William Morris’s Socialism and Politics

Since the early 1960s, the Journal of the William Morris Society (renamed Journal of William Morris Studies in 2005) has attracted a wide range of scholars to consider the life and work of this pivotal figure in Victorian culture. During that time the journal has published nearly 120 articles, exploring all areas of Morris’s social, political and environmental thought as well as his energetic political activism.

The contributions gathered in this volume provide many original insights, as well as unearthing fresh material from the archives. The lifetime trajectory of Morris’s politics and socialism is often discussed in ways that show how it emerges from, interconnects with and informs the many other areas of his work – art, design, literature, poetry, arts and crafts manufacture, fine book publishing and production. There is no other collection of articles of this type, with the range of contributors representing a virtual who’s-who of Morris scholarship. William Morris’s social and political values, his actions, his utopian writings and his libertarian socialism resonate even more widely today than perhaps they did in his own time.

At a moment in history when disillusion and distrust of current politics and politicians has grown significantly, a figure such as Morris offers renewal and hope. This book allows great opportunities to reflect on the culture, context and genealogy of his beliefs while inviting the reader to revisit political possibilities and paths not taken… paths that perhaps should be embarked upon now.