Spaces and Places of Convergence in Twentieth-Century American Radicalism

This panel explores the phenomenon of “convergence”—the coming together of diverse individuals and groups, both physically and politically—within North American labor and radical movements. The presentations focus on three distinct forms of convergence: prisons and other carceral sites as state-created “convergence spaces” during the First Red Scare of 1917-1925; gatherings marking the anniversary (and contested legacy) of the Haymarket Affair of 1886; and continental anarchist “convergences” of the 1980s that helped to revive the North American anarchist movement during the Reagan era. In each context, activists and revolutionaries attempted to hash out differences, practice solidarity, and imagine better worlds from within shared physical spaces. In some cases the results were decidedly mixed and led to fracturing and divergences; in others they were remarkably effective in fostering cooperation and resistance. Taken together, these presentations highlight the importance of convergences—events that are both structured and contingent—in the history of social and political movements.