Abstract | Abstract The centenary of Mrs Pankhurst's founding of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) on 10 October 1903 prompted commemorative celebrations in Manchester, London and elsewhere in October 2003. Drawing upon Pierre Nora's Realms of Memory: discussion of 'the era of commemoration, this article asks who exactly initiates and stage-manages such centennial events and what is their significance. It is particularly challenging to interrogate the celebrations of suffrage history one hundred years on: precisely whose memories are being drawn upon and whose history is being honoured?
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