The
Society's Annual conference was was held at the New Lanark conference
centre, situated in the restored mill buildings where Owen established his model
community on the banks of the Clyde in the early 1880s. It attracted more than
100 academics from around the world including a nine-strong delegation from the
Robert Owen Society of Japan, a country where Owen’s legacy is stronger than it
is in his home country.
Insights on many of Owen’s wide-ranging interests were shared including innovation, education, and utopian communities. Other papers were inspired by Owen’s contribution to fields such as industrial organization and worker co-operatives.
Staying in Owen’s community at New Lanark wa
s
an educational experience in itself, especially noticing how the industrial
community fitted into the local environment. It was a beautiful setting and
exemplified Owen’s belief that a healthy environment and a well-treated
workforce were vital to successful businesses. The mills also used renewable
energy in the form of hydro-power from the river Clyde.
We were determined to remember Robert Owen in his anniversary year and were astonished by how much of an inspiration his example still provides. As a Society we were pleased by the links we have been able to build up with researchers from Canada, Spain, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Finland, the USA and Japan. Welsh people should be as proud of Robert Owen as Scottish people are.
The Society has also published a collection of essay’s on Owen’s contribution to innovation in the 21st century which was launched at the conference: more details are available on the publisher's website and also available from:
Richard Bickle (Secretary), UK Society for Co-operative Studies
Holyoake House, Hanover Street, Manchester, M60 0AS.
Tel: 07768 184882, Email: richardbickle@cooptel.net