The Abolitionist is a magazine created by the Radical Alternative to Prison. Set up in 1970, the UK based group was committed to abolishing prisons and the development of alternatives. It worked closely with prisoners’ rights organisations. Its issues discuss various campaigns and initiatives relating to the prison system as well as more fundamental discussions of the role of prisons in the criminal justice system.

Issue number 14.2 from 1983 comments on the disproportionate numbers of black and ethnic minorities in prisons and their treatment. The article ‘Racism in Prisons’ discusses instances of racism toward prisoners by prison officers, offering examples of racist treatment and abuse. It documents how a significant number of prison officers were sympathetic to the National Front, and gives evidence of lenient and favourable treatment towards prisoners who had been involved in racist riots and violence.

It concludes, ‘prisons and the prison service reflect the society in which they operate and of which they are an integral part’. The deeply unequal and discriminatory aspects of British society are for The Abolitionist reflected in the UK prisons system and the treatment of its prisoners.

The Commonweal Collection includes around 15 copies of The Abolitionist published between 1979-1984. Other materials in the Collection about prison and society (St) can be found on the catalogue here.

Josie Mulligan (Commonweal volunteer).

A full list of over 1,700 magazines, newsletters, bulletins and journals that are in the Collection can be found here.

Achilles Heel was a magazine created in the aftermath of the London Men’s Conference 1978. A self-declared ‘antisexist men’s magazine’, the publication aimed to give a voice to men challenging notions of masculinity. It seeks to underline men’s position as a part of women’s rights, feminist and LGBT movements.

Issue No.3 from 1980 delves into fatherhood. As the primary caregiver of his two year old, Corey, Paul Morrison poignantly describes his experiences. He explains his feelings of alienation and grief towards his former childless self: I do feel underutilized. I want somebody to talk to’. He goes on to describe his experiences in work and ‘not being taken seriously as a part-timer’.

Paul adores his child and feels a sense of purpose as a father. His suggests that the norm of the nuclear family and ‘privatisation of child rearing’ is what leads to his feelings of alienation. His aim in sharing his experience is to ‘offer alternative ways of thinking’. Rather than run away from uncomfortable feelings of displacement and inadequacy, Paul Morrison suggests that embracing his role as a father has been a gateway to re-configuring his relationship to work, to women and to masculinity.

The Commonweal Collection includes around 12 copies of Achilles Heel published between 1978 and 1992 Other materials in the Collection about masculinity (Pm) can be found on the catalogue here.

Josie Mulligan (Commonweal volunteer).

A full list of over 1,700 magazines, newsletters, bulletins and journals that are in the Collection can be found here.

Al-majdal is an ongoing periodical published by BADIL (Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights). Based in Jerusalem, the human rights organisation believes ‘the only feasible and durable solution’ to the conflict is one based on ‘rights and justice’. Its contributions include human rights lawyers and those seeking a legal recognition of Palestinian statehood and rights.

Issue No. 18 from June 2003 reflects on the shortcomings of the Oslo Accords 1993. 

The Oslo Accords proposed a ‘Road Map’ to a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. The agreement, however, failed to  recognise Palestinian refugee rights as a human rights issue:  ‘The Road Map merely calls for an “agreed, just, fair, and realistic solution to the refugee issue” – whatever that means’. This means that Palestinian refugees have less protection under international law.

The issue sees this as a fundamental oversight and a significant ‘roadblock’ that would limit the power of international law.

The Commonweal Collection includes around 40 copies of Al-majdal published between 1999-2014. Other materials in the Collection about conflict in the Middle East (Vj) can be found on the catalogue here.

Josie Mulligan (Commonweal volunteer).

A full list of over 1,700 magazines, newsletters, bulletins and journals that are in the Collection can be found here.

Founded in 1961, Amnesty International has served as a voice for human rights since its conception. The organisation believes that international law is essential to prevent human rights abuses by nations, military forces, governments and powerful individuals. 

