From Repertoires to Recipes: Rethinking Political Organisation in the Long 19th Century

This article examines approaches to the history of 19th‐century politics in Britain and Ireland in order to propose fruitful directions for further debate. It argues that historians should return to a more holistic view of the practices of political action and democratisation, reframing the divide between social movements, parties and popular politics through a focus on organising. We propose a shift from foregrounding franchise extension as the principal narrative of the 19th century and to focus instead on forms of organising political participation as means of asserting and developing practices of popular sovereignty throughout the period. Recipes – rather than repertoires – offer a metaphor for variety and change in the ingredients and environments for organising. This article emphasises a comparative and global framework for understanding practices of politics, including organising, in the British Isles.