Papers by Marcel Van Der Linden
"The Distress is Impossible to Convey"
In the 1920sE uropean trade-unionists "discovered" British India. Increasing competition made tex... more In the 1920sE uropean trade-unionists "discovered" British India. Increasing competition made textile workers in Britain and Germanyaware of the major social and economic changes that were taking place in South Asia.S everal factfinding missions weres ent to the east.The present volume documents three reports of two of these delegations.N ot onlyd ot hey provide insight into the political and cultural worldviews of European workers, includingtheir diverging attitudes towards colonialism -they are also atreasuretroveofinformation on the workinga nd living conditions of the Indian industrial proletariat. Until World WarI ,I ndia had figured rarelyi nt he debates of European labour movements. Indian news occasionallymade it into trade union newspapers and journals, in the form of reports on the introduction of factory legislation, new restrictions of child labour,orrestrictions in the hours of workinIndian industries.¹ British interest in India as acolonywas for obvious reasons widespread, and British trade unionists in the late nineteenth century certainlyp artook of it,a lbeit within alimited compass that tended to exclude labour matters in India. The condition of British-ruledIndia was discussed as was the general poverty of the Indian people. In Britain, this led to af ocus on peasant life and famines under colonialism. When Keir Hardie, for example, visited the Indian colonya st he first British Labour Party MP in 1907-1908, he paid special attention to the poor peasants and the colonial administration in his travelogues. He said practicallyn othing about the industrial proletariat.I llustrative of this absencei sa n episode that he reported on when visiting Calcutta: he wrotet hat several jute "workers",f rom Dundee, Arbroath, and Manchester,h ad met him to talk Fort he growing interest of British trade unionists in Indian labour conditions after World WarI ,s ee:
“The Distress is Impossible to Convey.” : British and German Trade-Union Reports on Labour in India (1926-1928)
Work in Global and Historical Perspective, 2020
Social History in the Netherlands
The History of Social Movements in Global Perspective, 2017
There is no doubt that without uprisings, social movements and everyday forms of collective resis... more There is no doubt that without uprisings, social movements and everyday forms of collective resistance, today’s Europe would look quite different. In no small measure, guild battles, peasant wars and revolutions have helped shape our present. Despite this, historians have for many years shown little interest, or no interest at all, in the protests of the lower classes. Instead, ‘riots’ were seen as highly emotionally charged eruptions of confused masses, layers that historical research was unable to analyse. Only in the course of the twentieth century, and particularly since the 1960s, has this changed somewhat. Frequently, because historians had now often taken part in protests and social movements themselves, they could concretely see how forms of resistance could develop and what conditions gave them a chance of success. A new perspective was thus formed, outlined internationally in the concepts of opportunity structure, resources and framing. Opportunity structure describes the framework within which protests are articulated (the level of state repression, the independence of the mass media, etc.). The concept of resources emphasizes that protesters need means to mobilize people, such as, for example, social relationships, forms of wider communication, places where they can meet and persuasive speakers. Framing highlights how protesters articulate their resistance through particular meaning and belief systems, which they themselves often remodify. Taken together, these three concepts make clear that protests always develop in particular political contexts independent of them; that they need a more or less explicit legitimating ideology, and that they need social and material resources for the protest to be effectively articulated. It goes without saying that all three elements undergo constant change. Repression, mass media, belief systems and the required resources vary from region to region and from period to period.
Handbook Global History of Work, 2017
Resistance* * In writingthis chapter, Iowe adebt to Marcel van der Linden, Workers of the World: ... more Resistance* * In writingthis chapter, Iowe adebt to Marcel van der Linden, Workers of the World: EssaysT oward aG lobal Labor History( Leiden and Boston, 2008), especiallyc h. 9. The English word strike was probablyu sed for the first time duringaconflict in 1768, although it onlyg raduallyr eplacedt he term turnout during the laten ineteenth century.S ailors in Sutherland struck the sails to stresst heir demands to the sailingc ompany, and from that dayo nwards the word strike was used with regardtolabour conflicts. See ANew EnglishDictionaryonHistorical Principles (Oxford, 1919). The English word, which is derivedf romt he Indo-European streig (= stroke), found its wayi nto other languages, including German (Streik)a nd Swedish (strejk), but some languages used their own wordf or this relatively new event.I ti sp robablyr elated to the French tric, aw ord used before grève came in use.
