“I promised them that I would tell England about them”: a woman teacher activist's life in popular humanitarian education

Abstract

Arguments for popular education in the twentieth century were articulated through a variety of media including publications, exhibitions and the press. Such arguments were also often directly linked to ideas about change and social justice. This article addresses both of these elements – the media and social justice. In so doing it makes a contribution to the largely neglected field of study that is international humanitarian activism by women. It adopts a case‐study approach to address one particular aspect of their activism, specifically initiatives in popular education by women who were also relief workers in the field. Throughout her life the British teacher, author and humanitarian activist Francesca Wilson used a variety of strategies to raise public awareness of the plight of refugees and displaced persons affected by war and famine in Europe. Through autobiographical and historical accounts, the press, radio broadcasts, exhibitions, public meetings and educational organisations, she sought to change popular perceptions of the displaced, and to influence the educational and organisational policies and practices of relief agencies. This article begins by locating her within a wider group of comparable female educator activists before going on to explore how she adapted a wide variety of media tools to convey her message to a range of different audiences.