Labor History – History of Industrial Relations

The study of labor history and the history of industrial relations has traditionally focused on the changing relations between workers, employers, and the state. However, recent global developments—technological transformation, crisis of traditional trade unionism,  emergence of new forms of labor precarity—have renewed interest in understanding how historical patterns of collective organization, negotiation, and conflict continue to shape today’s world of work.

The historical study of labour and industrial relations offers essential insights into how societies have organised production, regulated conflict, and negotiated social justice. Labour history traditionally examines workers’ collective agency, class formation, and trade unionism, while industrial relations history focuses on institutional arrangements governing employment, bargaining, and regulation.

Recent scholarship increasingly calls for a reconnection between these two fields—bridging social history’s concern with class and identity with industrial relations’ institutional and policy perspectives . This approach resonates strongly with histories’ interdisciplinary mission to explore human change and continuity across social, economic, and political dimensions.

This Special Issue seeks to explore the intersections between labor history and industrial relations history from the 19th century to the present, combining historical depth with comparative, transnational, and interdisciplinary approaches. It aims to bridge the gap between traditional labor history (focused on class, movements, and identity) and the institutional analysis of industrial relations systems (focused on bargaining, regulation, and policy).

The issue will highlight how historical developments in employment relations illuminate contemporary debates about labor markets, democracy at work, and social justice.

By bringing together historians, industrial relations scholars, and social scientists, this issue aims to a) reinvigorate interdisciplinary dialogue between labor history and industrial relations; b) provide a historical perspective on the challenges facing collective labor institutions in the 21st century; c) contribute to policy and academic debates on the future of work, social dialogue, and worker representation.

Invited papers which address, but are not limited to, the following themes:

• Historical Foundations of Industrial Relations Systems;
• Trade Unions, Employers’ Associations and the State;
• Workplace Conflict, Industrial Democracy and Worker Representation;
• Gender, Race, Migration and Labour Relations History;
• Transnational Labour Movements, Global Supply Chains, and International Labour Standards;
• Continuities and Ruptures in the Neoliberal Era;
• Digitalisation, Platform Labour and New Forms of Worker Representation.

Papers may situate themselves in different national‐settings or take comparative/transnational or long‐term historical perspectives.

This Special Issue targets historians of work and labour, scholars of industrial relations, social historians, economic and institutional historians, and researchers of labour and political economy. It also speaks to policymakers, union/employee organisations and employer associations interested in historical perspectives on labour regulation and representation.

Prof. Dr. Theodore Koutroukis
Prof. Dr. Maria Damilakou
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Histories is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• Working Class
• Trade Unions
• Labor Movement
• Employer Associations
• Welfare State
• Migration
• Labor-Magagemnt Relations
• Industrial Peace and Conflict
• Social and Economic History