Workshop: Perspectives On Labour History in the 19th and 20th Centuries

This workshop offers an introduction to key themes and methods in labour history, with a particular focus on the Italian context and the history of industrial work in the twentieth century. Students will be encouraged to approach labour not only as a historical subject, but as a lens through which to explore broader transformations in modern societies. The workshop provides a critical overview of major historiographical developments, from the foundational contributions of classic labour history to more recent and innovative approaches, including global, gender, and environmental history.
Alongside this historiographical grounding, the workshop helps students develop essential research skills: how to work with a variety of historical sources (archival, printed, oral, visual, audiovisual, statistical, and digital); how to construct a focused and well-organised bibliography; and how to design an independent research pathway.
Taught in a seminar format, the course emphasises active participation through close reading, guided source analysis, and collaborative discussion.

By the end of the workshop, students will have developed a critical understanding of labour both as a subject of historical inquiry and as a lens through which to examine major political, social, cultural, and environmental transformations in contemporary societies. They will be able to engage confidently with central themes in twentieth-century Italian labour history: socio-political relations between collective actors; workers' migration and mobility; construction of gender roles; deindustrialization; environmental issues.
Students will be able to analyse and interpret a broad spectrum of historical sources, selecting those most relevant to specific research questions. They will also develop a well-informed understanding of the diverse social actors engaged in labour relations, as well as a critical appreciation of the historiographical perspectives that have shaped the field.
Through active participation in seminar discussions and the development of a short final project, students will strengthen their ability to synthesise information, formulate coherent arguments and apply historical methods with critical awareness.