Protest, Activism, Demonstrations: Writing about Protest

Outline from the VCAA

Page 22 of the VCE English and English as an Additional Language Study Design gives guidance on Writing about protest

"Explorations of conflict and contest, what it means to protest, the value of protest, the outcomes of protest, personal stories of protest, struggle and war."

The following eBook encyclopediae may be helpful for background on protest movements. Peruse the contents or the index to locate specific protest.

•    The international encyclopedia of revolution and protest [electronic resource] : 1500 to the present / edited by Immanuel Ness. Malden, Mass: Wiley-Blackwell. 2009
  • for example Australian Aboriginal Protests by Gary Foley
•   UXL protests, riots, and rebellions : civil unrest in the modern world / Tracey Vasil Biscontini, editor. Farmington Hills, Michigan: 2018
  • LGBTQ Rights

•   Government, politics, and protest  : essential primary sources / K. Lee Lerner, Brenda Wilmoth Lerner, and Adrienne Wilmoth Lerner, editors. Detroit, Mich: Gale.2006

See our guide to Protests, activism & dissent in Victoria

Key texts

• Gillespie, Mark, ‘Friday Essay: On the Sydney Mardi Gras March of 1978’, The Conversation (posted 19 February 2016) (A)
• Pankhurst, Emmeline, ‘Freedom or Death’, The Guardian (online) ‘Great Speeches of the 20th Century’ (series)
• Vonnegut, Kurt, ‘Harrison Bergeron’ [Online], in Welcome to the Monkey House [print]
• Wyatt, Meyne, Monologue from City of Gold, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (official channel), Q+A episode broadcast 8 June 2020 (A)

Welcome

The State Library of Victoria collects a variety of materials relating to:

• activism
• trade unions
• environmental groups
• feminist organisations
• anti-war groups
• student organisations
• anti-poverty groups
• grassroots campaigns and campaigners
• other radical, dissident, advocacy or protest groups

A highlight is our Riley & Ephemera Collection, which includes pamphlets, posters, badges and other ephemeral materials. The bias of this collection is left-wing, reflecting the position of its founding donor, Fred Riley, and the nature of the organizations who rely on promoting their causes through ephemeral items like leaflets. However attempts are made to collect from all points of view.