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Connecting Household History and Labour History

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 February 2009

Marcel van der Linden  and
Lee Mitzman
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Labour historians have always shown an interest in working class men and women who participated in strikes, unions, and political parties. However, even when historians are receptive to the importance of family life behind public activism these scholars continue to use the “public sphere” as an approach for studying the family. This approach runs counter to historical logic because the daily life of those who join social movements and organizations involves far more than merely labour activism. To understand the true causes of collective resistance among workers, it is necessary to use the “private sphere” as an approach for studying labour protests as well. While this reverse perspective may not prove a panacea for all problems associated with analysing labour history, it will provide insight into the rather obscure motives of the working class for deciding whether or not to support the development of workers' movements. Furthermore, Jean H. Quataert wrote that examining working-class households makes it possible to keep “in focus at all times the lives of both men and women, young and old, and the variety of paid and unpaid work necessary to maintain the unit”.

Type
Research Article
Information
International Review of Social History , Volume 38 , supplement S1: The end of labour history? , April 1993 , pp. 163 - 173
Copyright
Copyright © Internationaal Instituut voor Sociale Geschiedenis 1993

References

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