27 Labour Studies

The Rise of a Working Class

This chapter of an open textbook on Canadian history deals with the rise of the working class.

Includes: Video, images, statistsics, key points

Union Zindabad

Union Zindabad! South Asian Canadian Labour History in BC explores the long and complex relationship with the labour movement.

Can Unions Survive? The Rejuvenation of the American Labor Movement

This book discusses the historical development of labour organizations in the United States, the trends contributing to union decline in the late 20th century, and means by which labour organizations may increase worker empowerment.

Open Access Books

Though not textbooks, these Open Access books may be useful for teaching in labour studies.

Globalization and Labour in the Twenty First Century

This open access book covers the way globalization has harmed working class organizing, and how the working class is resisting. Please note this book is made available under the more restrictive CC BY-NC-ND license, so adapting and remixing are not permitted.

Colonialism, Institutional Change, and in Global Labour Shifts

This book offers a view of shifts in labour relations in various parts of the world from 1500 to 2000, with a particular emphasis on colonial institutions.

Athabasca University Press’ Labour collection

AU Press is a Canadian OA university press which includes some works on labour. The licenses on these books vary, though most are available through a CC BY-NC-ND license, which means that they are free to read and redistribute, but cannot be adapted or remixed. Some examples include Lectures in Canadian Labour and Working-Class History; For Working-Class Culture in Canada, a Selection of Colin McKay’s Writings on Sociology and Political Economy: 1897 – 1939; Class, Community and the Labour Movement: Wales and Canada, 1850 – 1930; and American Labour’s Cold War Abroad: From Deep Freeze to Détente, 1945-1970.