Comrades and Cousins

Globalization, Workers and Labour Movements in Britain the USA and Australia from the 1880s to 1914.

The focus rests upon organized labour’s attitudes and practices towards class, race and politics in Britain, Australia and the USA during the era of ‘new imperialism’, 1880s-1914.

The book teases out similarities and differences among nations. It will appeal to all those interested in the past, present and future of the labour movement and other progressive causes in an increasingly globalized context. ‘each essay is intensively researched and tightly argued, a boon to scholars and teachers of labor, social, imperial, and comparative history.

The book’s appearance in an affordable format suits it for classroom use, as dies its broad scope.’ Albion

‘a highly skilled piece of historical writing which has, at its heart a very close and detailed understanding of the nature of labour, capital and workers consciousness in the late 19th century and early 20th centuries. As such, it contributes to the method of comparison, the field of labour history, and the burgeoning field of migration studies. It deserves a wide readership among scholars among these and other fields of enquiry’. Labour History Review.

‘It is an excellent example of the kind of work we need if we are to refocus our attention on the broad sweep of Atlantic and imperial history, instead of its minutiae’ Labor History (USA)

‘this essay is one that no historian of race can afford to ignore.’ Labour History (Australia)

Contents: Introduction; Labour in an International Context; Transatlantic Connections and American ‘Peculiarities’: Labour Politics in the USA and Britain; The Australian ‘Workingman’s Paradise’ in Comparative Perspective; The Rule of Class and the Power of Race: Socialist Attitudes to Class, Race and Empire; Conclusion: Summary of key themes and findings, especially labour’s inclusive and exclusive approaches to class and race and the implications of these approaches for the role of labour in today’s globalised world.