(Audience: c. 30)

The Does British Political History have a Future CfP argued that political history was ‘outdated, static’ and that ‘political historian’ was a rarely used description. As an academic subdiscipline, local history arguably suffers from comparable reputation problems. Yet, rarely asked questions remain. First, if ‘all politics local’, why have so few political historians engaged with local case studies? Second, why do so few local historians engage more clearly with twentieth century politics? After reflecting on these apparent problems, this paper will suggest that a deliberate and critical interaction between these two areas may actually aid the historical study of place, belonging, and political representation. Addressing issues of local governance and popular politics, together with ideas of community and collectiveness, this paper argues that these issues have laid at the heart of political concerns in recent decades.
Originating from research considering local electoral contests affected by debates over migration and far-right politics, and how national energy policy affected local communities, economies, and politics, the paper will reflect on whether a renewed focus on the local might help in the conference’s outlined endeavour. It suggests that interactions between local reactions to larger socio-economic processes, like deindustrialisation, cultural change, and political fragmentation, can be better mapped and understood through localised case studies. Responding to concerns, raised by adherents to ‘new political history’, about an assumed ‘nationalisation of politics’ obfuscating localised political cultures and socio-economic factors, this paper advocates moving beyond merely incorporating the local, by making it a fundamental significant area of political activity. After all, In British politics, where the only election that decides national governance is when constituents vote for their Member of Parliament, how localities interpret global, national, and local issues is crucial to our understanding of British politics.