Clare Anderson, editor. A Global History of Convicts and Penal Colonies
The American Historical Review, Feb 1, 2020
Humanitarian Intervention and Changing Labor Relations. The Long-term Consequences of the Abolition of the Slave Trade
BRILL eBooks, 2011
Acknowledgements Notes on contributors Maps, figures and tables Introduction, Marcel van der Lind... more Acknowledgements Notes on contributors Maps, figures and tables Introduction, Marcel van der Linden Appendix: An Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade (1807) POLITICS OF MEMORY Commemorating abolition, 1807-2007, James Walvin New challenges for historians: the veil of post-slavery society in Surinam, 1808-2008, Angelie Sens ABOLITIONS Was abolition of the American and British slave trade significant in the broader Atlantic context?, David Eltis The limited impact of 1808 in Brazil, Dick Geary Revolution and emancipation: the role of abolitionism in ending slavery in the Americas, Robin Blackburn Abolition from below: the 1808 revolt in the Cape Colony, Nicole Ulrich Slavery after the abolition of the slave trade: the United States and the British West Indies, Stanley Engerman The Abolition Act and the development of abolitionist movements in 19th century Europe, Andreas Gestrich CONSEQUENCES "As always, the trouble is with the French." Britain, France, the Netherlands and the colonial labor market in the 19th century, Pieter C. Emmer What came after Emancipation? A micro-historical comparison between Cuba and the United States, Michael Zeuske and Norbert Finzsch Land policies in Jamaica, 1830-1940, Claus Fullberg-Stollberg Abolitionist rhetorics, colonial conquest, and the slow death of slavery in Germany's African empire, Andreas Eckert More continuity than change? New forms of unfree labor in the Belgian Congo, 1908-1930, Julia Seibert The discourse on free labor and the forced Cultivation System: the contradictory consequences of the abolition of the slave trade in colonial Java, 1811-1870, Ulbe Bosma Indenture, Grand Narratives and fragmented histories: the Dutch East Indies, c. 1880-1940, Roger Knight PERSPECTIVES The long-term trajectory of anti-slavery in international politics: from the expansion of the European international system to unequal international development, Susan Zimmermann Bibliography Index
Globalization’s Agricultural Roots: some final considerations
Our lives have become unimaginable without plants that at one time existed only in quite differen... more Our lives have become unimaginable without plants that at one time existed only in quite different parts of the world. Rice, maize, potatoes, tomatoes, cassava and countless other crops have spread all over the world and are important ingredients in the daily nutrition of hundreds of millions, or even billions, of people. Natural rubber enables car transport on all continents, and cotton and flax are indispensable in the textile industry.
Dissecting Coerced Labor
On Coerced Labor, 2016
The Formation of labour movements, 1870-1914: an international perspective
Page 1. AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE EDITED BY MARCEL VAN DHR LINDEN JURGEN ROJAHN Page 2. Page 3... more Page 1. AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE EDITED BY MARCEL VAN DHR LINDEN JURGEN ROJAHN Page 2. Page 3. Page 4. Page 5. THE FORMATION OF LABOUR MOVEMENTS 1870-1914 I This One TYNZ-KH7-AGH1 Page 6. ...
Handbook Global History of Work
Global Labour Journal, May 31, 2016
Traditional labour movements are in trouble almost everywhere. 1 They have been severely enfeeble... more Traditional labour movements are in trouble almost everywhere. 1 They have been severely enfeebled by the political and economic changes of the last forty years. Their core consists of three forms of social movement organisations: cooperatives, trade unions and workers' parties. All three organisational types are in decline, though this is an uneven development with vast differences between countries and regions. We are living through a transitional stage in which old organisational structures no longer seem to work well, while new structures are still in their early stages. Since the 1940s and 1950s, consumer cooperatives, like all businesses under capitalism, were increasingly forced to concentrate capital, due to improved transportation facilities and new retail forms. This trend manifested itself partly in the declining number of cooperatives, and also in the increasing membership strength of each cooperative unit (Pestoff, 1991: 234; Gurney, 1996: 242). Often the average age of members rose, as elderly members remained loyal to their cooperatives, and younger ones failed to materialise. Generally, consumer cooperatives were doomed by inhibitions arising from their pioneering role. Established in an era when small shop-owners controlled retailing, they were initially at an advantage. Their larger operations were more economically rational and offered advantages of scale. In response, shopkeepers joined forces and developed chain stores, central purchasing organisations, self-service stores, supermarkets, shopping centres and the like. These new types of businesses featured brand names, systems of accumulated redeemable credits, low prices and enticing advertisements. As a result, the competitive advantage of the consumer cooperatives deteriorated rapidly. The surplus base (surplus divided by sales) decreased, along with the dividends for members and the opportunities for innovation and investment. Many consumer cooperatives encountered financial difficulties, and faced a serious dilemma in their effort to avoid bankruptcy. Their limited choices included merging with a regular capitalist business, becoming a limited liability company, or borrowing substantial amounts from banks. In each case, they ceased to be autonomous cooperatives. Another approach involved countering the rising competition through modernisation and operational expansion, thereby increasing the social distance between members and administrators, as well as further reducing involvement among the members and thereby undermining the organisation's cooperative nature.
