Quiet Protest: From Archive to Action
9:30am - 10:30pm Tuesday 24th November 2026
The Vietnam War years saw unprecedented numbers of Australians work collectively to oppose military involvement and the National Service Act. Our understanding of the movement against the conflict is shaped by public protest, in particular the 200,000 who demonstrated in streets and squares during the Moratorium campaign of 1970-1971. This understanding is supported by the assumption that such activism is more impactful than that which occurs away from public view. This keynote will expand our view of protest, using the everyday archival records of Vietnam-era protest organisations in New South Wales to present a broader story encompassing Australians of all ages, genders, classes and abilities.
Referencing the Moratorium campaign’s three core principles for creating a mass movement - ‘non-exclusion, non-imposition and decentralisation’ – this keynote highlights the power of quiet protest which, despite its ability to cause dramatic and very public responses by political authorities, has often been overlooked in studies of activism. It also speaks to our responsibilities as citizens, and particularly as academics, working in the urgent present where, across the country, ordinary Australians are integrating activism into their daily lives.