Why Bolshie? Class, Marxism and activism

FORUM - Print ISSN 1474-7685 - Online ISSN 2047-7171
Volume 67 Number 2 (2025)

Why Bolshie? Class, Marxism and activism
Dave Hill pages 88‑100
DOI: 10.3898/forum.2025.67.2.08

Abstract

This article follows on from my ‘Autobiography of a bolshie dismissed’ (FORUM 67,1) which detailed my various job dismissals and being ‘moved on’, my political and trade union activism, and my attempts at being a critical, Marxist, educator. In this article, I seek to describe, explain and theorise my ‘bolshiness’ and socialist/Marxist activism. I locate this ‘professional’/job-related autobiography of dismissal to my working-class background, to my specific tough East End upbringing, and to my life trajectory as a political, and sometimes elected, activist in teacher trade unions and in the Labour Party till 2004, and since then in Marxist parties and united front formations. I attempt, briefly, to set out the impact of this lifetime of activism within the classroom and within academia, the school/university. Here I search for effects on colleagues, pedagogy/ curriculum, union and union activism, and impacts on students. What impact did it all have? And, in particular, what impacts did the dismissals have on students, teacher colleagues and comrades, trade union comrades and on me?

SORRY - you are not registered as being permitted online access to the full text of this article

You have the following options:

  1. If you are viewing this via an institution or academic library you can ask that your institution takes out a Subscription to this journal.
  2. If you already have a Personal Subscription please login below


    Forgotten your username / password? Click here to locate

  3. Purchase an annual Personal Subscription
    PRINT + DIGITAL personal subscription (£45 / year)
    DIGITAL personal subscription (£35 / year)
    A Personal Subscription provides immediate access not only to the single article you are seeking, but also to all past and future articles in this journal up to the expiry of your annual (calendar year) subscription.
  4. Purchase immediate access to this single article (UK£7.00) - Buy article Coming Soon

To cite this article
Dave Hill (2025) Why Bolshie? Class, Marxism and activism, FORUM, 67(2), 88-100 . https://doi.org/10.3898/forum.2025.67.2.08

Share this