The Jarrow march of 1936: the symbolic expression of protest

Abstract

The basic intention of this thesis is to understand the jar row March in terms of the context from which it sprang. That context is the system of meaning which prevailed in the entity known as Jarrow. This system of meaning - or more precisely systems of meaning - are held to inform; the thoughts , attitudes and actions of the actors who operate within them. In total such systems are known as the cultural system. The cultural system which is being considered here is the one which relates to Jarrow in the inter-war period. The basic data-gathering techniques used to assemble information for the reconstruction of this system were the personal interviews with informants living during the period. Supplementary material used to illuminate the system was garnered from contemporary documents, such as newspapers, and from secondary works. The thesis is divided into two sections. In the first, the cultural system of Jarrow is described. This involves firstly an exploration into the history of modern Jarrow from its founding in 1852 by Charles Mark Palmer. The economic, social and political effects of his impact on the town are examined. Specific attention is paid here to the importance of the shipbuilding industry on which Jarrow's livelihood depended. The effects of the large-scale immigration to the town are considered with special reference to the Irish Catholic group which established itself in the town. Finally, the changing modes of political consciousness in the town's history are studied with particular regard to the rise of the Jarrow Labour Party. Here the significance of the winning of the Catholic vote is considered. The second section considers the Jarrow March itself. As an introduction, the causes of the Jarrow March are examined. A narrative account of the march's history is then provided as a background to the succeeding discussion of the cultural themes prevalent in the march. Finally, the relationship between attitudes derived from the cultural system, and opinions about the march is shown.