Issue 105 from January/February 2001 (Amnesty UK) comments on the development of the International Court of Justice (ICC). The issue discusses the history of international criminal justice with the cover depicting Nazi leader Hermann Goering in 1947 at the Nuremberg Trials. It gives the further examples of trials at the Hague against leaders who committed genocide in former Yugoslavia and at Arusha for the Rwandan genocide. 

The issue reflects on the violent histories of imperialism and dictatorial regimes, suggesting that the ICC will become a deterrent to those who attempt to repeat such histories.

The Commonweal Collection includes around 60 copies of Amnesty, the Campaign Journal for Amnesty International British Section, published between 1992 and 2001. Other materials in the Collection about Human Rights (Tf) can be found on the catalogue here.

Josie Mulligan (Commonweal volunteer).

A full list of over 1,700 magazines, newsletters, bulletins and journals that are in the Collection can be found here.

This magazine was produced in the UK by Baby Milk Action in response to the Nestle baby milk formula scandal. From the 1970s, Nestle aggressively marketed its infant formula products as alternatives to breastfeeding despite knowledge of its catastrophic repercussions on the health and lives of babies and mothers.

The Nestle Boycott is one of the most famous examples of a successful and publicised international boycott. The magazine updates readers on the ongoing boycott of Nestle products. It calls for ‘transparent and effective controls on the marketing of the baby feeding industry’. It highlights issues in the marketing of food products detrimental to people’s health more widely, pointing out the staggering power of global corporations and their ability to undermine the sovereignty of governments in their pursuit of profit.

The Commonweal Collection includes around 30 copies of The Abolitionist published between 1991 and 2009. Other materials in the Collection about boycotts (Bi) can be found on the catalogue here.

Josie Mulligan (Commonweal volunteer).

A full list of over 1,700 magazines, newsletters, bulletins and journals that are in the Collection can be found here.

Considered a ‘lunatic fringe’ by the RSPCA at the time, the Animal Liberation Front created The Beast in 1979. The magazine speaks out against the under-reporting of animal rights protests and action in the mainstream press. Based in the UK with links in other European countries, It discusses the ethical reasons against animal testing and highlights the growth of phrases such as ‘Animal Liberation’ and ‘Animal Rights’ as “common currency”.

This two year anniversary edition of The Beast recounts “raids” carried out by the group on laboratories where animals were being subjected to cruelty as test subjects for medicines and cosmetics. In particular, the Wickham Raid on the 28th of February 1981 saw beagles “liberated” from Wickham research laboratories in Hampshire. Animals there had been subjected to inhalation tests where they were exposed to smoke, dust, gases and aerosols. There was also evidence of experimental surgery and mutagenicity.

The Commonweal Collection includes 6 copies of The Beast published between 1980 and 1981. Other materials in the Collection about the Animal Liberation Freedom Struggle (Fq) can be found on the catalogue here.

Josie Mulligan (Commonweal volunteer).

A full list of over 1,700 magazines, newsletters, bulletins and journals that are in the Collection can be found here.

Between the Lines is a Palestinian publication that originated during the Second Intifada, the phase of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict from 2000-2005. It contains detailed political and academic commentary with the editors and writers centring Palestinian action and resistance as a nationalist and anti-colonial struggle.

This edition published in October 2001 reflects on the debates amongst the Palestinian leadership and Palestinian people one year into the Second Intifada. The issue draws attention to a ‘principal dilemma’ often faced by a society seeking freedom from colonialism and occupation – the balance between fighting the occupying power and organising the internal affairs of the society itself.

The Commonweal Collection includes around 25 copies of Between the Lines published between 2001 and 2003. Other materials in the Collection about peace movements in the Middle East (Ej) can be found on the catalogue here.

Josie Mulligan (Commonweal volunteer).

A full list of over 1,700 magazines, newsletters, bulletins and journals that are in the Collection can be found here.

The Christian Action Journal emphasises the social and political responsibilities of Christians. It encourages its followers to challenge the status quo, and to address inequalities in society by learning of the ‘levers of power in society’.

