Essay #117: Eleanor Strangways, ‘Anarchism, Anti-imperialism, and the British Empire’

Essay #117: Eleanor Strangways, ‘Anarchism, Anti-imperialism, and the British Empire’

From Anarchist Essays by ARG

March 16, 2026 · 19 min · Episode 120

About this episode

Eleanor Strangways discusses the collaboration between anarchists and anti-imperialists in Britain during the Second World War.

In this essay, Eleanor Strangways explores the collaborations between anarchists and anti-imperialists in Britain during the Second World War. The essay begins by examining publications on imperialism within War Commentary, before turning to the participation of anti-imperialist activists in both the publication and anarchist meetings, including George Padmore, Jomo Kenyatta, and Chris Jones. Eleanor Strangways is a final-year PhD student at Loughborough University and the author of the recent article, 'Anarchism, Anti-Militarism, and the British Empire: The Case of War Commentary and the Freedom Defence Committee', which forms the basis of this episode. Anarchist Essays is brought to you by Loughborough University's Anarchism Research Group and the journal Anarchist Studies. Follow us on Bluesky @anarchismresgroup.bsky.social Our music comes from Them'uns (featuring Yous'uns). Artwork by Sam G.

People in this episode

Guest: Eleanor Strangways

Topics covered

  • anarchism
  • anti-imperialism
  • British Empire
  • Second World War
  • activism
  • publications

Keywords

  • anarchism
  • anti-imperialism
  • British Empire
  • activism
  • Second World War
  • George Padmore
  • Jomo Kenyatta

Sponsors

Loughborough University's Anarchism Research Group

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Loughborough University, Anarchist Studies

Books & works: Anarchism, Anti-Militarism, and the British Empire: The Case of War Commentary and the Freedom Defence Committee, War Commentary

More episodes of Anarchist Essays

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Anarchist Essays podcast page.