Join us for this talk by Jan Lucassen who will discuss his new book, The Story of Work.
We work because we have to, but also because we like it: from hunting-gathering more than 700,000 years ago to the present era of zoom meetings, humans have always worked to make the world around them suit their needs.
Jan Lucassen provides an inclusive history of humanity’s busy labour throughout the ages. Spanning China, India, Africa, the Americas, and Europe, Lucassen looks at the ways in which humanity organises work: in the household, the tribe, the city, and the state. He examines how labor is split between men, women, and children; the watershed moment of the invention of money; the collective action of workers; and at the impact of migration, slavery, and the idea of leisure.
Meet our speaker and chair
Jan Lucassen is an honorary fellow at the International Institute of Social History in Amsterdam where is founded the IISH Research Department. He is the author of numerous books including Globalising Migration History: The Eurasian Experience and Global Labour History.
Sara Horrell is Professor of Economic History at LSE. Her research explores labour market participation with an emphasis on women and children’s work and welfare.
Patrick Wallis (@phwallis) is Professor of Economic History at LSE. His research explores the economic, social and medical history of Britain and Europe from the 16th to 18th century.
More about this event
The Department of Economic History (@LSEEcHist) iis one of the world’s leading centres for research and teaching in economic history. It is home to a huge breadth and depth of knowledge and expertise ranging for the medieval period to the current century.
You can order the book The Story of Work: a new history of humankind (UK delivery only) from our official LSE Events independent book shop, Pages of Hackney.
Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSEEcHistWork
Podcast & Video
A podcast of this event is available to download from The Story of Work: a new history of humankind.
A video of this event is available to watch at The Story of Work: a new history of humankind.
Podcasts and videos of many LSE events can be found at the LSE Public Lectures and Events: podcasts and videos channel.