International Review of Social History, Oct 9, 2015
Joe sabi vo ron: joe moe sabi vo kibri." [If you know how to run away, you should know where to h... more Joe sabi vo ron: joe moe sabi vo kibri." [If you know how to run away, you should know where to hide as well.] Surinamese proverb 3 * Translated from Dutch by Lee Mitzman. 1. All references in the text to H.U.E. Thoden van Velzen and Wim Hoogbergen, Een zwarte vrijstaat in Suriname. De Okaanse samenleving in de achttiende eeuw (Leiden [etc.], 2011) are designated A with the appropriate page numbers. 2. All references in the text to Wilhelmina van Wetering and H.U.E. Thoden van Velzen, Een zwarte vrijstaat in Suriname (deel 2). De Okaanse samenleving in de negentiende en twintigste eeuw (Leiden [etc.], 2013) are designated B with the appropriate page numbers.
Edizioni Università di Trieste eBooks, May 20, 2016
UvA-DARE is a service provided by the library of the University of Amsterdam () Informalizzare l'... more UvA-DARE is a service provided by the library of the University of Amsterdam () Informalizzare l'economia: il ritorno della questione sociale a livello globale Breman, J.; van der Linden, M.
University of California Press eBooks, Dec 31, 2019
Though the social question was discovered only in the nineteenth century, its antecedents were, o... more Though the social question was discovered only in the nineteenth century, its antecedents were, of course, much older. Casual wage labor has existed for millennia in Europe and elsewhere. In ancient Athens, a space existed known as kolonos 2
Beyond Marx. Confronting Labour-history and the Concept of Labour with the Global Labour-relations of the Twentyfirst Century
Social security mutualism : the comparative history of mutual benefit societies
This essayreviews the literature on the slave-labour dimension of slavery since 1500. Iseek to em... more This essayreviews the literature on the slave-labour dimension of slavery since 1500. Iseek to emphasize slavery as labour history,i naneffort to make it directlycomparable to wagel abour and other dimensions of labour history-rather than consider the full rangeo ft he historiographyo fs lavery.I nevitably,h owever,s ome broader consideration of slavery as as ocial institution and historical process will enter the discussion. That is, the literature on the labour history of slavery is encompassed within al argera nd more general literature that mixes the labourso ft he enslaved with studies of the institutional structures of slavery,t he recruitment of slaves, the social and cultural history of slaves, and the individual and collective campaigns for emancipation. To clarify the literature on the labour history of slavery in the overall context of slavery studies, this essaybegins with an introductory characterization of the literature on slavery and continues with sections discussing the debates over slave labour within four periods of historical writing. The topics and debates in historicalwriting on slavery and slave labour differed substantiallyf rom period to period, as ar esulto fc hanges in the globalr egimeo f slavery and also in responset om ore general shifts in the socio-economic order.I n each temporal section Ib egin with comments on the political economyo fs lavery and labour,then discuss specific contributions and debates in the literature published in that period. Since slavery is based on social conflict and oppression, the interpretation of slavery in each period highlighted differences between those who saw slavery as an atural, minimal, or negligible elemento ft he social order to those who saws lavery as af ocus of oppression, exploitation, and social transformation. (1) In the erao fi mperial slavery,from 1500 to 1800,enslavement expanded steadily and came to be reformulated in increasinglyracial terms,but was rarelychallenged at the level of literate society.Inthis era, debates focused especiallyonwho was subject to enslavement; onlyatthe end of this period did objectionst oslavery itself became prominent.(2) In the eraofemancipation within colonialism, from 1800 up to 1950,d ebates and struggles over slavery became central social issues. Enslavement expandeda nd spread to new regions, but ag reat movement of emancipation challenged the institution of slavery and brought its downfallp rogressively in Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa. In this era, the proponents of slavery argued for its profitability and indeedf or its social necessity but alsof or the inferior character and value of those enslaved, while opponents of slavery claimed it to be immoral; in latter parts of this period, voicesf rom enslavedc ommunities began to be heard. (3) In the post-colonial era, from 1950 to 1990,powerful processes of decolonization and anti-racism brought an outpouring of studiesonpastslavery.Inthis period, dominated by rejection and critique of the role of slavery in individual societies, some researchers documented slavery and condemned its effects on slavesa nd society generally; others argued that slavery,while lamentable, had few seriously negative
Palgrave studies in the history of social movements, Nov 27, 2019
Around the world, social movements have become legitimate, yet contested, actors in local, nation... more Around the world, social movements have become legitimate, yet contested, actors in local, national and global politics and civil society, yet we still know relatively little about their longer histories and the trajectories of their development. This series seeks to promote innovative historical research on the history of social movements in the modern period since around 1750. We bring together conceptually-informed studies that analyse labour movements, new social movements and other forms of protest from early modernity to the present. We conceive of 'social movements' in the broadest possible sense, encompassing social formations that lie between formal organisations and mere protest events. We also offer a home for studies that systematically explore the political, social, economic and cultural conditions in which social movements can emerge. We are especially interested in transnational and global perspectives on the history of social movements, and in studies that engage critically and creatively with political, social and sociological theories in order to make historically grounded arguments about social movements. This new series seeks to offer innovative historical work on social movements, while also helping to historicise the concept of 'social movement'. It hopes to revitalise the conversation between historians and historical sociologists in analysing what Charles Tilly has called the 'dynamics of Editors
Uploads
Papers by Marcel Van Der Linden