Work in a Modern Society

Whereas the history of workers and labor movements has been widely researched, the history of work has been rather neglected by comparison. This volume offers original contributions that deal with cultural, social and theoretical aspects of the history of work in modern Europe, including the relations between gender and work, working and soldiering, work and trust, constructions and practices. The volume focuses on Germany but also places the case studies in a broader European context. It thus offers an insight into social and cultural history as practiced by German-speaking scholars today but also introduces the reader to ongoing research in this field.

Jürgen Kocka taught Social History at the University of Bielefeld for many years, after which he was appointed Professor of History of the Industrial World at the Free University of Berlin and Research Professor at Berlin Social Science Research Centre (WZB). He has published widely in the field of Modern History, particularly Social and Economic History of Europe, 18th-20th centuries. His publications in the English language include Facing Total War. German Society 1914-1918 (Berg, 1984), Industrial Culture and Bourgeois Society. Business, Labor, and Bureaucracy in Modern Germany (Berghahn, 1999), Civil Society and Dictatorship in Modern German History (University Press of New England, 2010) and Comparative and Transnational History. Central European Approaches and New Perspectives (Berghahn 2009, edited together with Heinz-Gerhard Haupt).

Jürgen Kocka taught Social History at the University of Bielefeld for many years, after which he was appointed Professor of History of the Industrial World at the Free University of Berlin and Research Professor at Berlin Social Science Research Centre (WZB). He has published widely in the field of Modern History, particularly Social and Economic History of Europe, 18th-20th centuries. His publications in the English language include Facing Total War. German Society 1914-1918 (Berg, 1984), Industrial Culture and Bourgeois Society. Business, Labor, and Bureaucracy in Modern Germany (Berghahn, 1999), Civil Society and Dictatorship in Modern German History (University Press of New England, 2010) and Comparative and Transnational History. Central European Approaches and New Perspectives (Berghahn 2009, edited together with Heinz-Gerhard Haupt).

“The volume offers a successful overview of the current German research on the history of work, its directions and problem, but also its potential for further fruitful exploration. It becomes clear that historians interested in the historical dimension of work will have plenty to do still.” · H-Soz-u-Kult

“[The essays] confirm how conceptually rich the intersection of ‘culture’ and ‘work’ can be and, as such, are essential for further study and research on these important subjects.” · German Studies Review

“This insightful book should reach an interdisciplinary audience of scholars, students, and laypersons. Its theses compellingly argue against theoretical demarcations and for more boundary crossings among disciplines and definitions.” · German Quarterly

“…an interesting and informative collection that brings together original contributions from some leading European scholars whose work may not be familiar to a British and American audience. As such it is a valuable addition to the literature in English on labour history and likely to provide a jumping off point for those seeking to expand their knowledge of this area.” · European Review of History—Revue européenne d’histoire

"Kocka, arguably the doyen of social history in Germany, introduces this volume with a succinct overview of the changing meanings of work from European antiquity to the present… For some decades labour studies were dominated by social histories that replaced the earlier histories of workers’ parties and unions. In Germany, Kocka was one of the key figures who tried to make actual working lives visible behind labour leaders’ speeches, rivalries, and organizational structures" · Labour/Le Travail