When the London Mechanics’ Institution (now Birkbeck, University of London) was established, there was great hostility to educating working people. Would educated workers become more unruly, demanding greater political and labour rights? Were educational establishments for working men and women “nurseries of disaffection”? This talk examines the early history of adult education in London. Focussing on the London Mechanics’ Institution, established 200 years ago in 1823, it explores why working people and their allies believed that education was important and the resistance they experienced from political and religious elites. It also addresses questions about competing definitions of “useful knowledge”. 

Joanna Bourke is Professor of History at Birkbeck, University of London (retired) and a Fellow of the British Academy.  A prizewinning author, her 15 books include Birkbeck: 200 years of radical learning for working people (OUP, 2022). 

Admission: Free to CHS members. Non-members welcome (£2 at the door). 

The event was filmed and is available on https://youtu.be/Tvr02ymGgn4?si=LLHJOm7aAWT27ZQ_