This edition from Winter 1978 discusses the emergence of nuclear power as part of a global issue of economic justice. The journal comments on the dis-empowering relationship between western and developing countries that occurs through economic development programmes which ‘tie the country more closely to the exporter’ and impedes ‘independence and capability for self-reliant action’. It draws attention to the dilemma that developing countries will enrich themselves but only if ‘rich countries will still get richer’.

The issue points out the advantages of ‘low-impact technologies’ – those that can be used on a small scale on the level of a small community – such as wind, wave and solar power. ‘Control over energy supplies enables people to regain more control over their own lives’. In the eyes of Christian Action, this challenges the levers of power in the resources economy.

The Commonweal Collection includes around 100 copies of Christian Action published between 1971 and 1996. Other materials in the Collection about Christianity (Yk) can be found on the catalogue here.

Josie Mulligan (Commonweal volunteer).

A full list of over 1,700 magazines, newsletters, bulletins and journals that are in the Collection can be found here.

The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is a UK based activist organisation that calls for international nuclear disarmament. It was formed in 1957 in response to growing nuclear armament, including in the UK. Its symbol is widely recognised as a universal symbol of peace. The CND continues to publish magazines monthly updating readers on ongoing developments in the campaign.

This edition from Spring 1993 discusses ‘the deadly connection between nuclear power and nuclear weapons’. It suggests that encouraging nuclear power as an energy resource will result in increasing materials that could be repurposed as weapons. In exporting materials such as plutonium to western Europe and Japan, the British Nuclear Fuels PLC would be contributing to increasing stockpiles of nuclear material that could be sold to countries such as North Korea, undermining efforts to discourage nuclear armament.

The Commonweal Collection includes around 40 copies of CND Today published between 1992 and 2001. Other materials in the Collection about nuclear disarmament (Xd) can be found on the catalogue here.

Josie Mulligan (Commonweal volunteer).

A full list of over 1,700 magazines, newsletters, bulletins and journals that are in the Collection can be found here.

This international newsletter discusses actions to resist the arms race during the Cold War. Its overall aim is to ‘bring down to personal size’ the international peace movement through offering resistance tactics on a personal and political level. With headquarters in The Hague, the newsletter focuses on bringing together correspondents from across the globe in their common aim.

This issue from June 1984 focuses on resisting militarisation. From refusing conscription, to protesting military installation, to strikes and boycotts, it demonstrates how one can defy what it calls ‘active intimidation’: ‘when governments or other authorities say that issues of war and peace are too complicated for the likes of us, so we should shut up and follow the leader’.

Examples given include the refusal of draft registration by individuals in the United States, the ‘Fiscal Objection Campaign’ in Italy where people refused to declare 5.5.% of their income tax (the proportion of income tax revenue budgeted for the military at the time), and the commencement of the first Peace Week in Austria.

The Commonweal Collection includes around 60 copies of Disarmament Campaigns published between 1980 and 1991. Other materials in the Collection about Disarmament (Wd) can be found on the catalogue here.

Josie Mulligan (Commonweal volunteer).

A full list of over 1,700 magazines, newsletters, bulletins and journals that are in the Collection can be found here.

Down to Earth was an environmental magazine created and published in Norfolk. Produced by a team of volunteers, the magazine provides environmental news, information and commentary. It focuses on local relevance and grass roots involvement. It discusses threats to Norfolk’s countryside and communities and issues such as transport policy, plans to build on countryside and conservation. It advocates for Non Violent Direct Action and peaceful methods of civil disobedience that are used to draw attention to environmental issues often overlooked by the government.

This issue from Autumn/ Winter 1993 celebrates winning the British Environment and Media Award for Best Environment Magazine of the Year. It also discusses the problems posed by increasing car ownership and road building that go against public opinion in favour of investment in public transport. 

The Commonweal Collection includes around 12 copies of Down to Earth published between 1991-1997. Other materials in the Eco-action (Qa) can be found on the catalogue here.

Josie Mulligan (Commonweal volunteer).

A full list of over 1,700 magazines, newsletters, bulletins and journals that are in the Collection can be found here.