whose history of enclosure I’m eagerly awaiting), and Amita Baviskar, critic of Indian environmentalism<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Songs are an important historical source, yet without music can read rather drily. Even where a tune is referenced – which may be unfamiliar, or worse lost – to read is not to sing nor to hear. The Luddites had some fine songs in their repertoire, and in remembering them it would be good to give them full voice. So embedded below, the first part<\/a> of Chumbawamba’s English Rebel Songs, including the Luddite song ‘General Ludd’s Triumph’, which starts at the 6.52 mark. You Tube also hosts part two<\/a>; a full track listing can be found on Wikipedia<\/a>. I don’t know if the music is accurate; the Luddites sung it to the tune ‘Poor Jack’, appropriating the work of the patriot and composer of war songs Charles Dibdin<\/a>. The lyrics below – so you can sing along – were found here<\/a>. For some background on Luddite song, and annotated lyrics, see the fine article by Kevin Binfield<\/a>, who has compiled an anthology of Luddite writings, selections of which are available via Google Books<\/a>.<\/p>\n