Hamish Henderson and Cultural Activism

Authors

  • Stan Reeves Community Development Worker and Adult Educator (Retired), and Scottish Traditional Musician.

Keywords:

Culture; Activism: Gramsci: Freire: Adult Education: Conviviality

Abstract

This article is based on The Hamish Henderson Memorial Lecture given in the Scottish Storytelling Centre on 9th November 2024.  I start with some general thoughts on what is culture, and cultural activism. Then I examine the cultural activism of Hamish Henderson (1919-2002) poet, songwriter, soldier and scholar. He was a world-renowned folklorist, a pioneering lecturer in the School of Scottish Studies, founded in Edinburgh University In 1951, and a leader in the folk song revival of the 1950s and 1960s. His activism was influenced by the ideas of Antonio Gramsci, Italian Marxist philosopher and writer (1891-1937) imprisoned and tortured by the fascist Italian state. Gramsci was also a very important influence on the Liberation movement in Latin American in the 1960s and 70s. I will discuss how the influence of Paolo Freire came to be embedded in the practice of the Adult Learning Project (ALP) in Edinburgh and share some examples of liberating cultural action which demonstrate the values and beliefs ALP shared with Henderson, Gramsci and Freire.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Downloads

Published

24-Apr-2025

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

“Hamish Henderson and Cultural Activism” (2025) Concept, 16(1). Available at: https://concept.lib.ed.ac.uk/Concept/article/view/10829 (Accessed: 1 May 2025).